“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV).

Shortly after I became a follower of Christ at age seventeen, someone told me three very important verses for young believers to know. I distinctively remember immediately writing them in the flyleaf of my Bible. Over those first months of my Christian walk, only God knows how many times I referred to them until they were forever locked in the memory bank of my mind. 

Over these five decades of Christian living, I have owned dozens of Bibles in all sizes, translations, colors and languages. However, they all have one thing in common. These same three verses are found, written in my own hand, on the flyleaf of each one of them.

From time to time in our individual life journeys, we all come to temptation’s corner, that place where we are called to make a decision as to which way we should turn. The tempter is always standing there in the intersection seeking to entice us to make a wrong turn. The three verses highlighted in this short article reveal three very important, even crucial, questions we should ask ourselves as we anticipate which way to turn at one of these inevitable intersections of life. Let’s look at them, learn from them, and write them in the flyleaf of our own Bibles.

 

Can I thank God for it?

When we find ourselves at temptation’s corner, we should ask ourselves, “If I go this way, say this thing, or do this deed, then when all is said and done, can I thank God for it?” The Bible says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

We are called upon to give thanks “in everything.” If there is some attitude or action on our part for which we could not give God thanks in the aftermath, then we should avoid it at all costs. Interestingly, we are not called upon to thank God for everything but in everything.

 

Can I do it in Jesus’ name?

In Paul’s letter to those at Colossae, he admonished the believers — and us — saying, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). We are not only to give thanks in all things, but we are to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus as well.

Can you imagine what would happen in our life if we gave serious thought to this issue? It would make a huge difference in what came out of our mouths. It would make a huge difference in what we did. It would make a huge difference in what we watched and in what we read. Can I do it in Jesus’ name? If we would ask ourselves that question when we stand at temptation’s corner, a world of things we say and do might be different. There is one other question, and it finds its roots in our verse at the top of this column.

 

Can I do it for God’s glory?

The Bible says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The true believer is motivated by a desire to bring God glory in every facet of life. If we asked ourselves this important question more often, we would not do so many of the things we do or say many of the things we say.

None of us is immune to temptation’s corner. In fact, all of us arrive there every single day, several times a day, in one way or another. Stop. Don’t just rush through the intersection or make a hasty wrong turn. Ask yourself three important questions: Can I thank God for it? Can I do it in Jesus’ name? Can I do it for God’s glory?

As I type this article on my computer, I am thanking God for that unknown and forgotten individual who so long ago shared these vital verses with me. Keeping them in my mind and in my thoughts has saved me from many wrong turns that I have been tempted to make along the way. I have found out that they are not just verses for youth, but for each of us.

Memorize this verse. Meditate on the truth of God’s Word: “In everything give thanks.” “Whatever you do… do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” And don’t forget to ask yourself — Can I thank God for it? Can I do it in Jesus’ name? Can I do it for God’s glory? 

 

Taken from The Joshua Code by O.S. Hawkins. Copyright © 2012 by Dr. O.S. Hawkins. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.

O.S. Hawkins is the chancellor of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served pastorates, including the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, for more than 25 years. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he has a BBA from Texas Christian University and his MDiv and Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. For almost a quarter of a century, he served as president of GuideStone Financial Resources, with assets under management of $20 billion, serving 250,000 pastors, church staff members, missionaries, doctors, university professors, and other workers in various Christian organizations with their investment, retirement and benefit service needs. He is the author of more than 40 books and regularly speaks to business groups and churches nationwide. All of the author’s royalties and proceeds from the Code series support Mission:Dignity. You can learn more about Mission:Dignity by visiting MissionDignity.org.

Read more articles by Dr. O.S. Hawkins at: https://www.goodnewsfl.org/author/o-s-hawkins/