The Joy of Glory

Psalm 16:10
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Reflection
Fear of abandonment.

We all feel it. I have recurring dreams that are centered around fear of abandonment. Why? I think part of the reason is because we fear that people would leave us if they only knew certain things about us. If they truly knew who we are, what we’ve done, and the things that go on in our hearts…they’d hit the road in 0.2 seconds.

The good news of the Gospel pierces to the very core of this fear. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We will never be abandoned. This promise comes from the only one who truly knows all of who we are, all of what we’ve done, and all of what goes on in our hearts.

He will never abandon us.

That is not a problem that we will not go through difficulty, pain, and suffering. Many people equate such suffering with abandonment by God, but such is not the case. No matter what it may feel like, God walks with us through suffering…and even in death we are not abandoned.

In Psalm 16:10, King David speaks prophetically that God will not abandon those who trust in him to the grave. Rotting in the ground will not be our final resting place. David may not have known all the details, but in Acts 2 Peter picks up this very passage and proclaims it to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:22-32).

Jesus went to the grave for us, conquered it, and made a path out of it! All who trust in Jesus will not be abandoned to the grave, but shall one day rise as he rose to life everlasting with him.

We are not a people who need to fear abandonment, for even in death, God has gone before, he goes with us, and he brings us through it to be with him forever knowing joy in his presence (Psalm 16:11).

Fear of abandonment? Not for those who trust in the God who will not abandon us to the grave or let us see corruption!

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

John 2:1-12 (click here)
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11)

Reflection
Glory.

John’s chief concern in his Gospel is that we see the glory of Jesus! This is why he writes. He has beheld the glory of Jesus (John 1:14) and he wants us to do the same… to behold and believe (John 20:30-31)!

Why? What’s so great about glory?

This doesn’t seem very practical. I mean, honestly, isn’t Christianity just about how I should live? Where are the practical tips for how to be a moral person, have a good marriage, live as a faithful single, raise kids correctly, etc?

It’s true, the Bible does contain a lot of ethical instruction, but the question is what empowers us to fulfill those instructions? I believe it is seeing glory.

Think of it like this… when I was younger, I had various phases of life in which I used a lot of language my parents did not approve of. Yet, anytime I was around my parents, I somehow managed to clean all that up! Their presence had a sanctifying effect on my life! In reality, I just was afraid of punishment and didn’t want to disappoint them.

However…as I grew older something changed. I began to respect my parents (I am blessed with great parents). I began to see them role-models… people I wanted to imitate! You could say that I began to see the “glory” of the kind of people they were and it empowered me to pursue being the person they had taught me to be.

While this is not a perfect illustration, I think it somewhat helps us see why it is so important to John (and all the Biblical authors) that we see the glory of Jesus! We are not meant to follow ethical instruction just for the sake of being moral people… no! We behold the glory of Jesus…his beauty, his greatness, his goodness, and as we behold this glory changes us!

We are being transformed to look like that which we are beholding!

2 Corinthians 3:18, “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.”

This is how the Lord changes us and empowers us to be the people he created us to be! We behold his glory and are transformed!

Perhaps the reason I don’t experience much transformation is not because I don’t “try” hard enough, but because I don’t fix my eyes upon his glory.

Are you beholding the glory of Jesus?

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

2 Peter 1:16
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Reflection
Jesus lived, died, and rose again.

Why do you believe that? It sounds like a myth…like a clever story…doesn’t it? How do you know it wasn’t simply made up?

Sure, there is the fact that our faith was first proclaimed by eyewitnesses. People who were there, who saw Jesus, who knew him…they are the ones who gave their lives to testify to the truth of his death and resurrection. Surely that gives some credibility to the Gospel! Surely it at least makes people pause to consider its validity!

But what moves us from seeing something as plausible or credible to actually embracing it as the very foundation of reality? Why do we believe the Gospel?

Power and majesty!

What was made known to us through the eyewitnesses was not just a story, but the very power and majesty of Jesus Christ! We didn’t just hear facts…no…we saw something! We beheld glory!

When we hear the Gospel, the Holy Spirit of God works through that proclaimed Word to open eyes of faith so that we can know the very power and majesty of Jesus! The Gospel isn’t just a story to consider its credibility…no…we experience the Gospel as the very power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16)!

Jesus isn’t just a historical figure to consider…no…we see his majesty and glory and we want nothing else in life more than him!

Have you felt the power and seen the glory of Jesus when you hear the simple Gospel…

Jesus lived, died, and rose again.

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