Do You Not Understand that It Is All About God’s Glory?
Good Morning Friends,
Today’s devotional combines the directions Jesus gave us on how to pray with the power of, the awe and wonder of His creation. Yes we begin to understand the creator through His creation… the spiritual journey and growth of relationships through prayer magnified by the mystery of it all… that God is personal too. And so we have no excuse to deny God and His reflection so powerful and intimate in our creation that we can call Him in the same breath both Creator and Our Father. Do You Not Understand that It Is All About God’s Glory?
Scripture: He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.”
Luke 11:2 (NRSV)
And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’
Isaiah 6:3 (NRSV)
The God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” . . . has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NRSV)
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2 (NRSV)
To the leader. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Psalms 19:1 (NRSV)
Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’
John 11:40-42 (NRSV)
The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:22, 24 (NRSV)
Message: God’s glory is a big deal in Scripture. It really is the goal of all things and the sum of all joy. And that makes it a big deal to us here if we are serious about believing in God. It is the unifying goal of all of history.
But it is really hard to define. It is like beauty in that regard. Oh we have a sense of it but putting it into words…well that is really very difficult. I think the best way to proceed is to compare it with other words. Take the word holy. It is similar to glory. So maybe glory then is the manifest beauty of God’s holiness. It is God’s magnificence put on display for us to see in creation and in our relationships. God shouts with clouds and blue skies and mountains that the glory of God is the infinite beauty. But there is more for God shows forth the diverse manifestation of his character and attributes in our relationships as personal as a Father and a child. Friends, we are all children of God and called to praise our Father in heaven for the wonderful creation He has made for us and in us. Do you see it? Do you love it? Friends, you were made for this. Deep down in your heart we all were made for this, so never be disinterested. We exist to see God’s glory in Christ. Everything is pointing to that. It is our purpose even if you have to suffer though some of it.
Pray we realize that we were not made primarily that we may love God, though that is part of it, but that we might be loved by God. Pray we never ignore God but embrace our purpose to glorify God in all things. Pray we invoke a path of peace in the unity of faith within our hearts that shows forth God’s glory in us even when we are sad. Pray we are open to God’s grace even through a process of suffering and redemption. Pray we enjoy God in all things. Pray we see the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ in the gospel manifested in the unity of our lives for the purpose for which we were made.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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