Glory –
very great praise, honour, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.
Whenever God gives me a singular word, I always head for a dictionary. I personally think it’s the English student within me but what if there is more to it than I think?
We are called as Christians to know much more than we do; this applies to our faith and our walk with God but also applies in our everyday life. We should always aim to look deeper more often and not stop at face value because God does not.
I like to look up the definition of a word to unpack it and grasp a full understanding of what’s in front of me. The word I received was Glory. This is a word, as a Christian, I’ve heard multiple times in church and around the Christian bubble, which isn’t wrong at all but becoming desensitized, is. We must never become desensitized when it involves God. I hope in me writing this I cause your heart to stir in a new way; that God creates a brand-new revelation of himself in your mind.
Renown
The first part of the definition is “very great praise, honour, distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.”
To be glorified is an honour, it is to be earnt and the recipient of such praise should be someone or have done something above and beyond the norm. In our society, celebrities tend to be glorified for having a great voice, public speaking or even being wealthy.
However, is this really above the norm?
All of these are obtainable meaning we could all potentially could attain this by our own means. So why does our culture honour them?
I put the word renown in bold because it’s important here; with being glorified, comes a high fame. Going back to the celebrities of today who are famous worldwide, would they sacrifice their fame, their wealth, family or themselves for you? I know someone who would. Someone who is deserving of honour and praise because not only did He do something above and beyond the norm, He included you and I in His victory too (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Jesus walked amongst us so that He can be near us, to relate with us and share with us. He honoured His father on earth and endured to the cross, willingly for us so that we could live in oneness with the Father (John 17:22).
Jesus is a living and perfect example of a befitting definition of glory. His name is worthy of all the credit it gets. Celebrities are famous because they are admired but doesn’t this just become a one-way road?
Our admiration and honour to God is completely inclusive in the sense that an exchange happens. 1 John 4 v 19: ‘We love because he first loved us’; in Him loving us, we are then awakened to His goodness and love Him back and a cycle starts. We gain a greater love and God gets His deserved glory.
Source of Honour
The second part of the definition is “something that is a source of honour, fame or admiration; distinguished ornament or object of pride.” Remember I mentioned that Jesus calls us to enjoy the victory with him. This part of the definition speaks directly to that. Instead of us being on the outside and being distant, we are called to live in close relationship with Him and being crowned as royalty in His eyes. God is the ultimate source and example of what glory is but also becomes a source of glory for us in our lives.
Mark 3 v 17: ‘‘…and behold, a voice from Heaven said, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.’’ When God looks at us, He sees righteousness, beauty and faith because of Jesus’s sacrifice; we are now honoured before the Father, we are the pinnacle of creation, we are insanely loved upon and we are as precious as jewels.
Zachariah 9 v 16: “The Lord their God will save His people on that day like a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in His land like jewels on a crown’’. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you and I (Romans 8:11) which means we carry His glory and His supernatural radiance with us everywhere we go.
The presence of God is what we radiate; we become walking testimonies of His grace and mercy, which then points back to the Father. There is that beautiful cycle again.
Adoring Praise
The third and final part of the definition is “adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.” This last part ties everything together beautifully in the sense that it is what we automatically do when we’ve been through the acknowledgment of the other two parts.
We, first, take time to realise how great God really is and what He has done for us, which then qualifies us to be in relationship with Him. We are partakers in the riches and joys of the kingdom, not by works but by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Finally, we cannot help but throw our hands up in surrender, awe and adoration to the one who made it all possible.
We lavish our praise and thanksgiving back to God through worship and prayer; giving God the glory and recognition He deserves. This is a sacrificial praise that must be constant as His love for us never waivers; His praise must come before our generic everyday occurrences such as waking up, eating, leaving the house etc…because through Him, we have and can do ALL of these things!
Deuteronomy 10 v 21: ‘‘He is the one you praise; He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.”
Your job? The money in your bank account? The food in your cupboards? Your gifts? Your health? Family? These are your signs and wonders from your Heavenly Father along with so much more. You are His masterpiece created for good works (Ephesian 2:10). They are great reasons to give God praise Hem alone deserves.
A glorious King sits upon a throne clothed in robes of righteousness. He has dominion over the light and the dark and is self-sufficient. He has legions of angels at His side that sing His praises day and night, creation bows for Him and reflects His creativity and beauty. Within all of this, He has a heart fit to burst for you. His love for you is so vast, there is not a measurement to this Love and He will forever be in your corner.
This King is the creator of the universe, the one who truly deserves glory; you are our Heavenly Father. By adoption paid with the currency of grace, we inherit everything He is. We bow but bask in the personification of glory, Jesus Christ.
Written by Sara.
Hey I’m Sara!
I am a sports and dance coach for primary and secondary schools across London. I love music, cute babies and most of all, God! In my spare time, I like to dance, eat & write.
