The Joy of Glory

Hebrews 1:3, 8 (click here)
[Christ] 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… (Hebrews 1:3a)

Reflection
What keeps your feet on the ground at this moment? No…I mean literally.

Gravity. That’s the logical answer isn’t it? But…is it the ultimate one?

What keeps the planet spinning… or the wolf howling… or the rivers running? We could give all sorts of technical, scientific answers to these questions… but if we act like an insatiably curious toddler and keep pushing with the simple word “why” what ultimate answer will we find?

Why does gravity work? Why do animals behave as they do? Why does anything in the universe function at all.

Scripture gives one ultimate answer… Jesus.

Jesus Christ upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Gravity works because he wills it. The wolf howls because he wills it. The river runs because he will it. For all things were created by him and FOR him!

Think about the implications of this all encompassing reality. Nothing you encounter is natural! Every millisecond of your life experience is supernatural! It is all upheld, undergirded, made possible by the power of Christ!

You would breathe, think, or speak unless Christ upheld the universe by his power, out of his great love! And yes… such realities cause us to wrestle with very difficult questions concerning all the evil that takes place within our world… but even amidst those questions we can clearly see Christ’s sustaining love! In unexplainable love, he sustains even those who hate him in word and deed so that they have an opportunity to repent and know his grace!

His sustaining of all things is grace! Nothing and no one deserves to be upheld by the word of his power… and yet here we are… being freely upheld at this moment. We are swimming in an ocean of grace every second over ever day.

Take a moment, look around, breathe, think, taste, see, and know that everything you are experiencing is the result of the miraculous, gracious power of Jesus Christ.

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.