Bible League: Living His Word We all show the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings more and more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.What does the word "glory" mean in our verse for today? It refers to something that is resplendent with beauty and magnificence. It refers to something that is worthy of great praise and honor. The Lord, of course, is glorious. He is resplendent with beauty and magnificence and He is worthy of great praise and honor. The glory of the Lord is the supreme instance of glory. Those who are in Christ Jesus "show" the Lord's glory. That is, we have been changed to reflect the glory of the Lord. We now reflect the beauty and magnificence of the Lord and we are now worthy of great praise and honor. It was, of course, not always this way. Outside of Christ we were not glorious at all and we were not worthy of any praise and honor. Instead, we reflected the ugliness and inferiority of Satan. We were only worthy of condemnation and disdain. Further, in Christ, the change in us is bringing us more and more glory. God knew us before he made the world and He decided at that time that we would become like Jesus (Romans 8:29). As time goes by, the reality of who we are in Christ Jesus becomes more and more evident for all to see. The beauty and magnificence of who we are becomes more apparent and we become worthy of ever greater praise and honor. The change at work in us is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is one with Jesus Christ and the Lord Himself. Whenever we live in a way that gives meaning to our salvation, with all due fear and respect for the Lord, it is the Lord Himself through the Spirit who is working in us (Philippians 2:12-13). He began this good work in us and He will see it to its completion (Philippians 1:6). Thus, there is something beautiful and magnificent about us. Each of us in our own unique way is reflecting the glory of the Lord. And this glory is increasing day by day. Don't be surprised, then, when praise and honor comes your way. Don't be surprised when people hold you in high regard. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 105, 106 Psalm 105 -- Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 106 -- Praise the Lord! Give thanks to O Lord, for he is good NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 15:1-20 Romans 15 -- We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak; Paul Plans to Visit Rome NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”Insight Jesus himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from the consequences of sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. Challenge As we seek to serve God, Jesus' perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Romans 8:23 Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit.Present possession is declared. At this present moment we have the first fruits of the Spirit. We have repentance, that gem of the first water; faith, that priceless pearl; hope, the heavenly emerald; and love, the glorious ruby. We are already made "new creatures in Christ Jesus," by the effectual working of God the Holy Ghost. This is called the firstfruit because it comes first. As the wave-sheaf was the first of the harvest, so the spiritual life, and all the graces which adorn that life, are the first operations of the Spirit of God in our souls. The firstfruits were the pledge of the harvest. As soon as the Israelite had plucked the first handful of ripe ears, he looked forward with glad anticipation to the time when the wain should creak beneath the sheaves. So, brethren, when God gives us things which are pure, lovely, and of good report, as the work of the Holy Spirit, these are to us the prognostics of the coming glory. The firstfruits were always holy to the Lord, and our new nature, with all its powers, is a consecrated thing. The new life is not ours that we should ascribe its excellence to our own merit; it is Christ's image and creation, and is ordained for his glory. But the firstfruits were not the harvest, and the works of the Spirit in us at this moment are not the consummation--the perfection is yet to come. We must not boast that we have attained, and so reckon the wave-sheaf to be all the produce of the year: we must hunger and thirst after righteousness, and pant for the day of full redemption. Dear reader, this evening open your mouth wide, and God will fill it. Let the boon in present possession excite in you a sacred avarice for more grace. Groan within yourself for higher degrees of consecration, and your Lord will grant them to you, for he is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we ask or even think. Daily Light on the Daily Path Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.Revelation 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: Colossians 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Proverbs 8:22,23,27,30 "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. • "From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. • "When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, • Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Isaiah 43:13 "Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?" Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 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