In Psalm 23:3, David declares that the Lord leads us in paths of righteousness for His own name.
He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake.
Everything God does, He does for His own glory, for His own name.
Many people stumble over this truth, in part, because we can’t stand that character trait in someone else. We don’t like to be around the person who’s an egomaniac, who’s a story topper, always one-upping us on something that‘s happened to us. But God is very different from the egomaniac who must talk about how his seats are better, the speakers in his truck are bigger, or his letterman jacket is filled with more patches.
1. He is God.
Because He is God there is nothing greater for Him to pursue, nothing more excellent, nothing more beautiful, and nothing more praise-worthy. If He pursued something other than His own glory, He would cease to be God. And that which He pursued would be.
2. He is satisfied.
The story-topping egomaniac seeks his own glory because there is a deficiency in his character. He needs to be noticed, to be needed, to be impressive. God doesn’t pursue His own glory because there’s a deficiency or insecurity in His character. He is completely satisfied and needs nothing.
3. He is good.
God’s pursuit of our worship is good for us. His invitations for us to worship Him are gracious invitations because without them we would never experience joy. He’s inviting us to Himself, which is the only thing that will quench our thirst. Since He’s supreme, what else could He offer us that would satisfy? What else could He give us that would really quench our thirst? He offers us Himself, the only thing that will give us joy. CS Lewis once said, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
