Monday Reflection – May 18, 2026 All Glory to God

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love
and your faithfulness. Psalm 115: 1

It is often said, ‘Give credit where credit is due.’ When it comes to giving honour and glory,
believers ought to know that only One deserves all the credit. Hear David in today’s Watchword:
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory”. Psalm 115 contrasts the superiority
of the Sovereign God of the universe with the impotent false gods and worthless human-made
idols of pagan nations (verses 2–8). The Psalm was penned in an era when Israel’s enemies
constantly insulted and mocked them. “Your name” refers to God’s essential character and
nature, or His reputation—it stands for God Himself. “Glory” is a state of high honour. Thus, the
Psalmist opens worship with the bold assertion that everything God’s people are and all they
accomplish should not be for their own benefit or credit, but for God’s glory.

The Bible reminds us that God will not yield His glory to people or His praise to idols because
all glory belongs to Him alone (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11). In the New Testament we encounter the
hypocritical Pharisees who sought glory for themselves. They wanted to be seen by other people
as righteous and receive honour from humans (Matthew 23:5; 6:16; John 5:44). But Jesus told us
to practice our good deeds in secret. The Apostle Paul taught that our Christian service is to be
motivated by a desire to please God and not by human praise (1 Thessalonians 2:4-6).

Today’s Watchword further explains the reason that God’s glory should not be unto us but to the
Lord alone: because of His steadfast love and faithfulness. In Psalm 36, David declares, “Your
steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds” (vs. 5). God’s
loyalty is unlimited, and He loves us always; therefore, we must honour Him alone and not
ourselves or any other person or thing.

All credit, honour, praise, and glory should not be to us but to our great God because only He
deserves it. Our God is the supreme, all-powerful Creator of the world. Anything that we value
or regard more than God becomes an idol to us. Interestingly, the object itself may not be
blatantly sinful; it may even be legitimate. Daniel Akin makes this very important point: “the
object of idolatry can be a good thing. However, when we turn a good thing into a god thing it
becomes a bad thing: an idol.”

Today, let’s hear this verse again: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for
the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness”. May we note the reminder that true
worship is not about human entertainment or recognition, but about elevating the magnificence
of God. May we humble ourselves before the Lord always, and give to Him all the praise, glory
and honour that He alone deserves. Let’s live all our lives in praise to God! Amen.
Jermaine Gibson