A festal gathering

        How sweet it is for joyful people to gather with their family and friends around a festive table! The preparations are exciting as the feast takes shape and family and friends gather together to a warm welcome among those who love them. We've all experienced those wonderful days at Thanksgiving and Christmas, celebrating God's goodness and bounty and grace and His Presence among us: God with You—Emmanuel. And if our dearest treasures have already gone Home ahead of us, we still have the memories and thankfulness to our Lord.

          We're ending the holiday season now that began with Thanksgiving and ushers in a new and as-yet unlived year ahead of us. Those festive days and weeks remind us of so much of God's pattern in scripture. Six feasts and one fast (Yom Kippur—Day of Atonement) were part of the Mosaic law to celebrate God's continual goodness to His people. At the feasts there was music and dancing and joyful, happy conversation and abundant food carefully prepared.

          When the exiles returned from Babylon to their home in the Promised Land, Ezra the Priest brought out the Book of the Law of God and read it aloud before the great assembly from early morning to midday. When the people realized how they had fallen short of obeying the Lord with all their hearts, they wept and repented and sought the Lord. But after awhile
“Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, . . . said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.   “Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.” Nehemiah 8:8-12 ESV

         The greatest feast of all still awaits us and surely anticipating the glory that is yet to come will fill our hearts with joy and keep us from being discouraged even in the midst of difficulties and pain. “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:6-9 ESV

         Not only so, but even before those days if the Lord takes us Home before He returns, we will immediately see Him in His glory and we will see our loved ones who have gone before us, and we will be participating in a joyful festive assembly. ^“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, [in joyful assembly NIV]. We will know joy and delight in a way we've never experienced before when we see Jesus in His glory.

Distressing news

           Have you had any “distressing news” lately?? Hardly a week ever goes by that we don’t get distressing news from one direction or another—personal, family, friends, church, national, international. Jesus warned of this, “In the world you shall have tribulation. . . .” I keep lingering around Psalm 18 and thinking about 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. . . .”

           Scripture knows a lot about distress. Here are a few examples:

Jacob told his family, “Let us arise and go up to Bethel, [“house of God”] so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3 ESV

           Four times in Psalm 107 They “cried unto the Lord in their troubles” and God delivered them “out of their distresses.”

          The apostles spoke of a whole list of “distresses”! “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger. . . .” 2 Cor. 6

How then should we live and what should be our attitude??

             ^“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” 2 Cor. 4:7-11

         Our attitudes and actions speak for themselves: “by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left . . .as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.”

         “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. . . .” Romans 8:31-39 ESV

Whoops! we didn’t finish that verse we started with: “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” Psalm 18:6

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 107:13
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 107:19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 107:28

“Father of the fatherless”

“Father of the fatherless”

          The other day we were talking about Psalm 10 and how God sometimes seems to “hide” Himself from our view so that the “eyes of our heart” don't sense His Presence as we usually do. He's “there” but we're not strongly aware of it. He's teaching us to walk by faith and not by feelings.

          That Psalm also has one of my wife's favorite verses, one that she told me about many times. You know that her father died when she was only 11 years old. That was in 1949 and he was 39 years old. Minnie's mother was 31 with 5 children and no insurance and no social security and only a rented house to live in.

        When Minnie, age 11, came home from work at the cafe at 10:00 at night, she would sit by her dad's bed and talk to him for awhile every night. They were very close and he had a strong influence on her life. He often told her that the hardest thing about his illness (cancer) was having to leave his wife alone with 5 children to raise and he couldn't be there to help and provide for them. You can well imagine what an intense pain inwardly this would be for a conscientious man such as he was.

           So he told little Minnie that he found great comfort in three verses in the Psalms that promised God's provision for the “fatherless.” One of those verses is Psalm 10:14, “thou art the helper of the fatherless.” And Psalm 68:5 ESV describes “the helper” actually as the Father of orphans and adds provision for the widows: “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” The third Psalm is 146:9 NIV “The Lord . . . sustains the fatherless and the widow.”

         Need I tell you that God, in fact, did those things? He provided and sustained and strengthened that little family. The young widow and all the children worked at whatever jobs they could find and God provided in a whole host of ways. Including the men of the town who, with their wives, had several money-raising projects and then with volunteer labor built that little family a simple house for them to live in and own. 

      They “gathered” and worked with and prepared what God had provided, but it was God who made the provision. As in Psalm 104 where God is providing for the animals and birds: ^“These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” 104:27-28 ESV

       Psalm 10 starts with a lament, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” But it ends with a praise: “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will listen carefully, doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed.” 10:17 ESV & HCSB

The God Who Hides Himself

              One of the most gracious things God does is to reveal Himself to human beings. The heavens above reveal the glory of God and the sky above shows His creative power. ^“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 Everyone knows that God exists because of what He has created. That's called “General Revelation.” But God in His grace gave us details about His attributes, His character, and His purposes in life by means of words. God spoke words! Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

           How thankful we are that “the word of the Lord” came to [the prophets] in ancient times so that we have God's verbal revelation in scripture. And in the incarnation of Christ when God became Man, He spoke even more clearly. ^“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Heb. 1:1-2 How wonderful it is that we have the written revelation of God in narrative, in poetry and song, and in propositional truth. And especially we are thankful for the revelation of God in Christ who came not only to redeem and save us, but to show us what God is like. “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” John 1:18 ESV

             What is this, then, about God hiding Himself?? Well, that's what scripture says: “Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.” Isaiah 45:15 ESV 3000 years ago the Psalmist had a similar lament, ^“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Psalm 10:1 ESV

             There's more to this question than appears immediately on the surface. One of the reasons God “hides” from man—but only one of several reasons—is His hiding when man “regards iniquity in his heart.” Then the Lord will not hear. ^“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18 (ESV) That's the picture given in Isaiah earlier in the book where God is hiding Himself because of man's sin and refuses to listen to him. God is speaking and tells His people, “ . . . When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” Isa. 1:14-20 ESV

          There's more! God hides Himself from those who are not willing to listen, but He also hides the understanding of the truth from those who seek to come to God arrogantly and in pride and self-sufficiency. Jesus thanked God for that. He prayed, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” Mt. 11:25 ESV God humbles the proud and gives grace to the humble.

            And later in His ministry, quoting the Old Testament, Jesus answered the critics, “Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” Matthew 21:16 ESV He was quoting, Psalm 8:2, “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.”

          Scripture tells of a third type of the “hidden God” and that is in the mystery, either undisclosed or undisclosable answers to our questions and curiosity. Isaiah speaks of them, too, in 48:6 “From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known.” The Apostle Paul spoke of ^“the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1:26-27

            Mystery in the New Testament means “that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by Divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit.” Vines, p. 769 We are privileged to live “this side of the cross” and after the resurrection of Jesus so much more has been revealed than in Old Testament times. But there is still much that we don't know. We will never fully understand the infinite God, but we do have substantial knowledge that is growing and increasing by God's mercy and illumination. We thank Him for what is seen and trust Him for what is unseen.

           Jesus spoke to the disciples in parables and told them, “It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” Mt. 13:11

When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am,” and Peter replied with such profound understanding, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus told him,

“Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Mt. 16:15-17

            Some things are not given unto us to know. Jesus explicitly said those words to the disciples: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:7 Be thankful for what is not hidden from us. For example:

”We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” 1 Jn. 3:14 “We know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1 Jn. 3:2

^“And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

          “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever. . . .” Deut.29:29 HCSB    Thank Him for what is revealed and trust Him for what is hidden.

Three events for today

          It's Monday morning, our least favorite time of the week. Are you rejoicing in the Lord or just barely awake? Three of the many things that scripture says happen daily will help us get started on the week.

1. Surely this first one is not so familiar to you that you've lost the enormous significance of it! What if this weren't true? But thank God it is! “. . .The Lord's . . . compassions fail not. They are new every morning. . . . Lamentations 3:22-23 And don't forget the context in which those words were written: it was after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Their capital city was lying in ruins and the lament opens with these words, “How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow [or widower] has she become. . . .” 1:1 In the midst of that devastation “The Lord's . . . compassions fail not. They are new every morning. . . Great is thy faithfulness.” So look for God's compassion for you today; it should be readily apparent. (If you don't see it, ask me and I'll give you some examples!)

2. You're tired. You're old. You're afflicted. And, sadly, you might even be discouraged! So what is God going to do about it today? We're told very clearly of that situation in 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” God's compassions are new every morning so every day He “renews” us in our spirit and strengthens us and gives us cause for rejoicing in Him. Read the Psalms this morning and you can't help but rejoice.

3. And the third thing He does for us daily is to give us our daily tasks and ministries to other people so that our lives are always significant as we serve Him. And “you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 And at least one of the tasks He gives us we are told to do “daily.” “But encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” Heb. 3:13 NIV Most people need some cheerfulness and encouragement—so there's your task for today. “A cheerful heart is good medicine. . . .” Proverbs 17:22

Yesterday my daughter sent me a new song (new to me) that fits this devotional. It's sung to a beautiful folk melody which you can listen to on YouTube.

Awake, awake to love and work!
The lark is in the sky;
The fields are wet with diamond dew;
The worlds awake to cry
Their blessings on the Lord of life,
As He goes meekly by.

Come, let thy voice be one with theirs,
Shout with their shout of praise;
See how the giant sun soars up,
Great lord of years and days!
So let the love of Jesus come
And set thy soul ablaze.

To give and give, and give again,
What God hath given thee;
To spend thyself nor count the cost;
To serve right gloriously
The God who gave all worlds that are,
And all that are to be.

Safely into His heavenly kingdom

“The Lord will . . . bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.” 2 Timothy 4:18 ESV

            What a glorious promise to sustain us even in the darkest night! Sometimes we can't see where we're going or what God is doing to get us through the next predicament, but we have the assurance that all is well and God is at work and will accomplish what He set out to do in our lives and will use us for His glory and our good.

          The time of Paul's “departure” has almost arrived and surely he must be getting tired! What a life God led Him through—all the way! Shortly after Jesus Himself confronted him on the Damascus Road and brought him to Himself, Jesus said, “I will show him what great things he must suffer for my sake.” And suffer he did and in the end, Paul wrote, “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

            Paul was alone, but he was never alone because “the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

           Many times God had rescued Paul from death until He was ready to bring Him safely into His heavenly kingdom. Then God brought him safely through death into life everlasting and the glory of heaven. So shall it be with us.

Steadfastness

		The Faithful Witness in the Sky VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL This album has 2 photos and will be available on SkyDrive until 1/7/2013.

Steadfastness

           A few nights ago when I was in Colorado, I took these pictures of the full moon especially beautiful in the clear mountain skies. Whenever I see an especially beautiful moon, I am reminded of Psalm 89:37 which speaks of the moon as “established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” I saw the beauty of the moon and thought of the stability and steadfastness and faithfulness of the moon and of the power and wisdom of God who created it.

           We, too, have a “faithful witness” in our hearts, the Holy Spirit “who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16  But I thought especially of the steadfastness of the moon and the sun and the seasons and the days and the weeks and the years as we speed safely through space on this planet.

           What a contrast to the instability of man, torn back and forth by every wind of doctrine and teaching and “unstable in all his ways,” guided by whim and impulse and lack of principle. I've never seen so many attacks on Biblical teaching and animosity towards followers of Christ. They've always been there historically but I haven't seen as much as I do now. Even some professing believers are “jumping ship” and saying they no longer believe and set out on their own without the stability and guidance of scripture and the Holy Spirit.

         How tragic! and Jesus foretold these days when He asked, “. . . when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:8

             For our part, we simply need to continue steadfast and faithful to what God has called us to, and let none of these things discourage us because we have in our hearts God's promises and the Presence of the Holy Spirit Himself. Listen to this promise and hang onto it!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 Did you catch that? We “know”!--and how do we know? By the “faithful witness” of the Holy Spirit who not only comes to us, He lives within us, the God of Truth Himself.

              If you are a child of God, then you will “endure as seeing Him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27 It is God the Holy Spirit who opened the “eyes of our understanding” to behold the Savior’s glory. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. . . .” Eph. 1:18-19

       Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” That’s why He sent the Holy Spirit to us, the “other Comforter.” Christ is here with us because the Holy Spirit dwells within. God is One so wherever the Holy Spirit is, there also are the Father and the Son. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 ESV

“They found it just as he had told them”

“They found it just as he had told them”

           This morning while I was eating breakfast, I listened to Luke 22. That's the story of how Peter and John prepared the borrowed Upper Room for Jesus and His disciples to eat the Last Passover together (which included the First Lord's Supper). As I was listening carefully, one phrase captured my imagination.
⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. [That's the first unusual part of it because usually it was women who carried the jars of water from the spring or well and not men.]

          Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹ and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” [What sort of contact Jesus had earlier with this man, we are not told, but we do know that Jesus had made all the arrangements. It was God's time and He was ready.]

^{13 “}And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”

        All this is preliminary, of course. The really important part is what happened after they met for the Passover Meal and Jesus washed their feet and ate the Passover meal with them and gave them those wonderful promises that we all love so much from John 13-16.  But what gripped my attention this morning were these marvelous words which seem so ordinary and perhaps expected: ”And they went and found it just as he had told them,”

         Isn't that what you would expect? Well, yes it is, of course. But think of how we can apply this to ALL the words that Jesus tells us. Haven't you already found that true?   Remember how Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Hasn't that happened to you? But don't forget His words of comfort which are also true, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

         And through one of His servants He told you, “No temptation [or testing] has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let [or, allow] you to be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Cor. 10:13 ESV And you found it just as he had told you.

          And you received with joy Jesus' legacy that He left for us when He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. . . . Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV And you found it just as he had told you. You found that you didn't have to allow yourself to be troubled or afraid.

          Some of you are getting older and more tired. And you realize the truth of 2 Cor. 4:16, that we are “outwardly wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” That's a promise and you found it just as he had told you. And some of you find your strength ebbing away as the years progress and the demands of life seem to multiply. And you remember the promise to Asher, “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deut. 33:25 And you found it just as it was told you.

           You thought you didn't have any strength and then you remembered this promise, ^“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 You waited on the Lord and you were of good courage and He did strengthen your heart. You found it just as it was told you.

          And with anticipation and expectation you read of Jesus' promise, John 14:3 (ESV)
^“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” How comforting to your heart to look forward to that blessed day you enter eternal life in His Presence. And you will find it just as He told us. He will take you to Himself that you may be where He is.

The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ

The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ

            The Glory of God is “the highest of all topics and the grandest of all subjects.” To display God's glory was God's purpose in creating the entire universe and its people. And in the process His grace is central so we sing praise to His glorious grace ^“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7

            The Glory of God is who He is in His essential Being and all that He has done and is doing. The visible manifestation of the Glory of God is the glorious light that surrounds Him. God “alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. . . .” 1 Timothy 6:16 ESV Moses and the children of Israel saw the glory of God as the Shekinah Glory led them through the wilderness. The glory of God was in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. It showed itself as the Glory Cloud during the day and as a pillar of fire at night. Moses saw the Glory of God in the burning bush and on Mount Sinai when God gave “the Law of Moses.”

             The Hebrew and Greek words for glory are both weighty and beautiful. That's precisely what scripture says: ^“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” 2 Corinthians 4:17 And there is no greater majesty and splendor and inherent beauty than the glory of God.

            Used of man, glory speaks of radiance and praise, reputation, and wealth. Vanity and pride is associated with it. It is finite, transitory, and fickle, dependent on the whims of the crowds and the image makers. “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV And so does the glory of God in His absolute perfection. His holiness, his majesty, his character, His power, His works all contribute to His glory.

           And the glory of God was demonstrated in the Person of Jesus who is the highest revelation of God. He is “the image of the invisible God,” Colossians 1:15 ^“the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholds all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3

             In the Incarnation “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 They all saw the excellence of His character, and Peter, James, and John saw the visible manifestation of His glory in the transfiguration. He “was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun,” “and his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow. . . .” Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:3 Years later Peter wrote, “We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16

           There is also the glory of God's beautiful creation. ^“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 ESV ^“There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.” 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 ESV

          Does man have intrinsic glory? Well, yes, he does! God gave it to him when He created man in His own image, to reflect in a small, finite way, SOME of the things God can do though infinitely different, still man can think, feel, act, love, make moral and ethical judgments, be creative, love beauty, accomplish worthwhile projects, build, improve. All of the things God gave us to do in the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:26-27. That is the dignity and worth of mankind.

           ^“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” Psalm 8:5-6   So man created in the image of God should be accorded the deference and dignity that God has conferred upon him. That's why we should treat everyone with dignity and respect, because we know who they are!--created in God's image.

           But fallen man's conception of “glory” is quite different from that. And to describe it we need a Greek word quite different from doxa which means glory. For this we must use kenodoxos which means man's desire of praise, being conceited and boastful. Man wants to be the center of his own universe and claims to be autonomous or independent of God. When the truth of the matter is that we cannot even breathe our next breath without God.

           In the Graeco-Roman world of Bible times fame and glory were among the most important values in life. And the Jewish rabbis also highly esteemed the honor and praise of man—characteristics that Jesus warned against. In contrast the apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, “We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.” 1 Thess. 2:6

         The Glory of God and the Beauty of God are so closely related they could almost be used interchangeably. Here's how Sam Storms expressed it, “God’s glory is the beauty of God unveiled. Glory is the resplendent radiance of His power and His personality. Glory is all of God that makes God God, and shows Him to be worthy of our praise and our boasting and our trust and our hope and our confidence and our joy.”

“Glory is the external elegance of the internal excellencies of God. Glory is what you see and experience and feel when [you see the beauty of the works of God in creation.]

“Understanding God is but a means to enjoying God. We tell others of this glory and [thus increase our joy and theirs] at what we have told. . . .

“Treasure God. Prize Him. Delight in Him. Enjoy Him. In doing so you magnify Him, you show Him to be the most wonderful and sweet and all-sufficient being in the universe.

“. . . Enjoying God is not a means to a higher end. This IS the end. Enjoying God is not a pathway to the pinnacle. It is the pinnacle, the purpose for which you and I live. As such, it is the solution to our struggle with sin. The antidote to apathy is the enjoyment of God. It is the divine catalyst for human change.”

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

--Sam Storms, One Thing: Developing a Passion for the Beauty of God. Christian Focus Publications 

“What is the chief end of man?” “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

–Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1643

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord. . . .” Psalm 27:4

“Swallowed up by Life”

What is the purpose of life? Who are you? Why are you here? How did you get here? Where are you going? What are you supposed to be doing while you’re here? Those “basic questions” have puzzled and tantalized people throughout the ages and most people never find the answers because they are looking in the wrong place. But God gives us answers in Scripture. There are many “purpose statements” in various places in scripture. One of the clearest and one of my favorites is in 2 Corinthians 5:4 ESV “For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

The Greek word is katapino and it means “to drink down, i.e. gulp entire (literally or figuratively).” The reference is Isaiah 25:8 ESV “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.”

Death is the entry into eternal life. We will no longer be “pilgrims and strangers”; we will be “home at last”!

“Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose. . . .” That’s why God created you in the first place, to share the glories of eternal life with you in fellowship with Him and with those whom you love. Jesus prayed to the Father, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

The Westminster Catechism has it right: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever!” Let’s do both–right now!

2 Corinthians 5:1-9 ESV

For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [2] For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, [3] if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. [4] For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5] He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. [NIV: He has “made us for this very purpose.”]

[6] So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, [7] for we walk by faith, not by sight. [8] Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. [9] So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

[What is your ambition in life? Always to “please Him”? Ironically, that’s where you will find true happiness–as a by-product of pleasing Him, you will “please” yourself! That’s just another example of God’s grace! But if you focus on yourself, you will never find true happiness or “fulness of joy”–which is what Jesus prayed for His disciples: “so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” John 17:13 NIV]