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The story of Moses is so fascinating to me. By way of his story, we’re launched to God in a really private manner. We begin to see glimpses of His character by way of His interactions with Moses. Not solely will we see God’s energy and authority, however we additionally see His compassion, mercy, and persistence. Nonetheless, the spotlight of Moses’ relationship with God is that he’s capable of behold His glory and see Him nose to nose. The encounter Moses had with God on the mountaintop modified him, not solely spiritually, however bodily. His look modified after experiencing the dwelling God in particular person: “When Moses got here down from Mount Sinai, with the 2 tablets of the testimony in his hand as he got here down from the mountain, Moses didn’t know that the pores and skin of his face shone as a result of he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all of the folks of Israel noticed Moses, and behold, the pores and skin of his face shone, they usually have been afraid to return close to him” (Exodus 34:29-30).
After talking with God, Moses spoke with authority to the Israelites about all that God had informed him. He was uncompromising in his habits when it got here to the Lord’s instructions.
Have you ever ever seen an entire stranger and thought to your self, “I wager that particular person is a believer?” There’s something concerning the mild of their eyes, their method, how they converse and act towards others. An individual like that’s manifesting the glory of God by way of their actions. They’re displaying the sunshine of Christ in a really actual and tangible manner which not solely showcases the glory of God, however brings Him glory.
Years in the past, our household went to a Christmas tree farm for our annual journey to pick out a Christmas tree. Anybody who lives within the northeast is aware of that as idyllic as going to pick a Christmas tree will be, every member of the family has a special opinion on the proper Christmas tree. Consequently, yow will discover your self wandering across the farm for fairly some time. Within the meantime, your toes really feel frost bitten and all of the bushes begin wanting the identical. Tempers can turn into a bit of brief consequently. At the moment, my husband was a pastor whose ministry was standing in for church buildings with out a pastor. By way of that ministry, he had served at many alternative congregations in our space.
Properly, this specific yr, our household truly bumped into one other household from a church my husband had preached at. After they left, I stated to my husband, “Boy, aren’t you glad we have been all behaving this yr?” We each laughed, however the actuality is, what if my husband, my youngsters, and I have been appearing ugly towards one another? What sort of impression would which have left on the household we noticed of the pastor that got here and stuffed in at their church? We definitely would not have been bringing God glory, and we definitely would not have been showcasing the glory of God as individuals who practiced what they preached.
Demonstrating the glory of God doesn’t simply apply to these in ministry, however to all of those that name themselves Christ followers. You by no means know who’s watching you. Bear in mind the saying, “You could be the one Bible somebody reads.”
Let’s have a look at methods to make sure that we act like somebody who has been with God, one who not solely brings Him glory, however exhibits His glory in all that’s stated and completed.
Staying within the Phrase
My candy granddaughter has a glow-in-the-dark binky. I really like bringing her into her darkish room to place her down for a nap and seeing that candy face lit up by the glow of her binky. Nonetheless, after her nap, the binky now not glows as a result of it’s been in a darkish room for a pair hours. As everyone knows, to ensure that one thing that glows at nighttime to glow, it first must be uncovered to mild for some time.
As believers, except we spend time within the Phrase every day, we won’t seize sufficient “mild” to indicate God’s glory in all that we predict, do, and say. We’ll as a substitute behave like those that are in darkness.
The Phrase of God is what not solely lights our path, however lights our countenance. “And all of us, with unveiled face, beholding as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being reworked into the identical picture from one diploma of glory to a different. For this comes from the Lord who’s the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). By spending time in God’s Phrase, we’re permitting it to alter us to be extra Christlike, demonstrating God’s glory to all who we encounter.
Allow us to enable the Phrase of God to manifest the glory of God by way of our habits.
Dying to Self
Dying to self isn’t straightforward. We appear to be egocentric by nature. I don’t know if it is a type of self-preservation, however our pure bent is selfishness. Charles Spurgeon touches on man’s fallen state and the glory of God in his Morning and Night devotional which articulates this properly: “God’s nice design in all his works is the manifestation of His personal glory. Any purpose lower than this have been unworthy of Himself. However how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we’re? Man’s eye isn’t single, he has ever a aspect look in direction of his personal honour, has too excessive an estimate of his personal powers, and so isn’t certified to behold the glory of the Lord. It’s clear, then, that self should stand out of the way in which, that there could also be room for God to be exalted.”
The Lord might ship circumstances into our lives that depart us no alternative however to die to self, whether or not or not it’s displaying us our weak point the place we thought we have been sturdy or a state of affairs that brings us to the top of ourselves and we’ve no alternative however to depend upon God.
The faster we die to self, permitting God to be our energy and provision, the extra His glory can have alternative to indicate itself in a mighty manner. Give it some thought, the Lord wishes for us to depend upon Him and Him alone. He desires to be our Helper. He’s very clear about that in Scripture. I discover that I’m shaking my head at myself as to why
I don’t do that as my go-to. Are you able to relate? It’s so easy, but we make it so sophisticated due to self.
Let’s enable God’s glory to shine by way of our habits by showcasing that it’s His energy, His assist, and His provision that carries us.
Struggling Properly
Nobody likes to undergo. It’s most likely the one factor we concern essentially the most in life. But struggling involves all of us at one time or one other, typically converging with all method of ache the place you’re feeling like Job.
I’m in a type of Job-like seasons now. I don’t suppose I’ve ever suffered bodily, emotionally, and financially as a lot as I’ve these final six weeks. I’ll be trustworthy, I’m not struggling properly. There isn’t any glory of God shining forth from me not too long ago. Nope! As a substitute, I’ve been complaining, resentful, and, frankly, offended. Nice instance, I do know… (sarcasm)! Lastly, I confessed and requested the Lord to assist me with my angle. Because the Lord at all times does, He ministered to me in a stunning manner by way of His Phrase – His persistence with me, superb! I felt convicted to learn Scripture very first thing within the morning along with my afternoon studying. I can already see a distinction in my angle. It’s nonetheless a piece in progress, however beginning the day with the Lord, experiencing Him persevering with to minister to my struggling by way of His Phrase, I don’t know why I didn’t do that sooner!
Struggling properly doesn’t imply that you’re completely satisfied about your circumstances. It doesn’t imply that you simply stay up for struggling. It doesn’t even imply that you simply received’t battle in your struggling. What it does imply is that you simply hold your eyes on Christ and permit His mild to replicate His glory off of you. When others speak to you, they received’t hear you complaining about your circumstances. As a substitute, they may hear you give glory to God by telling of all that He’s doing for you regardless of your circumstances. After which when the Lord brings your deliverance, your face will shine like Moses, and God’s glory will manifest by way of you. How nice would be the glory popping out of such a attempting time!
Might our first response in struggling instantly be to “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our religion, who for the enjoyment that was set earlier than him endured the cross, despising the disgrace, and is seated on the proper hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2) in order that, like Jesus, we’ll endure for the enjoyment set earlier than us in order that God’s glory manifests by way of our habits.
Photograph Credit score: ©GettyImages/Morsa Photographs
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