Hope of Glory

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Today's Treasure:

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

Isaiah 43:7 says, "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." I believe being created for God's glory means two marvelous truths to those who are called by His name: God wants to make Himself recognizable to us and through us.

First Corinthians 10:31 declares, "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." The Greek word for glory in this and other New Testament references (such as John 1:14, John 2:11, Heb. 1:3, 2 Pet. 1:3) is doxa. It is "the true apprehension of God or things. The glory of God must mean His unchanging essence. Giving glory to God is ascribing to Him His full recognition.The glory of God is what He is essentially."* God's glory is the way He makes Himself recognizable. God desires that He be recognizable in us in all that we do! Living a life that glorifies God is synonymous with living a life that reveals God.

If you're like me, you may be overwhelmed by the enormous responsibility of such a calling. We're imperfect creatures! How are we to help others recognize something about God just from watching our lives and knowing us? Consider a portion of the definition of doxa that relates the term to human beings: "The glory of created things including man is what they are meant by God to be, though not yet perfectly attained."

Not yet perfectly attained.God intended that we show forth His glory, but we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We've fallen short, missed the mark, sinned; but anyone who knows our God knows He is far too tenacious to be thwarted by our sin. Paul declared that "God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). The apostle Paul announced the mystery that Christ Himself dwells in the life of every believer. Christ in us! Romans 8:9 tells us that "if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." In other words, the moment each of us received Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit of Christ took up residency in our inner being.

Do you see the key? We have no hope whatsoever of God's being recognizable in us if the Spirit of Christ does not dwell in us. If we are not occupied by the Holy Spirit, we have nothing of God in us for Him to show. Christ is a human being's only "hope of glory"!

We glorify God to the degree that we externalize the internal existence of the living Christ. A life that glorifies God is not something we suddenly attain. As we spend time in the presence of God, His glory both transforms us and radiates from us.

Paul used the example of Moses' meeting with God to illustrate this practical truth. When Moses had been in the Lord's presence, his face glowed with God's glory so much that Moses put a veil over his face (Exod. 34:33). Paul wrote of Christians: "We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit," (2 Cor. 3:18).

I hope you didn't miss the fact that we are being changed into Christ's "likeness with ever-increasing glory." I love the King James Version's words: "from glory to glory"! You see, people who are living out the reality of their liberation in Christ (Gal. 5:1, 2 Cor. 3:17) progress in their spiritual lives in an "ever-increasing glory." As they grow in spiritual maturity, the Spirit of Christ becomes increasingly recognizable in them. Likewise, when Christ is not recognized in a redeemed life, we need to identify and allow God to treat the area of captivity.

We were created for the purpose of giving Christ's invisible character a glimpse of visibility. If we grasped all the eternal implications of such a destiny, we would want to do anything possible to make sure all hindrances were removed. You may be wondering how a person can recognize whether or not his or her life was glorifying God. I want to ask you to think about the following Scriptures and statements. They help me to determine whether I am fulfilling my calling to glorify God. Please don't be dismayed if you feel you are not already living a life that glorifies God! He never sheds light on our weaknesses or shortcomings for the sake of condemnation (Rom. 8:1). God makes us aware of hindrances so He can set us free!

Here is my personal checklist of Scriptures and evaluations. I seek to apply these to my life on a regular basis:

• Is my most important consideration in every undertaking whether or not God could be glorified? (1 Cor. 10:31)
• Do I desire God's glory or my own? (John 8:50, 54)
• In my service to others, is my sincere hope that they will somehow see God in me? (1 Pet. 4:10-11)
• When I am going through hardships, do I turn to God and try to cooperate with Him so He can use them for my good and for His glory? (1 Pet. 4:12-13)
• Am I sometimes able to accomplish things or withstand things only through the power of God? (2 Cor. 4:7)

No matter what God has exposed to you, relish the wonderful words of Christ that pertain to you. From the shadow of the cross, He said of you:

"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them" (John 17:9-10).

In this context, Christ used the word glory to indicate wealth and riches He had received. No matter where you are on the journey to the glorifying, liberated life in Christ, you are His treasure.

Father, it's such a miracle that You can receive glory from my life when I fall so short of Your holiness. Thank You for the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives within me and is my hope of glory. Illuminate the areas of my life that are in captivity so that nothing will be held back from You. You are all my wealth and riches in this world and in the life to come. I love You so much. In Jesus' name, Amen.

*Spiros Zodhiates et al., eds., The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, Tenn.: AMG Publishers, 1992).

Adapted from Breaking Free, by Beth Moore, pages 29-35. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000. Used by permission.