Introduction

“Because you and I are in Christ Jesus, His glory and our good are linked together. Because we are united with Christ, whatever is for His glory is also for our good. And whatever is for our good is for His glory.” - Jerry Bridges

There is one chief goal that should motivate all mankind - to Glorify God and enjoy him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism).  That’s certainly a worthy goal, but what does it mean to glorify God?  To put it in simple terms, to glorify God is to show Him as glorious, wonderful, valuable and worthy of praise.  All praise and glory are rooted in love.  When we love something enough, we can’t help but let that love overflow into everything we do.  What could bring God more glory than for us to find our greatest joy and pleasure in Him?  As John Piper likes to say, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Unfortunately, many Christians have never learned how to glorify God in the way we handle our finances.  There are two common ways that we fall short of glorifying God with our money.

1. We seek to find enjoyment in our money apart from God. When we separate our enjoyment from God, we are no different than those who have no faith at all.  While we may profess our love for the Lord, our actions tell another story to those watching.  There is no glory for God if we are using our money to seek the pleasures of creation without regard for the Creator.
2. We perform the acts of faith, but fail to enjoy God in the process. There are those of us who work hard to perform the acts of obedience according to scripture.  We give to our church, support foreign missionaries, and resist sinful spending.  To outsiders, we look to have it all together.  While our actions are driven by faith, deep down there is a lingering love of self that is stealing our joy and therefore God’s glory.

The goal is clear, to glorify God with hearts that love and desire Him above all things.  In God’s kindness, the road to our pleasure and His glory follows the same path.  As the psalmist declares, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11).

We have a choice to make.  We can either choose to chase the fleeting pleasures of this world that will always leave us wanting more or we can draw near to God and trust His word, knowing that the closer we are to Him, the more joy we will find in all circumstances.  Paul was able to say, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) because His joy was rooted in Christ.  In life, he was delighting in Christ, but dying would allow him to enjoy Christ more fully.

The world knows no other option but to chase pleasure and self-glorification.  The Christian life should demonstrate the greatness of God in the way we live and the things we value.  That is the goal of this course, to remind you of the joy found in the God of your salvation and to help you understand how you can demonstrate His greatness through your everyday financial decisions.