"Shine the spotlight on God"

We Christians throw out the term glorify a lot.  We say, “I want to glorify God.”  But what does glorify even mean?  There are several helpful synonyms that I’ve heard over the years.  One is from my pastor, who has used the expression “making God look good in our lives.”  I really like this terminology.      

Another helpful synonym is actually a word picture from Chris Tomlin’s book, “The Way I Was Made”.  He writes, “We were created to shine the spotlight on God - to spread the fame of God everywhere we go.”

At Chris Tomlin concerts, there is always a spotlight that is put on him, yet metaphorically, Chris never shines the spotlight on himself in his concerts; he always shines the spotlight on God.  So the imagery in my mind is that there is a spotlight and we can shine it on ourselves, or on God.  This means more than just talking a good game.  It is expressed in much more quiet and subtle ways, such as simply living a holy, righteous, and virtuous life.

By the way, I must confess that I have not arrived when it comes to adequately shining the spotlight on God in my life.  It certainly would be hypocritical of me to declare that I always make God look good.  In fact, I’m challenging myself afresh with this post, my hope is that I've inspired some of you as well.  Let’s shine the spotlight on God in our lives!

Kevin Bauer

(2 Corinthians 5:15)