Glory!

Glory! Preachers sometimes use this term in exclamation regarding a great biblical thought. Glory is used of valorous soldiers in war. No guts, no glory. Of course, God is the most glorious and the One who deserves every bit of glory from us. When we try to take credit for our noble feats, we get into trouble as we steal the show from the Lord. He gave us the strength, breath, and mental ability to get the job done, so we should give the credit to the One it’s due.

God’s glory can be displayed visibly to humans, and light is a common manifestation of God’s glory. You’ll read about Moses’ radiant face after he’d spent time with God on the mountain and at the tabernacle. Jesus revealed His glory to Peter, James, and John on a mountain. In the Luke reading this week, we’ll hear of Jesus’ resurrection which surely displayed some of the Lord’s glory. In the Zechariah reading, the prophet prophesies of the end times when God observably wields His glorious power as King over all the earth. In Revelation, that glory is displayed in the eternal city as light in the absence of the sun and moon.

Let us not neglect to deflect back to the Lord any glory given to us. He’s our Creator and Sustainer and deserves all the glory. After all, pride is not appropriate attire for a Christian.

This week, you’ll read…

EXODUS 34-40: In a passionate display of anger, Moses threw down and broke the first stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, so Moses meets with God again and new ones are made. Following God’s instructions, the tabernacle gets built and God’s glory fills it up.

PSALMS 26-30: “The Lord is my light and salvation—whom should I fear?” (Psalm 27 in The Christian Standard Bible)

ZECHARIAH 8-14: As you’re reading in Luke of Jesus’ arrest, torture, and crucifixion, you’ll also read Zechariah prophesy hundreds of years in advance of Jesus’ coming to earth as a baby, “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zechariah 13 in The Christian Standard Bible). That is exactly what happened and what Jesus prophesied as well as He quoted Zechariah’s words, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” (Matthew 26 in The Christian Standard Bible).

LUKE 19-24: In addition to the events surrounding the end of Jesus’ life, we see Jesus encounter and save Zacchaeus the tax collector. We also see the marvelous encounter of the resurrected Christ with the men on the way to Emmaus.