For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. – Isaiah 48:11

Sin is very deceptive! I have found that I can have the wrong motives for defeating sin. I would try to defeat sin to show the world that I am holy and upright. I rationalize: Christians are to be the light of the world. Look at me! In these times, I must renew my mind and remember that my motivation for defeating sin should be primarily for God’s glory. The driving force for sanctification should NOT be a desire for people to “look at me” or a desire to avoid the natural discomfort and consequences of sin. Those reasons are primarily for my own benefit.

Mike Cleveland quotes Judges 7:2 and explains the importance of realizing God’s jealousy for His own glory. Only when we understand this will we have lasting victory over sin. (Mike applies this concept to the issue of sexual impurity, but the principle is applicable for any sin.)

And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ – Judges 7:2

Do you see it? God had to REDUCE the size of Gideon’s army so that, when they won the battle, Israel would not claim glory for themselves. This could be the very reason why we have not been successful in finding permanent freedom from impurity in the past, because God has not wanted us to boast in ourselves, or in a certain method or program, or in following the advice of some guru. God desires His glory to be great in our salvation. (Psalm 21:5) God works for His own glory! … Is our motive in desiring to break free to honor Him, or ourselves? Are we working with Him, or are we at cross-purposes with Him?

… there is great hope in having the glory of God as our motivation! If we have a purpose in our hearts to glorify God, then we are working in concert with God, and He will enable us to do what we seek to do.

Let us check our heart and the desires that underly what we do. Our desires for overcoming sin, longings for achievement, respect, and success must be ultimately for the glory of God. I need to ask myself: what really motivates me to get my degrees, desire a family and have lots of money?

Is God the blazing center of my universe? We must desire to please and glorify Him: For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. To God alone be all the glory.

Christians are mindful that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Faith is gift of God, so that no one can boast. But Christians should not forget the importance of faith after their conversion. It is by faith that we are saved… but it is also by faith that we endure to the end.

Paul says that the gospel is where the “righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.” (Romans 1:17, ESV) We are given faith so that we may have more faith! Our faith should grow as we mature in Christ. The NIV says that in the gospel a righteousness is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. Jesus Christ is both the founder and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

Faith is so crucial for us to hold:
1. Faith keeps us hopeful. It it the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
2. Faith keeps us from sin. It allows us to please God and trust in his goodness. (Hebrews 11:6)
3. Faith helps us to persevere under trial and allows us to mature. (James 1:2-3)

Sola Fide.

John Piper says that the most loving thing God can do for us is to reveal His Glory to us. In John 11, Scripture states that Lazarus’s illness was for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Then we read this statement about Jesus’s love and his subsequent actions.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. – John 11: 5-6

Isn’t that interesting? Jesus was being loving by delaying His arrival. This only makes sense when we understand that God’s glory is the only thing that would/could satisfy Lazarus. When the Bible promises that Christians will receive all things through Christ, we must remember that our prize is namely Christ Himself.

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple. – Psalm 27:4

Our joy comes from seeing the glory and beauty of Christ!

God uses suffering in our lives to show us His glory… and this is a loving thing. Counter-intuitive isn’t it? He brings us suffering to further our joy. Oh, that I would cherish the beauty of Christ instead of the things of this world. This world is not my home.

I’m glad that God reminds me that this world is not my home. This world can be discouraging. Death, illness, poverty, pain and suffering, natural disasters… Jesus knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he promised to help us through it.

You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy… In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16

Let us see the beauty of Christ and His sovereignty during suffering and remind ourselves not to put our hope in this world.

ONE PURE AND HOLY PASSION by Mark Altrogge. Download this song here.

Give me one pure and holy passion,
Give me one magnificent obsession,
Jesus, give me one glorious ambition for my life,
To know and follow hard after You.
To know and follow hard after You,
To grow as Your disciple in the truth,
This world is empty, pale and poor,
Compared to knowing You, my Lord.
Lead me on, and I will run after You.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Have you ever felt that temptation is simply too great to withstand? That sin is just an inbuilt part of your nature– that you have no choice but to sin? I have felt this way before. But this verse says in contradistinction: God is faithful and will provide a way of escape. How can this be? Is God faithful or is God a liar?

Is God a liar? By no means! God can not lie!

The problem is not with God. The problem is us. If we give in to sin, we do not yet know God as we ought. We may know about God, but that is not the same as knowing God. Knowing God requires us to come humbly before Him, asking Him to reveal Himself to us as He is, as the Scriptures portray Him. God is merciful and abounding in love. Every good gift comes from Him. We see God’s goodness and faithfulness to us through Jesus Christ.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32

If we do not know God as a faithful and gracious God, we need to wrestle with God and know Him as He really is. We need to meditate on the gospel. Of course, knowing God is a life long process. The following verse explains that the knowledge of God protects us from sin:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. – 2 Peter 1:3

And the amazing thing about this protective knowledge is that it is nothing I can selfishly boast about. God called me to this knowledge. I don’t deserve this knowledge. This knowledge is too wonderful for me. I have a responsibility to wrestle and know God. But he gets all the praise for my salvation and sanctification. There, but for the grace of God, go I.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. – 2 Corinthians 7:10

There is such a thing as worldly grief. I may know that something I did was wrong, but be sorry for the wrong reasons. I may be sorry that I was caught or that there are negative effects of sin. I can be frustrated that I ruined a relationship, wasted time, that I am not having victory over sin, that my joy is not complete, or that God feels far away from me. This type of worldly grief does us no good. This is not the type of grief God desires us to have.

Godly grief is quite different. Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. It says, I will trust in the blood of Christ to cleanse me from my sins. It says, from hence forth, I will live a life worthy of the gospel. Godly grief realizes that sin is primarily against God.

“How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” – Genesis 39:9
“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight… ” – Psalm 51:4

In the first of his 95 thesis, Martin Luther reminds us that the whole of the Christian life is to be one of repentance. May God empower us to have this godly grief.