The Joy of Glory

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 (click here to read the entire passage)
[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end…

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 and 14)

Reflection
I never liked going to “children’s church.”

I always wanted to sit in the “big service” with my mom. To keep me from being too distracting, she would bring a long a bag full of coloring and activity books. My favorites were the dot-to-dot pages!

The page was seemingly filled with random dots that couldn’t possibly make a picture. Yet, when connected in the numbered order I became a master artist as a beautiful image emerged amongst the chaotic dots.

Life often feels like these dot-to-dot pages. Random. Chaos. We feel that right now do we not? And this causes us to struggle to see God at work in it all. If there is some kind of master plan or picture, we cannot see it!

But, perhaps like the dot-to-dot pages… God has designed it this way… and he has done so for a purpose that produces more beauty than if we saw the whole picture immediately.

“[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

God has designed life so that we do not see the larger picture, only he does. Therefore, we must trust him!

He has a master, eternal plan in which he makes everything beautiful in its time…all wrongs righted…all injustices corrected… all viruses ended! He is working all things together for permanent eternal good!

“I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, SO THAT people fear before him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14)

God makes ALL THINGS beautiful in their time (that’s a promise), that work of his endures forever (that’s a promise)… SO THAT we fear him, trust him, treasure him!

Let us treasure him now Shades! Before a watching world that is confused by the chaos of this day, let’s display faith in the one who is in control over all the chaos!

We may not be able to make any sense of what is happening, but we can point to the reality that there is one who has promised to make all things, including today’s events, beautiful in their time. He has promised to redeem all things and his redemptive work will endure forever!

Let’s point the world to him by rooting our confidence in him amidst any and all chaos! Let’s show the world our treasure… Jesus!

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

Proverbs 12:25-26 (click here to read the entire passage)
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. (Proverbs 12:25)

Reflection
How providential is this proverb for this day!

Our world is feeling weighed down by anxiety as the news is consumed with nothing but doom and gloom surrounding the spread of Covid-19. Of course, we should take this seriously, and we are trying to do our part at SVCC to help slow the spread of the virus…

Yet, we are not and will not act out of fear and anxiety! Our meetings have not been suspended out of fear, but out of love and care for our community! In this moment, we will not contribute to the fear and anxiety being felt by our neighbors… no! We have a good word to speak that can make one glad, filled with true joy amidst every circumstance! We have the good word of the Gospel!

Shades, as our neighbors grapple with fear, speak of your faith! As our communities increasingly panic, tell them of the peace that passes all understanding! As people are looking for hope, give them the reasons for the hope within you! Give them Jesus!

Moments like this strip away our illusions that we are sovereign and reveal the fragility of our way of life and of our very lives! People panic because the foundations upon which they have built their existence crumble… but ours does not!

People are looking for solid ground to stand on… something sure that cannot be shaken by any threat. You have the solid ground Shades. Give it to them. Give them Jesus!

Let’s give our anxious world the only good word that can make them glad forever!

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

Psalm 133 
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

Reflection
You are brothers! Act like it!

I can’t tell you how often I heard those words during my growing up years. I have a brother who is five years younger than I am, and we fought… constantly.

Inevitably things would escalate until we got physical. I would push him down or punch his arm. He would cry and run to our parents. I would get lectured. And, then came the words…

You are brothers! Act like it!

Our familial unity was a reality that did not need to be created… it existed in our shared blood. We didn’t need to create unity between us… we needed to live into the unity that was already there!

This is even more true for believers in Christ! We have been born again into a new family. We share the same heavenly father. We are connected by something thicker than blood… the waters of baptism!

We don’t need to create our familial unity in the body of Christ… we need to live into it!

We ARE brothers and sisters! So we act like it!

When we do, we are experience a foretaste of the unity we will experience in Christ in eternity! We are getting a foretaste of life forevermore and it is a beautiful witness to the watching world of the power of God!

That’s what the Psalmist declares in Psalm 133! He compares our united to the ordination oil poured out on Aaron’s head when he was consecrated, set apart as the first high priest. Our unity consecrates us, sets us apart in this world and puts on display God’s divine power being poured out form above.

The Psalmist also says our unity is like dew upon the mountains which waters the earth to bring forth life. It is a life-giving blessing in this world that witnesses to the one who gives life from above!

To sum up, the Psalmist says that our unity is a blessing commanded by the Lord… it is a preview of life forevermore!

What a calling! And it is not one that we need to create! No. It is one that we are empowered to live into!

Shades Valley… you ARE brothers and sisters! Let us answer the call to act like it!

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