For His Honor

For His Honor

Read: John 12:27-28

“Father, glorify your name!”

John 12:28

“Man’s chief work is the praise of God.”

—St. Augustine

IN WORD One of the ways we can determine whether we are becoming Christlike is to see how we act in a crisis. When the pressure is on, what will we do? Or, even deeper, when the pressure is on, what motives will direct us?

Jesus came to the hour that He had long predicted. He was clear about His purpose in coming to Jerusalem; He would die there. The disciples couldn’t understand it, but He had foretold the Cross and Resurrection numerous times. And now the hour had come.

It wasn’t a pleasant hour. Nothing in human flesh—even that of the divine Son of God—enjoys suffering. Jesus does not ask God to save Him from this hour in John 12 (v. 27), but when He gets to the garden of Gethsemane, He wants to know if it’s possible for the cup of suffering to pass Him by (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22). Human nature is often so ambivalent; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is very, very weak. Even God, when clothed in human flesh, wanted the less painful way. But—and here’s the measure for us—in the middle of His crisis, one motive still guided Him: He preferred the glory of God’s name over His own self-preservation. God’s reputation weighed heavier on His heart than His own comfort and life.

IN DEED Are you becoming Christlike? It is God’s plan for you to be conformed to the image of His Son. But how can you know if you’re growing toward that goal? Examine your motives, especially in the midst of a crisis. What is your agenda? Do you prefer the glory of God to your own escape? When it really comes down to it, what would you sacrifice for His glory?

Jesus sacrificed a huge following, His school of disciples, His comfort and health, His current reputation, and even His life in order that God’s name might be honored. Would you?