Cherry crumble to the glory of God?! #solideogloria

I think that the answer of how do we glorify God, how do we rejoice in the

Lord is obvious from scripture. Anytime pain or anytime good things become the primary focus for a

Christian, it has become the very thing that has taken our mind captive rather than Christ Jesus.

Our attention, our rejoicing as a creation of God that has been turned from dead in our sins so that of living in Christ Jesus must be focused on the creator rather than creation.

First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 31 says, whether then you eat or you drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.

Let me ask you this. This is an interesting question. When was the last time you drank a cup of water for the glory of God?

When was the last time you ate chicken that you got off your Traeger or your barbecue? When was the last time you ate chicken to the glory of God?

When was the last pleasure you had whether it was eating chocolate cake or a cookie to the glory of God?

This is an interesting question and maybe the question needs to be asked of how do you do this?

This week, these last many weeks, there have been many sweet treats that have been made, many delights that my wife has even made for myself.

But I was thinking about this this week. She made a delicious cherry crumble,

I believe is what she was calling it. And as I was eating it, I was so thankful to the

Lord that God not only created my tongue, but he created my tongue with taste buds.

That not only has the Lord created my wife, Emily, but that he has brought her to me and that I've been able to marry her and that she went from not knowing how to cook to making this remarkable dish for me this week.

Thank you, Lord, I rejoice in that. As I was eating the cherries, I was rejoicing in Andy and Marilyn who brought the cherries.

I was rejoicing in the fact that they have a cherry tree in their front yard and oh, how sweet those cherries were this week.

Thank you, Lord, for doing that. Thank you for producing

Christians that wanna bless the members of their fellowship in church. Thank you,

Lord, for that. Thank you, Lord, for providing a wife that would want to provide in this way, not only this, but she made this crumble on top and I'm thinking it's a crumble that I got from a grocery pickup at the store.

Thank you, Lord, for having people that were getting paid at the store to bring us these items so that the crumble could be made.

Thank you, Lord, for the sugar that went into it. Thank you, Lord, for the harvest from the farmers that were able to gather these items to make this meal.

That's what went through my mind this week as I was preparing for this text. How often do we participate in things and we're just thankful for the item rather than the

Lord providing the means of those things for the item to be made? This can be done in so many ways and in so many times, but we must remember that whenever our focus turns from rejoicing in the

Lord over that thing, whatever that thing is, and it turns into something to elevate that item above the glory of God Himself, it has surely become an idol to us.

Consider that the next time you grab your wonderful cup of water, your wonderful treat that you eat today.

Consider that the next time you hug your children that you love oh so dear. Consider that the next time you hold the hand of your grandchild.

Think about how can I rejoice in the Lord over this? Even in the hardships, how can you rejoice in the

Lord over this? It's a hard question to even ask, but it can be done because remember, where is

Paul at in this text? Is he eating the cherry crumble in his kitchen to rejoice over the

Lord? He's in chains when he writes this.

He's in suffering when he writes this. He's in pain and terrible turmoil when he writes this.

But where does he say that his focus ought to be? Rejoice in the

Lord. You can almost imagine that Paul, as these chains are around him and he's rejoicing.

Lord, I am bound, but your word is not bound. Thank you,

Lord. Thank you for the reminder that these chains have given to me that your will will be done,

Lord. Thank you. Lord, thank you for the substance to make me remember that though I am hungry, you have filled me beyond all things,

Lord. Thank you. Rejoice in the

Lord, all things at all times.

It's terribly difficult to do, but look at why Paul tells us to do this. He says, it's not a trouble again for him to do this, to write this truth to the people again, but it is for the purpose of being a safeguard for us.

If your eyes turn even for a moment from your Savior, if they have done that even today, you must run back to him.

To tell this to you, brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble even for I myself to tell you that today.

It is a safeguard, it is what keeps us focused on God. It is what helps us rationalize the atrocities and the hardships and the good things and the great things of this world.