“To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”
Exodus 24:17
The glory of the Lord was revealed in the Old Testament with a striking visual. The power of a consuming fire drew the eyes of all. God used the time in the desert to reveal Himself to His people:
“While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community they looked toward the desert,
and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.”
Exodus 16:10
Our God is a relational God: He reveals Himself to us, and He wants to be known. As God’s people stood in the desert that day, they stood as those freed from bondage. God had brought them out of Egypt. As they heard God’s man speak to them, God Himself allowed them a glimpse of His glory. All were drawn to look upon it.
How did they respond? Worship? Fall prostrate? Cry? Shout? Dance? Sing?
God’s revelation to His people then should also stir our hearts to wonder, to contemplate, and to worship all these years later. We live this side of the Cross … in the in-between time of waiting for His second coming.
Following the first coming of Jesus, the manifestation of God’s glory became personal and individual. After His death, burial, and resurrection, His glory came down. Just as in the Old Testament, it came in a stunning display of power. All the senses were engaged. Acts 2:2-3 describes His coming as sounding “like the blowing of a violent wind.” The power was so great it “filled the whole house.” Those present saw “tongues of fire.”
God’s glory was seen, heard, and felt on that day of Pentecost and the result was evident:
“All of them were filed with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them.”
Acts 2:4
God’s glory came near. It came to rest and abide in each believer.
When God’s glory comes:
- It is seen.
- It is powerful.
- It consumes and fills.
- It elicits a response.
- It empowers and equips.
In Old Testament times, the glory of God came and departed. But this side of the cross, the glory of God comes to dwell in the heart of every believer. How blessed we are! What an amazing time to be alive—truly alive! Alive in Christ! God’s Spirit takes up residence in us … and His presence equips us to do what we are powerless to do on our own.
In Acts 2, believers were enabled to speak in tongues so that others present could hear the truth in their language. It wasn’t just about speaking in tongues; there was a purpose to this gift. It was given to simultaneously bring glory to God and bless others.
Every gift that comes down to us from above does the same: it brings glory to God, and is used to bless others.
Instead of speaking in a language they didn’t know, the believers could just as easily been equipped to build furniture, create a cooking vessel, dig a well, tame a donkey, paint a masterpiece, invent a bicycle, or bake bread. The power of God enabled believers then—and enables us now—to do what we could never do on our own.
The impossible is even more improbable when we move from the physical to the relational and emotional. Through the power of His presence, you and I can:
- Love the unlovable.
- Speak the truth in love.
- Forgive…again.
- Keep praying in faith.
- Give one more day.
- Die to ourselves.
- Refuse to take credit.
God Himself reveals His glory by empowering us with gifts. The focus should not so much be on the gift itself, but on the One who gave it and the blessing to those receiving it. Do we make much of the mailman when he brings the letter with good news? Our joy and thanks go to the sender. As recipients of the gift, we are filled with joy. We would think it strange if the mailman tried to claim the credit for the blessing he delivered.
We receive gifts from Him. We use them for Him. We do so to bring glory to Him … not to ourselves.
His abiding presence—His glory in our hearts through the person of the Holy Spirit—brings profound change.
We have peace with God, because we know our sins are forgiven. We have power from God to live for Him. We are so consumed by His abiding presence that our chief aim is to make much of Him and give Him the credit—the glory—for it all.
It’s not that we are so great … or that we are anything at all. It’s solely about who we are in Him!
How are you and I enabled to reflect His glory today? How is His fire consuming you?
Let’s make Psalm 57:5 our prayer for today:
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.”
We’ve just begun this month’s Write the WORD.
Won’t you join us in January as we read, write, and study
verses about the GLORY of God?
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