Here is how Jan Winebrenner defines Glory...
"Glory is a cheap commodity these days. Or what passes for glory... It's obvious, we're pretty confused about wht real glory is. But we do have one thing right: Real glory only happens when we're in proximity to another person, in relationship. But we've gotten the "someone" all wrong. It isn't the audience on the other side of the television camera... Glory captures you. God, through Christ, enters our world and captivates us with the sweet allure of His indescribable magnificence."
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth -John 1:14 (NIV).
"We experience the glory of Christ by being in His presence..." Winebrenner goes on to connect the "glory" of Christ to our personal afflictions. She states that, "glory will be inextricably bound to suffering."
Thomas Merton concurred when he wrote, "Afflictions work for good, as they are means of loosening our hearts from the world. When you dig away the earth from the root of a tree, it is to loosen the tree from the earth; so God digs away our earthly comforts to loosen our hearts from the earth."
To summarize in my own words, in order to experience the true essence of God's glory in my life, there will be suffering and affliction, but it is suffering with a just cause. It is loosening the soil of this world to prepare me for another, one that reveals the wholeness of God's glory. The glory of this world is momentary. The glory of my eternity is timeless. "Come Lord Jesus, Come!!"
No comments:
Post a Comment