Glory is not a word spoken often in nonreligious circles. And I fear it has become a cliché among Christians. “I just want to give God the glory.” “In my life, be glorified, Lord.” But, what does it even mean?
The dictionary meaning of glory is “high renown or honor; magnificence or great beauty; something that is beautiful or distinctive, a special cause for pride, respect, or delight; praise, worship, and thanksgiving offered to a deity.”
So, yes, I do want to give God glory, for God is honorable, magnificent, beautiful, and distinctive. I do want to live my life in a way that glorifies God. But, recently I learned something new and amazing about glory. Look at the following verses.
Colossians 3:3-4 (NLT) For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (AMP) But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is true freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Romans 8:18 (AMP) For I consider that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!
John 17:22-23 (AMP) I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and have loved them, just as You have loved Me.
Did you get that? God wants us to share in his glory. God wants to transform us into his glorified image. God wants to reveal his glory in us! God wants to give us glory! I find this so stunning. And it’s not because we deserve it, or have earned it. But it’s only because this is who God is….always loving and giving and sharing.
Read the definition of glory again. God wants to honor you! God thinks you are magnificent, beautiful, and distinctive. God takes pride in you. God respects you. God delights in you. It’s humbling and astonishing.
It’s so easy to think that God will honor me and enjoy me when I finally get my life together, when I finally do all I can to bring glory to him. But, no, he’s inviting me to come share in his glory now, with him, just as I am. He’s not standing over me, demanding that my life be a performance for his glory. He’s not a taskmaster, making sure I “glorify God” in all I do. He’s inviting me into his glory. He’s inviting me to live in his glory. He’s sharing all this with me! How remarkable is that?
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