Be Glorified

"In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified.
In my life, Lord, be glorified today."

This is a simple chorus I've heard several times. I was not able to identify a source for it, and with all the variations for additional verses, it seems that any number of people have expanded upon the original. I've come across variations including the following: "in my home, in my words, in this hour, in Your church, and in my heart."

At the beginning of 2014, may I suggest "in this year"? We all have aspirations and goals that we would like to accomplish or see happen in our lives. We work toward those goals (sometimes with extreme dedication), and we earnestly God to bring them about. While it is right to dedicate ourselves to what we believe to be the will of God, we must be careful that our greatest aspiration is for God to be glorified in our lives.

Our personal goals may be for things like health, freedom from debt, time with family, or success for a project. There is not necessarily anything wrong with any of those goals; each of them could be used to bring glory to God. Greater than the accomplishment of any of those specific desires, however, is the ultimate goal that God be lifted up. That might happen just as well or even better through a difficult illness, unexpected financial burdens, loneliness, or a failed project than it could through accomplishment of our desired goals. Good or bad, everything in our lives should be for God's glory.

“According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 (NASB)