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 Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.God's glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character are also glorious; but while he intends that they should manifest to his creatures his goodness, and mercy, and justice, he is equally concerned that the glory associated with them should be given only to himself. Nor is there aught in ourselves in which we may glory; for who maketh us to differ from another? And what have we that we did not receive from the God of all grace? Then how careful ought we to be to walk humbly before the Lord! The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. Shall the insect of an hour glorify itself against the sun which warmed it into life? Shall the potsherd exalt itself above the man who fashioned it upon the wheel? Shall the dust of the desert strive with the whirlwind? Or the drops of the ocean struggle with the tempest? Give unto the Lord, all ye righteous, give unto the Lord glory and strength; give unto him the honor that is due unto his name. Yet it is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence--"Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be glory." It is a lesson which God is ever teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by most painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, "I can do all things," without adding "through Christ which strengtheneth me," and before long he will have to groan, "I can do nothing," and bemoan himself in the dust. When we do anything for the Lord, and he is pleased to accept of our doings, let us lay our crown at his feet, and exclaim, "Not I, but the grace of God which was with me!" Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Chronicles 22:5 David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore now I will make preparation for it." So David made ample preparations before his death.1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:16,17 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? • If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? • For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 2 Corinthians 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, • having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, • in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, • in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |