OUR DUTY TOWARD GOD by Jos. Clarke

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 21, 1868

OUR DUTY TOWARD GOD.

By Jos. Clarke

It should be the object and aim of every rational being, to please, and honor, and glorify God in all things, as the Apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthians in the 1st epistle vi. 20. “For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The subject embraces the whole duty of man toward God, which has been defined, briefly, “to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.” To glorify God; why? Because he is worthy of our glorying; he is our creator; he is our constant support. Yes, he is worthy. Suppose we were commanded to glorify a hateful being, whom we knew to be unjust and tyrannical, and had no recourse, no appeal! Ah, my dear brother, that would be hard indeed. Suppose Satan could have succeeded in his rebellion, and we were to live out our existence under his sway; to glorify one whom we hated from the bottom of our hearts, ah! this would be too dreadful to think of. But rejoice; our God reigns; he is good and true; and more worthy than we can describe or imagine. Shall we not glorify Him whom we love? Who else shall we glorify? Self! Is not self too weak to support itself? Shall we glorify a worm? Shall we glorify a fellow-man? If so, whom shall we glorify? It is absurd; there is no object worthy of our worship between God and ourselves; there is no God, save the Lord. He is worthy—the architect of the universe, the Father of our Saviour Jesus Christ, whom we worship as his adorable Son, the framer of our earth, and the former of man, and all that exists upon the earth.

God is every way worthy of our worship; not a blot or stain rests upon him in the administration of the government of the universe. Angels gladly confess him as their king, and worship him in rapture and praise, and only live to glorify him.

Let us also glorify God by every means in our power; by swift obedience and intelligent service and devotion; by self-denial, and a consistent, holy life.

How shall the poor and the rich glorify God? By such a spirit of liberality as is proportional to their ability. An officer of the American Bible Society gives his attention to the secular affairs of that society without remuneration, a task of no ordinary magnitude; and gives ten thousand dollars per year to its treasury, besides. That is his way of glorifying God. The rich can glorify God in a style of liberality commensurate with their ability; then can their prayers and alms come up for a memorial before God, and not till then. The poor are generally more ready to give, but not always. Sometimes they fret; ah, this does not glorify God. A man may not shut up his heart because he is poor; but let him cherish a warm-hearted, liberal disposition, and then his mite is as acceptable to God as the splendid offerings of the rich.

We hope that no call from the Lord will wait for a response; but rather, let those who have the means pledge sufficient to create a fund to be ready for any sudden call. JOS. CLARKE.