Daily Devotional | God’s Glory—Your Goal

Do you have a goal? Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds or build up to running a marathon. The right goals can be helpful and motivating. They give us direction and focus. They help us plan, challenging us to solve problems and overcome obstacles. They act like a beacon, guiding us toward growth.

But not all goals are so positive. Sometimes we fix ourselves on personal gain. Some goals harm us and even lead us to sin. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul is addressing conflict in the Corinthian church. Members had competing values and goals. They were a church divided. Some pursued social status and pleasure, while others were promoting abstinence and piety.

The specific issues here were the consumption of meat sold in the marketplace and the invitation to a meal in an unbeliever’s home. To guide their decision-making process, Paul offered several principles: 1) They should choose what was beneficial and constructive (v. 23); 2) They should consider the good of others above themselves (v. 24); 3) They should enjoy what God created (v. 26); 4) They should consider the conscience and temptation of weaker believers and not lead them to sin (vv. 28–29, 32); 5) They should give gratitude to God (v. 30).

Paul challenged them to commit to one main goal: God’s glory. He said that no matter what the Corinthians decided to do, they should “do it all for the glory of God” (v. 31). Nothing matters more than this. It is the plumb- line by which all decisions can be made and all goals can be set. As we set our own goals, we should ask: Will this bring Him glory? When together we pursue the main goal of honoring God, we demonstrate our love.

Go Deeper

What goals have you set for your life? Career goals? Material goals? Relational goals? Ministry goals? What would it look like to submit each of these personal goals to the main goal Paul describes?

Pray with Us: Teach us, God, what it means to do all for Your glory, as today’s key verse admonishes us. Help us set aside our own desires and agendas and seek to glorify only You by our lives, to live for You alone.

BY Kelli Worrall

Kelli Worrall is Professor of Communications and Chair of the Division of Music and Media Arts at Moody Bible Institute. She is the author of several books, including Pierced and Embraced: 7 Life-Changing Encounters with the Love of Christ. Kelli studied at Cedarville University (BA), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MRE), and Roosevelt University (MFA). Kelli and her husband, Peter, are parents of two children through adoption and enjoy decorating their Craftsman house.