Gathering Leaves

Spades take up leaves

No better than spoons,

And bags full of leaves

Are light as balloons.

Robert Frost: Gathering Leaves

It is Not Surprising to Realize That God’s Glory

has or will impact every aspect of the created order. Scripture states that the entire earth is filled with his glory (Isa 6:3). Everywhere we see God’s glorious divine nature in creation (Rom. 1:20). Astronomy with its mighty telescopes show us the incredible interstellar glory of the Lord. The microscope shows us with precision the intricacies of his glory.

Yet God’s person is more glorious than creation. Even though the heavens proclaim the Lord’s glory (Psa. 19:1) a time is coming when there will no longer be a need for the sun or moon because the Lord’s glory will become the everlasting light (Isa. 24:23, 60:19). That which proclaimed the glory of God must ultimately secede to the One who is all glorious.

However, not only does God radiate glory he also has ordained that he is to receive glory. First, the Father receives glory because of the Son (John 13:32). For example in the raising of Lazarus from the dead both the Father and Son received glory (John 11:4). Secondly, Israel and Judah were created as a people who would bring glory to God (Jer. 13:11). Unfortunately, their history is primarily of rejecting the Lord. However, for those Jews who have believed in Christ these have brought Him glory (Eph. 1:2).

Thirdly, God receives glory when believers accept fellow Christians in the same way that Jesus has individually accepted us (Rom. 15:7). This is not always easy as not every believers personality meshes with ours. The result is we often have difficulty expressing acceptance. There is only one way that Godly harmony can be achieved in such relationships that is by allowing Christ to develop a righteousness of character within us. Such a process of growth and development brings glory to God (Phil 1:11). From the Lords perspective our character needs to modelled after the example set by Jesus. This becomes a direct measuring rod of our personal commitment to him. As one becomes more mature in Christ they will increasingly desire to do all things in life for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

There is a least one other way the Lord sometimes chooses to receives glory. It is in rescuing and preserving the life of his follower. David regularly found himself in tight spots. His enemies were often closing in on him. On one such occasion the psalmist cries out to God for protection (Psa. 143:11).

Those who obey Jehovah have been created by God for the glory of his name (Isa. 43:7, Rom. 1:5). However, we need to realize that the believer was not only created for the Lord’s glory. There is a flip side — according to Paul we are also to share his glory (Rom. 5:2, 2 Thess. 2:14). This promise comes with a price. The Apostle states “if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Rom 8:17). The thought of suffering appeals to few. The Apostle’s perspective is that he was willing to suffer during his earthly journey because of the heavenly reward that awaited him (Rom. 8:18).

What is the “glory quotient” of your life? Are you seeking to bring glory to God in the way you live? Are you willing to experience suffering as unpleasant at it may be? Although it is not always pleasant bringing glory to the Lord should be our ultimate desire. May God give us the perseverance to finish the course!

Copyright. Bruce October 2010

Note: All quotes taken from the New Living Translation Second Edition.

The Kitchen Chimney

"However far you must go for bricks,

Whatever they cost a-piece or a pound,

Buy me enough for a full-length chimney,

And build the chimney clear from the ground

Robert Frost --- The Kitchen Chimney

The Glory of God Has Only

been revealed occasionally in scripture. Fallen humanity is not capable of looking upon the radiance of God’s person. As with God’s holiness his glory is a frightening thing that we often take far too casually.

The Israelites had the opportunity to experience something of the glory of God while they were on their wilderness travels. One time, when the people had been grumbling against God, the Lord revealed his incredible glory to them in a cloud (Ex. 16:10). On another occasion when they were camped by Mount Sinai he appeared like a consuming fire at the summit of the mountain (Ex. 24:17).

Being physically in the presence of the Lord causes one to reflect the brilliance of God’s glory. On Mount Sinai Moses was given the Ten Commandments. When he returned from his time in the Lord’s presence his face reflected the radiance of the glory of God (Ex. 34:29) to such an extent that “they (Aaron and the people) were afraid to come near him” (Ex. 34:30).

When confronted by the glory of God the ancient Israelites did not expect to live. After having a first hand encounter with God’s glory their reaction to having witnessed his greatness and hearing his voice was amazement that they were still alive (Deut 5:24).

So how does the Bible describe the glory of God. First, it is expressed by the psalmist as being higher than the heavens (Ps. 8:1). As our understanding of the heavenly expanses increase we are confronted with a virtually unmeasurable quantity of glory. Secondly, he goes on to describe God’s glory in relation to his voice of thunder (Psa 29:3). We cannot begin to fathom the volume of such a majestic voice that is capable of bringing such fear to the hearts of men and women that they seek to flee from him (Is. 33:3). This is the glorious voice of God almighty. Thirdly, divine glory is mentioned in connection with the Lord’s majesty (Isa. 2:10). His kingly bearing is of such a stature that even the greatest earthly monarchs will have to acknowledge that he has the supreme privilege to rule bearing the title “King of all kings and Lord of all lords” (Rev. 19:16).

Has Israel always experienced the glory of such a supreme God? Unfortunately the answer is no. During the days of Ezekiel the nation had wandered far from the Lord. The prophet, although not in Jerusalem at the time, was given a vision of the departing glory of God. This event is described in stages. First, his glory rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the door of the temple. Then it proceeded to the east gate of the Temple. Finally, the glory of God left the city and hovered over a mountain to the east. So sadly God’s glory left Israel (see Ezek 10 & 11). It has not returned except for a brief moment when Jesus was radiantly transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John (Luke 9:28-36).

We cannot begin to comprehend God’s glory. Ezekiel tried and has come closer than anyone. In describing his vision of the Lord he states that from "his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me” (Ezek. 1:27-28).

Copyright. Bruce October 2010

Note: All quotes taken from the New Living Translation Second Edition.