“And
he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My
goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.
I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on
whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man
shall see Me, and live.” (Exodus 33:18-20 NKJV)
Every
person who is passionate for the glory of God pursues it. This is also true in every other interest in
life. Pursuit is always the proof of passion. People generally pursue what gives them
pleasure, significance, or fortune. For the heavenly minded, knowing and
experiencing the glory of God is the best blessing God has for them. Glory has
pleasure, significance and fortune but only as by products. Much more than
these, glory guarantees friendship with God and eternal relevance in His
eternal kingdom. My favorite definition
of glory describes it as an imparted divine essence that enables people to
desire and enjoy the manifest Presence of God. When Adam and Eve were in glory,
the desired and enjoyed the manifest Presence of God. They looked forward to
God’s visits to the garden in the cool of the day. When they fell from glory
because of disobedience, they ran from the manifest Presence of God. “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said
to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I
was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”(Genesis 3:9-10 NKJV).
Disobedience robbed Adam of God’s glory and pursued him from the Presence of
God. That became the unfortunate heritage of every human being ever since.
Then
the good news! “For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV). God loves the world
and the people He made in His image and likeness and longs to restore them to
glory. He sent Jesus to accomplish this and He did so with divine
precision. The Bible records:
9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels,
for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace
of God, might taste death for everyone. 10For it was fitting for
Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons
to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.(Hebrews
2:9-10 NKJV)
Our
Lord having suffered unimaginable humiliation and painful death on the Cross,
successfully opened the portal of glory for all who would accept Him by faith.
He died to bring many sons to glory and there is no other way anybody can be
restored to the glory of God apart from believing Him and accepting His
forgiveness. Paul would want us to always remember that Christ is our only hope
to glory (Colossians 1:27). In Him and through Him we have unhindered access
back into the Throne Room to worship our Father in the beauty of holiness. “So let us come boldly to the very throne of
God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our
times of need” (Hebrews 4:16 Living Bible).
The
Throne Room is the place of highest concentration of God’s glory. The Father
invites us to come up there by faith from time to time to enjoy His glorious
company. The Apostle John had such
invitation and accepted it by faith. He shared his testimony –“After these things I looked, and behold, a
door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a
trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things
which must take place after this.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold,
a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2 NKJV).
As we reflect on His glory, this year, may the Lord bring you to a place of
intimate encounter with Him. May He open for you the portals of heavenly glory
and give you an experience of His Presence that will transform you from glory
to Glory in Jesus Name.
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