The Joy of Glory

1 John 2:7-14 (click here)
… the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:8b-10 and 14b)

Reflection
The old buildings were beautiful… almost regal. They towered in the old section of downtown, having stood the test of time and seeming like they would stand forevermore. Even their basic architecture conveyed a sense of immovable strength.

At least that was the impression my boyhood eyes got from a distance.

Yet… the closer I would draw to those beautiful old buildings, the more cracks I would see. Perhaps the ol’ downtown of my hometown wasn’t as solid as it seemed. In fact, if you walked all the way up to most of these buildings, their façade could be chipped way with a single flick of the finger.

The cracks grew bigger, revealing the truth that what looked strong from a distance was close to destruction.

I think that when we look at the darkness of our world, it can loom large like those old buildings. Corrupt institutions seem so solid and firm. Totalitarians, dictators, and authoritarian regimes seem like they are winning… never to fall. The wicked always seem to win. The darkness conveys a sense of immovable strength.

At least that is the impression our fleshly eyes get from a distance.

But take a closer look. Examine the history of dark regimes and those who pursue wicked ways. The closer you get the more cracks you’ll see. The darkness “winning” is merely a façade that chips away with the single flick of God’s finger!

“…the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.”

It shines via the love of Christ at work through you! When you love with self-sacrificial love, you chip away at the dark façade of the world. God reveals the emptiness, the darkness for what it is by shining a light on the fullness of his love.

Darkness is exposed and the evil one is overcome by the victory that Christ has already won in you! His word, his love, he himself abides in you and works through you!

Do not be discouraged by the illusion that darkness is winning! Shine the light of Christ’s love on its foundational cracks that the world may see there is only one solid rock… Jesus!
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Reflection
Our lives are all too often filled with anxieties. Why? What is at the root of our anxious hearts?

Peter seems to think it is misplaced trust. The anxious heart is relying upon oneself, totally unsure of whether or not it can control or conquer what lies ahead… thus… anxiety. Peter sees this as prideful-self-reliance. Therefore, his instruction is for us to humble ourselves… how? By casting our cares upon Christ instead of on ourselves! Trust Christ with our lives! Rely on and rest in him… for we know he is for our good!

Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you!

Yet, this does not mean that we become completely passive people! Peter is not advising us to “let go, and let God.” Oh no! Right after telling us to cast all our anxieties upon God… he gives active commands. “Be sober-minded; be watchful… resist the devil!”

But Peter… won’t that be me relying upon my strength again! Won’t that just stir up all my anxieties as I worry whether or not I will be watchful enough or powerful enough to resist the schemes of the enemy! I thought I was supposed to cast these cares upon God?

I think these questions make Peter grin… because it is precisely through our faith in God that God himself empowers our being sober-minded and watchful! It is through relying upon God’s grace that we are empowered to resist!

Grace doesn’t make us passive, it provides power!

Peter says that God himself will “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” This is why God gets the glory anytime we successfully resist the enemy! Because we couldn’t do that in our own power… only in his!

This is why God gets the glory when we are not anxious, because we are trusting in him to provide all we need, no matter what we face! We are trusting him to get us all the way through!

Oh Christian, do not trust in yourself to face the trials of life, but cast all these anxieties upon your heavenly Father who has promised to provide all you need through Christ! Therefore, you can take another step, you can be sober minded and watchful, you can resist the enemy… because you trust that your father is graciously empowering your action… for your good and his glory!

His grace does not eliminate your action… it empowers it!

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

Philippians 3:1-11 (click here)
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…
(Philippians 3:7-8)

Reflection
What do you have in your life that you would call “gain?”

For the apostle Paul the list went on and on. His heritage, his education, his citizenship, his social position, his moral character… all of it… gain!

But… Paul says that he counted all of this loss for the sake of Christ. What does he mean? “For the sake of Christ” is another way of saying “for the glory of Christ.” So somehow, Paul’s counting all his “gains” as “losses” is for Jesus’ glory! How does that work?

We used to play this game when I was a kid where you had to think of the one item you would take with you on a deserted island… or another way of playing it would be to think of what one item in your house you’d save if your house was burning down. I know it’s all a bit macabre, but we loved thinking through these hypothetical situations.

In essence, we were choosing the thing we loved the most, the thing which was most valuable to us, the thing we held up as more glorious than everything else.

This is what Paul does in his life with Christ! In order to hang onto Christ, Paul had to let all the other gains of his life go up in smoke. He had to abandon all to hang on to Jesus… and he did! He did suffer the loss of all things in order that he might gain Christ!

Jesus became his gain! As Paul lost things he once thought valuable or that he once depended upon, he found Christ to be more valuable and more dependable than all the rest! With each loss he had to hold on to Jesus all the more… he gained more of Jesus. AND with each loss, the world saw more and more the value of Christ in Paul’s life. Jesus was glorified! Paul did it all for the sake of Christ!

So… when life’s deserted islands come your way… situations that demand you to abandon all except that which is most valuable… when the house of your life is burning down, and you can only hang on to that which is most glorious… what or who will be gloriously most valuable to you?

What will you count as loss… and what or who will be your gain?

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