The Glory of God

What do you think of when you think of God's glory? Jewels? Precious stones? Shining streets of gold? God sitting on His throne in Heaven above a jasper sea, surrounded by creatures worshipping Him? That's what I always had in the back of my mind when I thought of God's glory. Then, last week , I read John 1:14 .

"And the Word was made flesh,"—that would be Jesus—"and dwelt among us, (ang we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." It's gloriously amazing how one can read a Scripture year in and year out and then—boom! There comes a time when a never-before-seen facet in its depth catches you by surprise, a new way of seeing it that opens up whole new worlds and ways of thinking.

How many times have I read the Bible cover to cover? I've lost count. And I've devoured the first chapter of John even more, it having always been a favorite. Its mystic phraseology, its hints of spiritual secrets and revelations, had called to and enraptured my young self, from the very onset in my journey seeking God. But now? Now the words blindsided me with a tantalizing fresh awareness of what this verse means.

Cleary, it is talking about Jesus' time as a man on earth. Jesus came from Heaven, leaving all the status, power, authority, and opulent possessions reflective of His position there, to embrace life as the son, as was believed, of a lowly carpenter. No visible angels surrounded Him. No gold or riches defined Him. He walked humbly in the lowest echelons of society—and yet John 1:14 says "we beheld his glory."

Imagine that! The glory of Jesus was not in the trappings of a worldly king. It was defined by His everyday life on earth. The way He walked with people. The way He talked with people. The way He broke bread with people. They way He healed them, touched them, and loved them. The son of the widow of Nain. The woman with the issue of blood. The ten lepers. The multitudes that followed Him, hungering to hear Him teach the Word of God. The truths expounded to his disciples as they sat around a campfire. Miracles, yes, but also all the "ordinary" things of a minister here on earth, that was God's glory. And, by extrapolation, today we see that same glory revealed in those who are called by His name.

Philip asked Him once, "Lord, show us the Father and it sufficeth us." Jesus answered, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father ... the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John 14:8-10). A couple of verses later, Jesus added, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father". In other words, the same things that Jesus did, His followers would also do. That means, the things Jesus did that proclaimed the glory of God, those same things His followers would do, in like manner proclaiming God's glory. Miracles and healings, yes. But also ...

When the mother of my grandchildren labors over a hot stove and delivers a homemade meal all while washing clothes and cleaning the house, it is the glory of God.

When we see a family at a restaurant hold hands and bow their heads to give thanks, it is the glory of God.

When a husband from our church ministers to the needs of his wife who is confined to a wheelchair, it is the glory of God.

When my card-making sister-in-law showers cards on nursing homes, it is the glory of God.

When my crocheting friend makes blankets for children at the hospital, it is the glory of God.

When a friend at church sends cards to home-bound church members, it is the glory of God.

When kind ladies (and men) at church welcome newcomers (and old comers) with smiles and affectionate hugs, it is the glory of God.

When the Sunday School teacher, face all aglow with excitement from the study of Scripture, speaks words of life to the attendees, it is the glory of God.

When the ladies of the church sacrificially labor to provide a meal to share with the whole church, it is the glory of God.

When the choir members get together to practice for their specials, it is the glory of God.

When the sound people sacrifice their comfort in church to stay on top of the sound equipment, it is the glory of God.

When the pastor responds to a midnight call to help a lady whose husband is out of town with a house emergency, it is the glory of God.

When we take a meal to someone who cannot get out and about, it is the glory of God.

When we visit someone in the hospital and pray for them, it is the glory of God.

When loving hands quietly, with no limelight or recognition, clean the church, it is the glory of God.

When the members of the church bend their knees on behalf of a need sent out via a prayer chain, it is the glory of God.

Just as John said that if all the things Jesus did while on earth were written down "even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (John 21:25), even so we could go on ... and on ... and on ... never ending the long list of God's glory reflected in His children.

For it is not silver or gold or precious gems that proclaim the Kingdom of God here on earth or speak of His glory. Beyond the miracles and healings, it is the myriad of good works, the tender caring shown in the minutiae of life, that reflect the love, the glory of Jesus. We are not "just" His hands and feet to the world around us, we are the sublime reflection of His very glory on this earth.

Go, Team Jesus!

"According as he hath chosen us in him ... that we should be the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ "(Ephesians 1:4,12).

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Sprit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29).