Good Evening, Partners and Friends! 

Today, I am excited to continue with our key scripture found in Ephesians 1:12:

As a result, we - the first to place our hope in the anointed one- will live in a way to bring Him glory and praise. 

For the last several weeks we have been talking about how our lives can bring God glory and praise. Last week we talked about how telling others about Jesus brings God glory and praise. This week we are going to talk about bringing God glory and praise by becoming more Christ-like. 

What does that even mean - to become more Christ-like? Does it mean we become exactly like Jesus is and be nothing of who He made us to be? No, it does not. God created each one of as a complete individual. There is no one else in the world like you! You may have an identical twin, but even in that, you are still unique to God and also to others who really know you. Becoming more Christ-like is to take who you are, in all your individuality, and press towards God in the spirit. Becoming more Christ-like is becoming stronger in your spirit; then your spirit will flow out and affect your natural man. If God has created you to be funny, then He will use you to reach people through your humor.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 in the Message Bible state:

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so, we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

As we press forward in strengthening our spirit man, we will begin to become brighter and brighter like Jesus in our outward man. God will then take our strengths and make us stronger, and He will take our weaknesses and make them stronger. 

You may say, “but I am not bold, that is just not my personality.” True, it may not be who you are now, but God will take that and make you a bolder person in Him. First, beginning in your spirit man and then flowing out through your natural man. Just as the scriptures states, this will happen gradually as God enters our lives more and more on a daily basis. As we study His word, confess His word, seek after Him in our lives, we WILL gradually become more like Him. When others see us becoming more like Him and how He uses us individually, it will bring praise to God! 

-Candace Brim

Dear Partners and Friends,

It is so good to have you back with us today. Let’s continue with what we talked about the last two weeks. Our key scripture can be found in the book of Ephesians 1:12, and we are looking at it in the King James Version.

“That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His Glory.”

I like the way the Voice Translation states it also, 

“As a result, we- the first to place our hope in the anointed one- will live in a way to bring Him glory and praise.” 

Our lives should bring God glory and praise.

Last week we gave you a list of six ways you can bring glory and praise to God with your life.  As we said earlier, there is a lot more than those six; but let’s just begin with them as we go through the next several weeks of blogs. (If you want to look at the full list, please go to last week’s blog.) The first thing listed in bringing glory and praise to God is by telling others about Jesus. So, let’s focus on this topic. 

When we tell others about Jesus and what He has done in our lives, we bring God glory and praise. A great example of this is found in Luke 15:4-7:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

 A lot of times, this parable is taught about how wonderful Salvation is because Jesus will leave the ninety-nine to go save one and how all heaven rejoices in this salvation. Praise God for that part of the parable, for without Jesus so loving us and laying down His life for us, we could not live for eternity with Him. But, that is not all there is to this story! There is a hidden gem in the middle of this story. You see, when the “man” comes home from finding the lost sheep, he calls together his friends and neighbors and tells them about the salvation! Just as this “man” told others about his salvation, we should tell others about Jesus and how he saved us. One of your greatest witnessing tools to others is your own stories of salvation. Whether that story is of the day Jesus saved you into His kingdom or the day He set you free from an addiction, that’s salvation. Or maybe your story is the day He healed your body or the day He brought peace into your life. Maybe your story is when He saved you from a great catastrophe or you were led by the Holy Spirit into a great business opportunity. In every season of our lives, we have stories that we can share with others about how Jesus saved us!  

Telling others about these stories, and how Jesus saved us, brings God glory and praise.  And all of heaven rejoices when you do so. So, get out there. Start telling your stories!

-Candace Brim

Hello Partners and Friends!  

Candace here. I always begin my day in the book of Ephesians, starting in chapter one and going all the way through to chapter six. However, today I did not get very far. In fact, I didn’t make it past chapter one before I was arrested by the Holy Spirit in chapter verse twelve. So, let’s take a look at this scripture together today in the Voice Translation.

Ephesians 1:12

As a result, we- the first to place our hope in the anointed one- will live in a way to bring Him glory and praise.

Now, I have a question for you: have you put your hope in the anointed one, Jesus? Have you made Jesus your Lord and Savior? Have you accepted Him into your life and asked Him to live in your heart? If so, this scripture was written to you. The rest of your life is set from here. You now are headed for a life of eternity with Him. Praise God! But not only that, while you’re heading towards eternity in Him, your life here upon the earth should be lived in such a way that you bring Him (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) glory and praise.

God does not ask much from us. When we accept His Son as our Savior, we are asked to live our lives loving Him. Jesus told us, along with many prophets, that we should love the Lord with all our heart. Then, as we see in Ephesians 1:12, we live our life to the praise of His glory.  Or as stated in the Voice Translation, we “will live in a way to bring Him glory and praise.”

This is one of my favorite things to say to God when I start the day, “Lord, let my life be to the praise of your glory. Let my actions, my speech, my time, and all my efforts of the day bring you glory and praise.” I always ask the Holy Spirit to help with this.

Below is a list of six things that I purpose myself to walk in so that I may bring Glory and praise to God. I call this my “by list”. You could probably add a lot more to the list than I have added below, but these six are the things that I am working on in my life right now.

1. By telling others about Jesus

2. By worshipping and praising Him 

3. By becoming Christ like

4. By loving others

5. By serving others with the gifts Christ has blessed you with

6. By walking in our inheritance

Next week, we will begin to take a look at each one of these areas and expand on how we can do them, thus bringing Glory to God with our lives. I challenge you today, to go through your day purposing in your heart that your actions of the day will bring glory and praise to God.

-Candace Brim