God's Glory, Love, and My Failure

Last Sunday I taught on God's Glory. It is really tough to define, but it is not only his character, his praise, his being, but it is how I live my life for his glory. Then after teaching this, the sermon that day was on 1 Corinthians 13 the "love" chapter. I left that day from church invigorated and ready to live my life this past week for God's glory and with love.

Well, then real life happens. The girls do not go to bed. They fight. They do not go to bed. They do not go to bed. Did I mention they won't go to bed?! I got angry and when I was disciplining them, even though it was appropriate discipline, I wasn't doing it for the glory of God or for the love of the girls. I was disciplining them because I wanted them to go to sleep and I wanted some peace. So really for the glory of me and the love of me.

Then the next day, while at work, I heard the song I've embedded below. I came home and apologized to the girls. Realizing that despite doing a good thing (disciplining my kids so they get some sleep and grow up healthy) I'd done it for the wrong reasons and out of the wrong spirit. Just like when Moses, after seeing the glory of the Lord (Numbers 20:6) struck the rock and stole God glory (Numbers 20:12), I'd done the same thing. Not only that, but I'd done parenting which is important and a God given task without love. So I'd become that sounding brass and clanging symbol Paul talks about in Corinthians.

Even though I'd done all this, God's grace still rains down on me. His grace reaches to me from as far away as I can get. His grace out runs, out shines, out gives, out loves, out does any and all my sins and failures. That is why I do want to bring him glory. That is why I want to love my kids with a Corinthians love. I hope to show my kids (and others around me) the glory and love of God. Despite my distractions, natural hypocrisy, and my own desires, God's grace rains down on me.