Living For His Glory

John 17:1-5 (AMP) When Jesus had spoken these things, He raised His eyes to heaven [in prayer] and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You. Just as You have given Him power and authority over all mankind, [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him [to be His—permanently and forever]. Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You [down here] on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory and majesty that I had with You before the world existed.

The final words of a man might be considered the wisest as tempered with time and experience. Though these were not his final words, John 17 puts the heart of our Savior on blast for all the world to see. His Purpose revealed in a single chapter though spoken through His Word. Jesus sole goal in all of this was to glorify the Father, to be filled with His Glory and to give that Glory to us. Not just those who knew, but those who would find Him in the future. The word “glorify” according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary means to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise or admiration. It also means to light up brilliantly. How appropriate! Jesus is the Light of the Word and invested His Light in each of us to shine brightly in a dark and dying world. We are to be His Beacons of Light reflecting His Glory to all mankind.

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You. Just as You have given Him power and authority over all mankind, [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him [to be His—permanently and forever].

The art of reflection is the redemption of mankind. To wipe off the cloud of ignorance using grace to remove every sin and to reflect with faith and trust the image of our Father in glorious light. A tangible light that all the world can see through transparent lives. I have been studying the purpose of God’s Glory as the church as a whole cries out for it. God’s Glory is characteristic of revival yet few are ready to encounter Him in such a way. When God’s People call out for His Glory to fill a space, I wonder if they are fully aware of the cost of such a holy inhabitation. The Spirit of the Living God who produces His Glory in a body of believers cannot change the impact but must be free to flow. In that moment, our heart, mind, soul and body are touched by the Hand of God and filled with His Presence. You cannot have such an encounter and stay the same. It is impossible to hide sin from the Father in that moment. Lip service gives way to radical obedience and a call to reckless living as faith-driven fully trusting in God for His Glory.

“The Glory of God always comes at the sacrifice of self.” AW Tozer

Are you ready to walk by faith right off the edge of unseen cliff into the realm of hope deemed impossible? Have you considered the cost of discipleship deciding it’s too high a price? To have God’s Glory means one must sacrifice self in order to reflect Him completely. I want it. But will I receive it? It is my choice. Am I willing to sacrifice my life and shove every part of me across the table to God in exchange for it? Hmmm… let me think.

John 17:13-18 (AMP)  But now I am coming to You; and I say these things [while I am still] in the world so that they may experience My joy made full and complete and perfect within them [filling their hearts with My delight].  I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.  Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world. 

God’s Glory will produce love, joy, completion and perfection within those who commit their life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I pause to remind you that in order to have these things one must commit their life to the “thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” To surrender one’s life to the Father is not an offering but a sacrifice. Less than all of me doesn’t fit the definition. I cannot glorify me and the Living God at the same time. The choice is made in every situation and circumstance I face each day moment by moment will I reflect the Father or me. Will I react to the conditions of life or respond to the Truth that governs my life. It is by intentional faith and simple obedience that the Glory of God fill the cracks of my chaotic and broken life to reflect a confident love so profound that it attracts the world. I must learn the truth about me, who I am, whose I am and what His Purpose is for me including fully reflecting His Glory to ever encounter the Glory of God and revival so desperately desired by the church. This pursuit by one will become unity as the church moves forward with one heart, one mind and one purpose. To reflect the Glory of God.

I Corinthians 10:23&31 (AMP)

All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. 

 So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of [our great] God.

“We do not segment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the Presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.” – R. C. Sproul

Who the Son sets free is free indeed. (John 8:36) In Christ, you are free to choose how to live. There are those who follow Christ from a distance and others who choose to step into an abiding relationship. To follow allows us to choose our path and decide our level of obedience based on our decisions. Each choice produces a consequence. To live and abide in Christ doesn’t afford such a thing because our desperation to remain close and yoked to Him chooses for us. Comfort, convenience and control are very tough masters to overcome. Pleasing people to gain acceptance, affirmation and approval are quite tempting. But friend, if it is the Glory of God that you are after it will require separating from such things to step into the fullness of Christ that is complete self-sacrifice.

John 8:12 (AMP) Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 

John 12:45-46 (AMP) And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes and trusts in Me [as Savior—all those who anchor their hope in Me and rely on the truth of My message] will not continue to live in darkness.

Matthew 5:14-15 (AMP) “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Philippians 2:13-16 (AMP)  For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.  Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God], so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” Does my life give glory to God? All of it. The last few days I have been fasting and praying for more. I will give God anything not yet given to receive His Glory. I am desperate for more of Him. When our Christian walk becomes mundane and nothing special – it is time to root around in the Word of God, seek the Face of God and cry out to Jesus because our light has grown dim. God has blessed my life beyond anything I can imagine. Even when I cried out for more faith, real faith and confident hope – He obliged. It came through suffering and self-sacrifice but bless God it made it. However, I cannot live out purpose without the Glory of God evident in my life. I am nobody. A sinner saved by grace who needs Jesus every single day just to make it through…how about you? Do you need Jesus? Crave Him. Desire Him. Look for Him. Talk to Him. Listen for Him. Chase after Him. Is He a priority to you? He is Savior and He is also Lord. To have His Power and Authority in this life is to worship Him not only as Savior but make Him our Lord. Savior is easy. Lord, not so much. It comes in the form of self-sacrifice. Abandonment of our will to fully step into His Will – everyday in every decision. It is a commitment of all that few are willing to make. What about you?

I love the definition of glorify as to light up brilliantly. It speaks to my heart today. This little light of mine must be stirred into a flame so that it shines brighter than ever before. It is in this that His Glory is manifested in my life. The greater the sacrifice the larger the light. This is not about giving things up or doctrinal obedience but rather complete sacrifice of self and surrender of our soul entirely to the Lord and His Will. We all have a unique purpose with one mission – to glorify God in our whole life. His Glory will come and fill up every empty vessel ready to receive.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (ESV) For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.