Today, as I have been contemplating God’s sacrifice, Jesus’s suffering for us, and the magnificence of God’s plan to give us everlasting life, the glory of God came to mind. God is perfect, God is beautiful, God is the epitome of love, God is glorious. Sometimes, when I am talking to God, the glory of God is not my foremost thought. I am thinking about my problems or concerns. Today, it is on my heart to understand and immerse myself in the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 60:1 - Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Jesus, the son of God, lowered himself to become a human and to live on earth as humans live on earth. He lived to speak God’s word, to earn followers of God, to teach followers of God. He lived to save us all from death. He lived to redeem us and lead to spending eternity living in the kingdom of God. He did not have an easy life. The suffering he endured was unimaginable. He gave glory to God and redemption to all those who believe in him.
The glory of God – What is it?
The dictionary definition of "glory" often describes it as great praise, splendor, or honor. The glory of God is the splendor that comes from Him. Psalm 19:1 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Here the word glory is used in parallel with "handiwork" or His power or greatness.
Psalm 106:20 speaks of the "glory of God" in this way as well, saying, "They exchanged the glorious God for the image of an ox that eats grass." Here, the glory of God is the greatness of who He is. Proverbs 25:2 adds, "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." Again, this glory is God's greatness or splendor.
In
the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the glory of God, sharing, "This
illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of
God may be glorified through it" (John 11:4; also verse 40). In this
context, Jesus spoke of resurrecting Lazarus from death. This act would bring
glory to God and glorify Jesus.
In Acts 7:55, Stephen looked into heaven just before his death and saw the
glory of God. In this context, it referred to the greatness of God in heaven.
In Romans, the phrase "glory of God" is used three times. Romans
3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans
5:2 speaks of the glory of God in the sense of His greatness. Romans
15:7 shares, "Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed
you, for the glory of God." In this passage, the glory of God is used in
the sense of honoring God.
The glory of God is emphasized in several places throughout Paul's other
writings. In particular, he notes in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So,
whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Here again, the glory of God refers to honoring God with one's life.
Hebrews 1:3 uses the phrase in another way, sharing, "He is the
radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he
upholds the universe by the word of his power." The author notes Jesus as
the radiance of God's glory.
Revelation expresses God's glory in three clear passages. First, Revelation
15:8 speaks of the sanctuary being filled with the glory of God. Revelation
21:11 notes the glory of God coming from the New Jerusalem. Revelation
21:23 adds that the glory of God serves as the light for the city.
Overall, the glory of God is used in a variety of ways in Scripture. It can
refer to God's greatness, His honor, His beauty, His power, and His light. In
every case, the glory of God acknowledges the Lord's supreme strength and our
need to both acknowledge and serve Him. (Source: www.compellingtruth.org)
By Clarence L. Haynes, Jr.:
“We began with what really is a loaded question: what is the glory of God? It is not loaded because it is a trick question, it is loaded because it has so many answers. How do you take the one who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, holy, glorious, and try to wrap all that glory into an answer? It is hard to do.
I hope you see that God’s glory goes far beyond even our human comprehension. I fully believe it will take eternity to fully understand and experience the wonder of God’s glory. My final thought is to point you to heaven and our eternal home. Here is a glimpse of the reality of the glory of God.
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. … I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:10-11; 22-23).
May we live lives that truly honor Him and bring the glory to His name that it so richly deserves.”
From a sermon by Professor Finney, December 20, 1843:
“Nothing can make us stable Christians, but to behold his glory, a revelation of Him to us. No excitement, no intellectual acumen, no strength of logic, nothing can secure us but a revelation of God to our souls. We should therefore persevere and insist that this be done for us, that we see God's glory, and be fixed on Him. The church should pray that God would reveal to them the deep secrets of his love and mercy; that He would open to them the everflowing fountains of exquisite and perennial blessedness to let them drink therefrom and never thirst more. O do the churches think and feel how much they can do, by praying the heavens open, and letting down on their hearts such rays of glory as shall forever enrapture and hold them in awful apprehension of God's presence and character, as that the spirit of the Highest shall come upon them, and the power of God overshadow them, and transform them from men of clay, to angels of mercy and power to a fallen world? Why do they not pray? Brethren, why do you not pray--pray that God would show you, would show the students here, the community, the whole church in the land, and in the world, his glory?
Please listen to this beautiful rendition of “To God Be the Glory” and “My Redeemer”. It moves me to tears of gratefulness and of reverence to God’s everlasting and uncompromising, unconditional love and support to those who believe in Him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haupNZXG9Jg
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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