“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:31)
We are bound to time, and our lives are often marked by the passing of years—births, milestones, transitions, and endings. When a new year begins, it’s natural to look ahead with plans and resolutions. Yet in doing so, we must remember why we exist in the first place. God has created us in time, but for eternity (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Our purpose is therefore not defined by worldly achievement but by eternal glorification of the One who made us.
Though the world urges us to define success by personal fulfillment and self-determined goals, Jesus taught that those who seek to save their life will lose it (Matthew 16:25). Instead, Scripture teaches us that life is found not in self-direction but in surrender. To make much of ourselves is to waste what God has given, but to live to glorify God is to fulfill the reason we were created and redeemed.
Our resolutions, then, should reflect this truth. They should not be rooted in selfish ambition but in a desire to bring glory to the God who calls us His own. As Isaiah 43:7 reminds us, we were “created for [His] glory.” Revelation 4:11 teaches that all things exist for His pleasure. The goal of each day should be conformity to the will of God, a life transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), and a clear testimony that proclaims His praise (1 Peter 2:9).
This includes both the ordinary and the extraordinary. Whether we speak, work, serve, or rest, we are to glorify God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:11). We were not made to pursue fleeting greatness but to reflect divine majesty in every aspect of life. “Entirely filled with admiration of the divine majesty and holiness.”[1]
The beginning of a new year offers a chance to reset our affections. To resolve, by the Spirit’s help, that we will walk in wisdom, number our days rightly (Psalm 90:12), and honor God in word and deed. Even the smallest tasks—eating and drinking—can be offered to Him when done with a heart set on glorifying His name.
So let every resolution this year begin here: not in self-advancement but in humble dependence on Christ. Let every ambition be shaped by a holy longing to reflect His light. May the cry of our hearts be, “To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Contemplations:
- Am I Living for God’s Glory? I often feel the urge to make plans and pursue success, but I must ask—whose glory am I seeking? Am I using my time and energy to honor the One who made me? “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). I want every part of my life to reflect Him.
- Numbering My Days. Time passes quickly. Even a full life is but a vapor. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). I want to steward well the days God gives me for eternal value.
- Glory in Ordinary Things. Glorifying God is not limited to great achievements. Even daily routines can be acts of worship. “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us” (Psalm 90:17). I want my work, rest, and speech to all honor Him.
- The Pattern of Praise. My heart is most alive when I praise Him. “I will praise the Lord while I live: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being” (Psalm 146:2). I want to cultivate a life of continual praise where glory to God flows from my lips and actions every day.
Prayer
[Adoration for the Eternal Christ]
O Lord my God, eternal and unchanging, who has no beginning and no end, I adore You as the One for whom and through whom all things exist. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). You created me to glorify You, redeemed me through Your Son to reflect Your beauty, and daily sustain me that I may walk in Your ways. What a high and holy calling.
You are worthy of all praise, all devotion, and all honor. Before the foundation of the world, You ordained every moment of my life. Every breath I take is from You. Every opportunity I have is given by Your hand. My life is not my own—it belongs to You. And I adore You not just for what You give, but for who You are: holy, sovereign, wise, and good.
In this world I am tempted to turn inward, to build a name for myself, to pursue goals shaped by pride and ambition. But You call me higher. You call me to fix my eyes on Christ, to set my heart on things above, to count all things loss for the surpassing worth of knowing You. I praise You for that calling, for You have not left me to wander, but have revealed the purpose for which I live—to glorify You and enjoy You forever.
You are the beginning and the end, the One in whom all things hold together. And You are not distant. You walk with me daily. You are present in the ordinary, sovereign over the unknown, and faithful in every moment. I worship You for Your patience with me, for Your mercy that lifts me when I fall, and for the transforming power of Your Spirit that conforms me to the image of Christ.
Lord, let my life be a living doxology. Let my words and works reflect Your worth. May I never live for myself but for You who loved me and gave Yourself for me. As I look to the days ahead, I ask not for comfort, ease, or acclaim, but for a heart that longs to see You glorified in everything. Whether I speak or serve, rest or labor, may Your name be magnified.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be over all the earth. And let it shine in me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, the brightness of Your glory and the exact imprint of Your nature, I worship You. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.
Further References for 1 Corinthians 10:31
2 Samuel 15:15; John 2:5, 15:14; Colossians 3:17; Romans 3:23
[1] Thomas Scott, The Theological Works of Thomas Scott in One Volume, (Edinburgh: Sterling and Kenedy, 1876) 355
