May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6-7
What is glory? Glory can be defined as distinction, renown or adoration. It is that for which someone or something is known. To glorify is to attribute renown to someone or something. I came across a J.J. Watt quote that speaks to this very thought: “I know I'm going to be remembered for football. That's why I work so hard at it.” It would seem he just might be right. He’s racked up quite the list of achievements in football. Recently, however, he may be even better known for his philanthropy. He formed a foundation that to date has given more than $4,000,000 to youth sports organizations and he raised more than $2,000,000 in Hurricane Harvey relief. He sure is driven. But is it enough? Will it last?
The Bible again and again speaks to this very question. If glory is man-made it is futile. Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes says, “When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11a) Glory is a lot like wind - here today and gone tomorrow.
But there is a glory that is eternal. And as believers in Christ we can partake in that glory!!! What we do here on this earth for a glory other than God’s is futile, but what we do for the glory of Christ lasts forever! (2 Corinthians 2:16-18, 1 Peter 5:10) In today’s verse Paul shows us one way we bring glory to Christ: live in harmony with each other. Sounds simple, right? But after having spent a number of days in close proximity to your teammates you may have discovered that it’s not always as simple as it sounds. That’s why Paul asks God to encourage believers to be able to live in harmony with one another. We can’t do it alone, but doing it brings God great glory. And we ultimately get to live in that glory! (1 Corinthians 15:43) Ask yourself, have I brought glory to Christ in the ways I’ve interacted with my teammates this week? Or my coaches? Or my family? Friends?
You can’t do this community thing alone. You need the strength that the “God of encouragement and endurance” brings into your every day. Ask Him to grant you that strength.