Category Archives: About God

Scripture abounds in reasons to glorify the name of the Lord and shows us numerous ways we bring glory to His name. The Word also shows us what failing to bring glory to His name might look like.

Ways we Might Fail to Bring Glory to His name.

We fail to bring glory to God’s name when we do the following. Many of the verses relate directly to Israel in Old Testament time so not everything in the verses will apply to us. We can, however, fail to bring glory to His name in these ways.

don’t revere His name

If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name – the Lord your God – the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. (Deut. 28:58-59)

revile His name

How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever? — Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name. (Ps. 74:10, 18)

profane His name

I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. (Lev. 20:3)

blaspheme His name

Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. (Lev. 24:15-16)

misuse His name

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Ex. 20:7)

They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. (Ps. 139:20)

dishonor His name

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Prov. 30:9)

fail to call on His name

Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name. (Ps. 79:6)

We may not blatantly do the above but even subtly doing so affects the glory we bring to His name. Since His name represents God, failure to treat His name as holy is the same as disrespecting and dishonoring Him. It may not be the words we say but our actions that fail to glorify His name.

What Happens When We Fail to Bring Glory to His Name

God’s glory doesn’t lessen by what we do or don’t do. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Ps. 90:2; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; James 1:17). Failing to bring glory to His name by doing what was mentioned above, however, does have effects on us and those around us.

1. It puts us in an adversarial position with God. Even but a moment out of sync with our Creator God seems rather foolish.

2. Our lives won’t cause others to bring glory to His name. When we fail to glorify His name, others don’t see the full reflection of who He is in us (Matt. 5:14-16).

Though the Israelites of old repeatedly desecrated the glory of His name and did incur the consequences about which they were warned, God constantly offered restoration.

We have a faithful God. — If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (2 Tim. 2:13)

We have a forgiving God. — If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn. 1:9)

Stop to think about the name of the Lord. There’s just something about that name that should lead us to proclaim, “Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory” (Ps. 115:1).

What Is It About His Name?

The Bible refers to the Lord’s name in the following ways:

endures forever (Ps. 135:13)
exalted above all things (Ps. 148:13)
glorious (Ps. 72:19)
great and awesome (Ps. 99:3)
holy and awesome (Ps. 111:9)
majestic (Ps. 8:9)
reaches to the ends of the earth (Ps. 48:10)
strong tower (Prov. 18:10)

Scripture further attributes these qualities to God’s name:

always good (Ps. 52:9)
always near (Ps. 75:1)
always loving (Ps. 115:1)
always faithful (Ps. 115:1)

We can’t say the same about our own name or that of anyone else past or present. Consequently, we exclaim, “Not to us but to your name be the glory!”

What Happens When We Give Glory to the Name of the Lord?

If we truly mean it when we say, “Not to us but to your name be the glory!” then we should find ourselves doing the following:

acknowledge His name (Ps. 91:14)
ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name (Ps. 29:2; 96:8)
bless people in the name of the LORD (Ps. 129:8)
call on His name (Ps. 80:18; 116:4, 13, 17)
exalt His name together (Ps. 34:3)
extol His name for ever and ever (Ps. 145:2)
fear His name (Ps. 86:11; 102:15)
give thanks to His holy name (Ps. 106:47)
glorify His name forever (Ps. 86:9, 12)
glory in His holy name (Ps. 105:3)
hope in His name (Ps. 52:9)
lift up our banners in the name of our God (Ps. 20:5)
love His name (Ps. 69:36; 119:132)
make music to His name (Ps. 92:1)
praise His holy name (Ps. 30:4; 44:8; 96:2; 99:3; 100:4; 103:1; 113:1-3; 135:1; 140:13; 145:1, 21; 148:5)
praise His name with dancing (Ps. 149:3)
proclaim His name (Ps. 105:1)
rejoice in His name all day long (Ps. 89:16)
remember His name (Ps. 119:55)
seek His name (Ps. 83:16)
sing praise to His name (Ps. 9:2; 18:49; 61:8; 66:2, 4; 68:4; 69:30; 135:3)
swear by His name (Ps. 63:11)
trust in name of Lord (Ps. 9:10; 20:7; 33:21)

Notice the scope in terms of time — now and forever. Also note the range of means — from our words to what we do, from how we relate to Him to how we live for Him. At all times and in all ways, may we say, “Not to us but to your name be the glory!”

Also to read:

• Failing to Bring Glory to His Name
• Church Leaders, Know the Power of God’s Name

Jesus claimed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 17:14), the Head of the Church (Col. 1:18).  He is God who came in the flesh to whom every knee will one day bow (Phil. 2:5-11).

This means that regardless of who we are or what we do, whether we clean the bathrooms or pastor a church, we are under HIS authority. But, do we really believe that all authority belongs to the Lord?

Church leaders, do you lead like HE is “the authority” or do you expect others to treat you as the one? Bible teachers, do you teach like truth is from Him or as though you are “the authority”? Ministry workers in various areas of service, do you serve like HE is the One to whom you are accountable or do the opinions of others matter more?

An Acrostic of What It Looks Like When We Truly Believe All Authority Belongs to the Lord

Someone who truly believes that all authority belongs to the Lord tends to exhibit the following characteristics and actions:

What It Takes to Get to the Point of Acknowledging That He Has These Rights

Getting to this point in our lives begins with getting to know this God better.

Learn about the essence of who God is that gives Him rights as the supreme authority. Check out the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download for alphabetical listings of God’s many attributes.

We have a God who delights in communicating with us. He speaks to us through His Written Word, the Bible, to help us know Him better and to equip us (2 Tim. 3:16-17). He also communicates with audiovisuals as seen in Scripture. One of the greatest examples is Jesus coming to earth as God Incarnate. — “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being …” (Heb. 1:3)

Other Examples of God Using Audiovisuals

Below you’ll find a small number of examples where God used visuals to represent His ways, of what He can do, has done, and will do.

• Adam/Eve (tree to represent human choice/free will of man)
• Moses (burning bush, staff, stone, plagues, etc.)
• Israelites (ark of the covenant, temple and the altar, etc.)
• Prophets (bones, a harlot, rod, bottle, figs, etc.)
• Jesus (objects, writing on the ground, dirt, etc.)
• End Time (seals, trumpets, bowls, horses, etc.)
• Heaven/New Heaven (throne, jewels, streets of gold, etc.)

Why God Communicates Audiovisually

We have a purposeful and creative God who employs a variety of means to communicate. Since He made us, He know that we learn best the more senses we use. He meets us where we are, taking something familiar to help us better understand the unfamiliar. Sometimes He want to reinforce a truth so the more senses He engages, the better we retain it. Other times He may simply want to get our attention.

Warnings About Visual Representations

God said, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Ex. 20:4). It is one thing to let visuals represent His ways or the truth He is communicating, and another for it to represent God Himself. Graven images that represent Him should never used.

God knows that we human beings would be too quick to substitute the pretend image for the real Person. To think that we would let lifeless wood, stones, gold, silver, or bronze take His place might seem absurd. Remember the golden calf during the Exodus. Remember why the Israelites were sent into exile.

Further, nothing could ever adequately depict His greatness and glory. Our visual representations of God would always fall short. Only God could come up with a visual aid adequate to represent Himself — Jesus, God Incarnate, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Heb. 1:3).

Inferences for Communicators of God’s Word

Audiovisuals should be used but purposefully to reinforce truth, not merely to entertain or hold attention. We must carefully choose visuals that enhance the lesson and not take the spotlight. And, audiovisuals should never supplant the teacher or preacher. Remember, we have a personal God who communicates audiovisually but also relationally.

Check out this helpful resource, Tips for Choosing & Using Audiovisuals Worksheet, which uses an acrostic to communicate thirteen tips.