Christians have received glory from God. They have accepted salvation offered and given freely thanks to the death and resurrection of Christ. They are blessed to the point of our greatest reward is spending eternity with Him in heaven. They are the chosen of God. But who are the chosen?

“⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” – Romans 9:4-5 (ESV)

When I read this passage I am taken aback a bit in that it appears that only the Israelites have been chosen to receive God’s glory. And frankly that is not pleasing to me as I contemplate my life, it would seem to explain things. It is not as if I am winning in life. I feel unappreciated and beat down. I feel as though I am just a cog in the wheel and am expected to do the work for all so that they can relax and bask in the glow of accomplishment. But then I read on in God’s Word.

“⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,…²²What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—²⁴even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?” – Romans 9:6 & 22-24 (ESV)

Now I see it. I see that God provides His glory for those that choose Him and accept the salvation He gives freely. Just being in the lineage physically does not lend to the glory of God.

“⁸This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” – Romans 9:8 (ESV)

I have chosen God’s glory and therefore can count myself as one of His offspring. Whether or not I am a physical descendant of Israel does not matter. I have chosen salvation from Him and that is what gives me the glory of God. I may be suffering each day here in this world and doing the work of everyone else, or at least feeling that way, but I do not get my appreciation from this world, but from Him. I am to continue doing the work He has given me and I will be rewarded in heaven.

Who have you chosen? Are you living on the idea that your physical gives you glory? What if you were to choose God and accept His glory, where would you be?

Almost two years ago, I was studying the word “worth” and wrote “Don’t Compare Sufferings with Glory”. I was in the same passage this morning as then, Romans 8:18.

“¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:18 (ESV)

In my writing previously about this passage I compared suffering to glory and came to the realization that when we cannot do so. You see as we suffer, we are only able to see the suffering and the reward is something that escapes our vision. This morning I am revisiting the passage as I study the word “glory” and realized that my previous writing was spot on with regard to not comparing suffering with glory.

I am not cut out for dealing with suffering I suspect that most are similar. We are human and always looking for the win in life. I don’t want to have to deal with adversity at all. Even though that is the case with me, I have to also remember that God will only allow me to take on or suffer with those things that He knows I can overcome. And that is where this verse is so powerful.

God will allow us to suffer, whether it is failure at some venture, death of loved ones, loss in a competition, or simply the flat tire on the way to the office. He allows us to fail for reasons we are not privy to and that really frustrates us. The thing I have to come back to is the verse above that there is “glory that is to be revealed to us”. We do not know what is in store, we only see what is the now. Maybe the failure at some venture was to reveal that our partners were about to do something illegal and we got out just before. Maybe the death of a loved one revealed some deep illness that would have caused months and years of physical pain for them and they are now released from it. Maybe the flat time on the way to the office delayed us just enough that we were able to avoid the accident on the freeway that happened about the time we would have been in that spot.

You see, we can see the now and God can see the later. Our suffering now may be just the thing to bring us to the glory He has in store for us. We cannot see it now, but we should embrace the suffering and adversity, get through it, and bask in the glory God provides on the other side.

When have you suffered? Were you focused on getting through the adversity or looking to getting it over with to get the reward or on to the next thing? What if you simply tackled the adversity knowing that God will provide the glory on the other side?

Who is responsible for abiding by the law of the land? We are all.

“²²…For there is no distinction: ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” – Romans 3:22b-23 (ESV)

We are all the same in the eyes of God and have all failed as sinners. What makes the difference is our acceptance of the glory of God and the salvation He gave through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

“²⁴and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 3:24 (ESV)

Now how does all of this translate into the abiding by the law? I see it this way. As we have accepted the redemption through salvation, we are tasked with following God. We have been elevated to heirs of God through our faith in Him. God is perfect and therefore does not do those things that are outside of that perfection. As heirs, we should be striving for perfection, and where we will never reach that point, we are to continue to strive for it anyway.

Our faith in God gives us the wisdom to do His will and as He is perfect, then His will is perfect. His will drives us to abiding by Him. When we abide by Him, that gives us no reason or time to do things that are outside of Him. Therefore, when staying inside Him, we are not thinking about breaking the law, only doing his will.

“³¹Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” – Romans 3:31 (ESV)

You see here Paul point out that we may have thoughts to take over and force others to do our will and follow Christ. But, that is not our role. We are to bring the gift of salvation to all and allow them the opportunity to accept that gift and the glory of God. For those that accept, they will join us in following God and will therefore abide in Him and uphold the law. For those that do not accept, they will continue down the same path they are on and will go against the law.

It is with the glory of God that we are brought to the point of upholding the law. We are only to do the will of God and that will keeps us moving in the direction of bringing continued glory to Him.

What are you thoughts on the upholding of the law? Are you responsible for doing so? What if we did not really look to the law and instead looked to bring glory to God, where would we be in accordance to the law?

God’s glory is all around us and will be for as long as we are. We have the opportunity to experience it each day and as we have experienced, we also have the duty to bring His glory to the rest of the world we inhabit. But, we also have the opportunity to reject His glory and take up the things of the world.

“²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” – Romans 1:21-23 (ESV)

We are free to choose the path we take. Yes, God knows the path we will take and whereas He could take us to the path of righteousness, He allows us to choose and then guides us to the next phase of His plan based on our choice. That said, as you see in the above verses, there are those that will continue to choose the path of unrighteous behavior. For those, God also has a plan.

“²⁴Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” – Romans 1:24-25 (ESV)

God gives them up to their desires and worldly passions. As they choose to turn from God, He allowed them to and turns away from them. Notice the words and tense that I am using. God is currently active in society today. His actions described in the verses above are not just a story that is in the past and not relevant today. He is active in taking the same actions with those that give up His glory today. Those that turn away from God are allowed to by Him and then they are subject to the consequences of their actions. Those consequences may not manifest until the return of Christ, but they will come to pass.

God’s glory is given to us freely and it is our duty to accept and spread His glory to the world. When we do, we are blessed beyond belief. When we choose to give up His glory, we are subject to the consequences of those actions as well. I choose to bring His glory forward and spread it to those around me. I accept the duty I am called to and will not give up the glory God has for us all.

Are you accepting God’s glory or rejecting it in pursuit of worldly things? Are you aware that as you turn away from the glory of God, He will turn away from you? What if you were to bring His glory forward to all that you interact with?

This morning I read the speech of Stephen prior to his stoning in Acts chapter seven. He was so outspoken with regard to God and His glory. He was not shy in telling the full story of history from the Old Testament and how that leads up to the coming of Jesus and how those who “announced” His coming were rejected and persecuted even before the same was done to Jesus.

God’s glory was visible on all of the men of God in the Old Testament. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and Solomon all received God’s glory and displayed it for all to see. These men were the leaders of the past and when I look at their lives, by and large, they carried the glory of God with them everywhere they went.

As these men progressed forward in the name of God and covered in His glory, they gave way to the next generation. Men like Peter, James, John, Paul, Timothy, and Titus carried the glory of God forward after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. These men continued to bring the word of God to the people and continued to foretell of what would be next in our lives as followers of Christ.

Which leads to the now. There are great men of Christ that brought or bring the glory of God forward even today. Graham, Spurgeon, and Stanley are just a few men who are the carriers of God’s glory in this time. Each of them has or brings Christ to everyday living and we should be looking to them as those that share God’s glory.

I am a child of God, and that means that I have begun on the path of growing in His example. I have every opportunity to bring forth the glory of God in all that I do. Just as Abraham, Moses, Paul, Timothy, and Graham, I have the chance to let God’s glory shine for all to see. I have only to embrace my role in the presentation of His glory and take action. This does not mean that I will be elevated to the level of notoriety of those that came before me, and frankly that is not what I or anyone should be looking for, but it does not mean we won’t be a tremendous influence to those around us. It is up to each of us to let God’s glory shine and allow Him to work through us.

Where are you in relation to your letting God’s glory shine? Are you waiting for someone else to take the lead in bringing God’s glory forward? What if you were to be the one to take the lead and be then next generation to shine bright with God’s glory?

“⁵And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” – John 17:5 (ESV)

Jesus is praying prior to His crucifixion and as He does, He is asking God to return Him to the place of glory that He had prior to the creation of the world. Jesus is looking to return home after doing the work He was assigned here in this world, and in that return, He as asking to be elevated to the place He was prior to doing the work.

Jesus was not just here in this world, no. He was here even before the world was. If you look back to John 1:1-3 you see this spelled out.

“¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” – John 1:1-3 (ESV)

You see there in verse two that Jesus, He, was there with God at the creation of all things. In fact, as you look at verse three, all things were created through Jesus. Jesus was there with God at the creation, meaning He was there with God even before the creation of the world and was full of glory.

And then He came to this world to demonstrate God’s love for us through His death and resurrection. Jesus came to this world and suffered. And now, He was asking God to return Him to the place of glory that He left.

“²⁴Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” – John 17:24 (ESV)

Along with Jesus asking for glory to be restored to Him in heaven, He was also asking for us to be able to experience that glory with Him. Jesus did not and was not ever thinking of just himself. Even as He was about to be crucified, He was still doing it all for you and me. He knew that we would not make it on our own. He knew that we needed help, and even in the face of death, He was providing that help to me. Jesus wants and wanted nothing but the best for us. Jesus wanted to share His glory with us.

I am not worthy of the glory of God. I am a sinner and should be punished to the full extent of God’s wrath. Jesus does not think so. Jesus has given me a path to share in the glory that is afforded Him from God. The glory He was a part of even before I or anything was in existence at all. I am, in the eyes of Jesus, worthy of it all.

What are your thoughts on the idea that Jesus shares His glory with you? Have you even thought that Jesus asked for His glory to be returned to Him and then that He asked to share it with you? What if we believed in the greatness of Jesus and that He had glory before we existed and that He wants to share that with us?

“¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

I wrote about this verse over 3 years ago and the focus at the time was that Jesus walked this world as man. He experienced all that is and was man at the time. Since He was man, when He speaks of the struggles and things to avoid, He knows first hand.

Now I am studying the word “glory” and was brought back to this verse. I see here that yes, Jesus walked with man as man. He was subject to all that man was and still remained perfect. His glory shone for all to see. Man was drawn to Him and His glory. He was the embodiment of God and all of the glory that was God was Jesus.

I would be remiss if I did not reference the last 5 words in the verse above, “full of grace and truth”. With all of the glory that Jesus brought with Him and shone on all of the world, He did it with grace and truth. Came with glory, but was not wrought with power. He was caring and loving and served all with grace and only spoke of truth.

In our world today, “leaders” are characterized as those with all of the power. They have strength and authority and we are to listen to them and accept all that they say. Until, the time when they are found to be less than what we expected of them. They find themselves brewing in controversy and adversity, and in the state they suddenly are “truthful” with us all in order to in some way save face and appear human.

Jesus never did any of those things to characterize power. He was the most powerful man on in the world and yet He did not use that power. He provided truth for us all and did so while also providing grace and the way for us to experience eternity with Him. He was and is glory at all times. He shines brightly as the example for us all.

What is your vision of a leader? Are you enamored by the visuals of power that are displayed in the world today? What if we chose to shine the Glory of Jesus with His grace and truth, what would we realize in the world?

“⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁵Whne the angels when away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” – Luke 2:9 & 15 (ESV)

No hesitation at what to do. There was no 6 months of discussion. There was no sending it to committee. There was no testing to see if indeed it would be the right thing. Even as they were afraid of what was immediately before them, they went. They took immediate action to witness “this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known”.

I have hesitated. I have waited for more information. I have been the one to confirm what I have see prior to acting. I have not been the one to take the immediate action at the witnessing of God’s Glory.

God presents His Glory to us all the time. We get the distinct opportunity to witness His blessings and His great power and glory. And how do we react, but to wait for a sign of what to do. How should I proceed? What does God really want from me? We tend to ask more questions as opposed to just taking immediate action.

I have a saying that I use all the time “focus on getting it right, not just getting it done”. And that is to say that we should be focusing our attention on doing thing the right way to minimize the number and gravity of the mistakes we make. This does not hold true in this instance. When we are witness to God’s Glory, it is our duty to take immediate action and make His Glory known to all that we come in contact with.

Our immediate action does not mean that we will be changing the world as God already has that under control. What it means is that we are required to move and bring the Glory of God forward for all to see. We are tasked with taking action to live out the purpose that God has in place for us.

I was just having having a discussion with Lori about purpose and mine to be specific. And my purpose fits right with my mission to “Improve lives through growth and learning as an example of Christ’s love.” How this fits into taking immediate action is that I am to make my way into the public and bring growth and learning opportunities to all as I exclaim the Glory of God that has been revealed to me. When I see God’s Glory, I bring that to the people that they may grow and learn from Him how they can serve Him.

We have a duty to take immediate action at the witness of God’s Glory. Just as the shepherds witnessed the Glory of the Lord and went out to find Jesus and “see this thing that has happened” we are to go and see how we can bring God’s Glory to all.

What action have you taken when witnessing God’s Glory? Are you waiting for the right time to take action? What if you just went and exclaimed His Glory to all?

I had a realization this morning as I study God’s Word. He tells us everything, multiple times and gives us every opportunity to “get it”. As I have been studying the word “glory” again, I have been studying the same events from multiple books. Now it is known that the gospels contain the same events as told from the perspective of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but until you dig in, the realization of that is not there.

The passage this morning is titled in my ESV Bible, “The Coming of the Son of Man”, and the past few days the passages have been titled something similar. This morning, I “got” the seeing of the great power and glory of Jesus.

“²⁶And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” – Mark 13:26 (ESV)

This morning as I woke up to go and get some exercise by taking a walk, I looked out the window only to “see” the wind blowing a bit harder than I expected. I made the decision not to go and low and behold the weather changed from a simple blowing wind to a flash storm. There was more blowing wind, then the thunder and lightning and then rain. It was quite the event for about an hour this. I cannot help but think if that was impressive to see, IMAGINE SEEING JESUS COME BACK!

And who will see? We all will see. We will all witness the great event of Jesus’ return. I think of the “Left Behind” movies that show the rapture and everyone experiencing it in some form or fashion. Those Christians are taken home to be with Christ and all others are left to witness the devastation of the return of Christ, but all will witness and see.

“²⁷And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” – Mark 13:27 (ESV)

Those of us that are followers of Christ will be swept up and witness it all from the side of Jesus and those that are not will see it all from the other side. Regardless of side, you will see the great power and glory of Jesus and His return.

Now it is time to ask yourself, what side will you be seeing the great power and glory of Christ’s return. It is a simple question and one that is left up to you as to which side you will be witness from.

I have chosen to see things from the side of Jesus and for that I am comforted each day. You can to and the way is simple. Read and study God’s word and repent of your sin and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I do not hold all of the answers for you, but God does. You can start with what is known as the Roman Road to salvation. This is a set of verses from God’s Word, written by Paul and it outlines what it takes to be a child of God. I would love to see you standing next to me when Christ comes again and “see” it all from the side of Christ.

What side will you see the return of Christ from? Are you aware that everyone will see the great power and glory of Jesus? What if you were to “see” it all from the side of Christ?

“³⁸For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38 (ESV)

Jesus is very clear here. We have a choice to accept Him or not. As noted in this verse, if we choose not, then He chooses us not in His return. This is very plain language from Jesus and words that we should take seriously.

I continue to study and learn and one of those things learned is that of choice. We have the opportunity to choose at every turn. God has given us that and we should be using it. But when we do not choose, we have made a choice, and that choice is not in the interest of moving forward with God.

When we choose not God, we are turning our backs on him and therefor express nothing for Him. At His return, Jesus will express nothing for us and will turn His back on us. It is up to me to make the choice to be with Him or against Him and if not with Him then we are against Him.

What choice are you making? Are you simply not choosing? What if you were to choose to follow Jesus, what impact would that have on you?