Soli Deo Gloria

I put this on my facebook the other day and told my friend Maxine that I was going to convert her into the "dark side of Calvinism". I was teasing; If I really wanted to convert her to Calvinism I'd school her in TULIP.

Soli Deo gloria is part of the five solas that are latin terms used in the time of the Protestant Reformation. The complete list is:

1 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
2 Sola fide ("by faith alone")
3 Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
4 Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
5 Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

Some of you that are friends may know that I have a lot of questions and I seek a lot of answers but very seldom are the answers I get satisfactory. Many feel that I should not waste my time contemplating things; what matters is loving God and loving others. Some are fine with my quest for answers but remind me that God is infinite and we are finite; God is mysterious and we can't comprehend Him. I agree; and yet doesn't He want to be known? Doesn't He reveal Himself through scripture? Doesn't He want us to seek Him and know Him? But of course, it's true: God is too big to contain, too big to understand and any understanding I'd even achieve comes through Him and His grace; not by my own endeavors.

So why do I question?

I've been thinking a lot about a series of questions, trying to figure out why and how things happen. I've wrestled so much and so long and finally am coming to the conclusion that I should have come to many, many months ago: God is sovereign and everything that exists and transpires is all to bring glory to Him.

In this "Me" centered world, that's a tough concept but to me, it's the only thing that makes sense. Even in bad things, things that we can't fathom why, could the answer be that even in bad things God is glorified? When bad things happen they can point us to God.... and He is glorified. When good things happen; to God be the glory! I was reading a blog this morning of a new blogger frieind going through a bad time and she kept repeating this phrase: Praise Him! In her joys, Praise Him! In her sorrow: Praise Him! Why? Simply because He is worthy of our praise.

Soli Deo gloria. For the Glory of God alone.