Crowning Glory

"In the past days God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word."                                

 Hebrews 1:1-3

     There is a shaking that is happening today throughout the earth.  There are revolutions, commotions, convulsions, and changes that are occurring among the nations.  The Old Testament prophet, Haggai, described just such an occurrence (Haggai 2:7-9).  Possibly, this shaking is happening  concurrently with the labor pains that Matthew describes ( Matthew 24:8) and the great distress about which Luke teaches (Luke 21:23).  While these points are debatable,  the one absolute we have is that we live in a world filled with uncertainties.

     I  believe the shakings will continue.  However, in the lives of believers around the globe, that which could not be shaken will be used for God's glory.  Spiritual promotions are coming to many and new assignments and callings will abound.  It is time for us to take up the authority in Christ that we have been given. Whatever lies dormant in the recesses of our souls must now arise to bring glory to our King.

     Around this time every year, I pray and ask God to give me insight for the upcoming year.  This year,  as I was praying, Brent sent me an interesting picture via text ( it is posted next to this blog).  I was astounded because it felt like God was saying that during this next year Jesus would be lifted up in all all the earth ( notice the Northern lights depicting a crown).

     When we consider the fact that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's glory and combine that with the meaning of the Jewish Year  5775 ( see August posting entitled, "Palindrome"), there is reason for much anticipation of things to come this year.  It is as if God is yelling from the heavens for us to pay attention to what He is accomplishing during this time. In this year of the Crowned King, we will see Jesus lifted up and the gospel advancing in the earth.

     It is time to make more room in our lives for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. To do that, we must let go of all the things in our lives that do not bear fruit. Elisabeth Elliot describes it this way, "Think of the self that God has given us as an acorn. It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional.  Think of the grand glory of an oak tree.  God's intention when He made the acorn was the oak tree.  His intention for us is...' the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.'  Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure, many letting-goes.  When you look at the oak tree, you don't feel that the loss of the acorn is a very great loss.  The more you perceive God's purpose in your life,  the less terrible the losses seem." 


     God is continuing to develop each one of us.  The depth to which we cooperate with Him will be the height to which His glory will be revealed in our lives.  We must decrease so that His Holy Spirit within us can increase.  Charles Spurgeon says, "You will never glory in God till first of all God has killed your glorying in yourself."  Peace and acquiescence to Him will reign as we submit to the power of the Cross.

     Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."  We fear God when we honor, reverence, and cherish Him.  Awe in God gives us spiritual eyes to see both His judgment in the earth, as well as His transcendent glory.  Jim George tells us that "Everything God does- past, present, or future, whether in grace or in judgment- is to reveal His glory."


     The more time we spend in God's Word and in God's presence, the more satisfied we will be.  John Piper describes it like this, "The greatest joy is joy in God.  This is plain from Psalm 16:11: 'You [God] will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is the fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.' Fullness of joy and eternal joy cannot be improved.  Nothing is fuller than full, and nothing is longer than eternal.  And this joy is owing to the presence of God, not the accomplishments of man.  Therefore, if God wants to love us infinitely and delight us fully and eternally, He must preserve for us the one thing that will satisfy us totally and eternally; namely, the presence and worth of His own glory.  He alone is the source of full and lasting pleasure.  Therefore, His commitment to uphold and display His glory is not in vain, but virtuous.  God is the one being for whom self-exaltation is an infinitely loving act.  If He revealed Himself to the proud and self-sufficient and not to the humble and dependent, He would belittle the very glory whose worth is the foundation of our joy.  Therefore, God's pleasure in hiding this from the 'wise and intelligent' and revealing it to 'infants' is the pleasure of God in both His glory and our joy."


     The word 'glory' comes from the Latin word 'gloria', which means fame and renown.  The term is used to denote the manifestation of God's presence.  As image-bearers of God, often God chooses to reflect His glory through His children in order to advance the gospel throughout the world.

     In the midst of chaos and turbulence, it is a natural response to ask, "Where is God?" That is because eternity is stamped in the hearts of mankind and we desire for Him to show up and make Himself known.  It is God's mercy and long-suffering that cause Him to pause to allow for the full number of salvation to be completed.

     God will one day be fully glorified in the earth, just as children of God, one day our glorification will be complete.  Based on the signs in the heavens ( Acts 2:19-20), the symbolism of the Jewish New Year, and God's Word, I believe we will see a release of God's glory in this New Year.  His purpose is that all would know Him and that not one soul would perish ( 2 Peter 3:9).

"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among the peoples."  ( 1 Chron 16:24)

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth."  ( Psalm 57:11)

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, just as the waters cover the sea."                                                                                                                          (Habakuk 2:14)

                 HAVE AN ABUNDANTLY BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!!!!