God is beautiful. Rightly seen, God evokes awe and wonder. God is worthy of glory—as much more glory as the maker of a mountain has more glory than the mountain itself (Hebrews 3:3). It is fitting that we gaze at him and admire him and it is fitting that we tell others about him. This is how we glorify him—to see him, enjoy him, admire him, and let all of this overflow into a life of worship and proclamation.

A friend recently asked, “What does it mean to glorify God?” It is a phrase we know and a phrase we often repeat. But what does it actually mean? How do we go about it? And in what ways may we do the very opposite?

I write today from New Zealand where I have spent a couple of days in the shadow of Mount Cook. Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand, its highest peak soaring to over 12,000 feet. It is as majestic a mountain as you will ever see and, for obvious reasons, a must-visit for tourists.

Not surprisingly, you can’t drive or walk any great distance before you spot people taking photos of the mountain. They most often stop in the middle of the lone road that leads to Mount Cook so they can take the shot we have probably all seen on Instagram—a shot in which the road serves as the line that leads the eye to focus on the mountain. Like a good tourist, I stopped to take the photo as well.

As I stood in the roadway and gazed at the mountain (listening carefully for cars racing up from behind), the thought entered my mind: “There is Mount Cook in all its glory.” And it is, indeed, glorious. It is glorious in the sense that it is beautiful and that it evokes awe and wonder. It is right and good that we pause to admire it and right and good that we wish to record the memory with a photograph. It is right and good that we wish to share those photographs with others so they, too, can admire the mountain and right and good that we encourage others to see it and enjoy it. If a friend ever tells me that he intends to visit New Zealand I will be sure to tell him, “Make sure you visit Mount Cook. Make sure you enjoy the majesty of that mountain.”

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