Increased Glory Through Unity, Maturity and Pursuit
Habakkuk 2:14
For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.
How will the knowledge of the Glory of God increase in the earth? It will come through a combination of mighty and miraculous exploits, incredible wonders of Self-revelation from the God of Heaven and one more thing. The undeniable transformation of Believers saturated with Holy Spirit Life who demonstrate the loving heart of God to the world. You were made for Glory. How will everyone know? It will emanate from you in the most natural way - through righteous deeds of compassion, brilliant examples of wisdom and the irrefutable proclamation of Truth.
Why have we set aside time to fast at the beginning of 2025? Because we want to see His Glory in 2025. But, not just so we can see it from afar. We want to see in our own lives and in everything we undertake to help make a difference in the world. Glory does change things. If I want to see change happen around me, I must press in for more of His Glory now.
Isaiah 58:6-12
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
‘If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Did you know that the greatest results of a fast are often seen after the fast is over? In the days ahead, expect to see the increase of His Presence in your life. Expect to experience upgrades to your spiritual life. Not because you denied yourself food, but because you pressed in to pursue His Glory and that pursuit pleases Him. When we align our priorities, the desires of our heart and our actions with His holy and righteous purpose among men, we will see accelerated activity from Heaven.
Unity is not the result of pursuing Glory. Glory is actually the foundation for all unity. Unity is given to us by what Jesus did through His death and resurrection. His prayer in John 17 is based upon His impending victory through sacrifice and the Glory He would receive because of it. The invitation to share His glory has been made. But, like the wedding guest who was taken away after receiving a legitimate invitation to the wedding (Matt. 22:11-14), it is up to us to maintain spiritual unity through the development of our maturity.
Ephesians 4:1-6 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Maturity is developed through a process of experience, reflection and adjustment. As we humbly yoke our life to His, we will be led into opportunities that stretch our faith, expand our heart and increase our capacity to receive Glory. It is the people who have great capacity to carry His Presence who will change the world and release the knowledge of His Glory in the world.
Ephesians 4:13-16 ...till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
READ
Romans 3:23 (All have sinned and missed the target. But, we must remember that our target was always Glory. We were created to pursue His Glory and we failed to do that. Jesus has given us another chance by hitting the target for us); John 17; Ephesians 4:20-24; Galatians 4:6-7; Hebrews 10:19-24
ACTIVATION
Take some time to think about how you have (or have not) made room in your life for the pursuit of Glory. Think about the idea that you were made for Glory. We were created to worship Him and Know Him (“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism). He is the source of Life. What are some practical ways we can set new priorities in our daily routine that make room for our “target practice” (Rom 3:23). In these devotionals we have talked about a new mindset, new habits and the willingness to experience change. It’s important to act on what we know and believe. Let’s move the Truths we believe from the theoretical to the experiential. That’s where dynamic change happens.Set your face for something new in 2025.
For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.
How will the knowledge of the Glory of God increase in the earth? It will come through a combination of mighty and miraculous exploits, incredible wonders of Self-revelation from the God of Heaven and one more thing. The undeniable transformation of Believers saturated with Holy Spirit Life who demonstrate the loving heart of God to the world. You were made for Glory. How will everyone know? It will emanate from you in the most natural way - through righteous deeds of compassion, brilliant examples of wisdom and the irrefutable proclamation of Truth.
Why have we set aside time to fast at the beginning of 2025? Because we want to see His Glory in 2025. But, not just so we can see it from afar. We want to see in our own lives and in everything we undertake to help make a difference in the world. Glory does change things. If I want to see change happen around me, I must press in for more of His Glory now.
Isaiah 58:6-12
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
‘If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Did you know that the greatest results of a fast are often seen after the fast is over? In the days ahead, expect to see the increase of His Presence in your life. Expect to experience upgrades to your spiritual life. Not because you denied yourself food, but because you pressed in to pursue His Glory and that pursuit pleases Him. When we align our priorities, the desires of our heart and our actions with His holy and righteous purpose among men, we will see accelerated activity from Heaven.
Unity is not the result of pursuing Glory. Glory is actually the foundation for all unity. Unity is given to us by what Jesus did through His death and resurrection. His prayer in John 17 is based upon His impending victory through sacrifice and the Glory He would receive because of it. The invitation to share His glory has been made. But, like the wedding guest who was taken away after receiving a legitimate invitation to the wedding (Matt. 22:11-14), it is up to us to maintain spiritual unity through the development of our maturity.
Ephesians 4:1-6 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Maturity is developed through a process of experience, reflection and adjustment. As we humbly yoke our life to His, we will be led into opportunities that stretch our faith, expand our heart and increase our capacity to receive Glory. It is the people who have great capacity to carry His Presence who will change the world and release the knowledge of His Glory in the world.
Ephesians 4:13-16 ...till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
READ
Romans 3:23 (All have sinned and missed the target. But, we must remember that our target was always Glory. We were created to pursue His Glory and we failed to do that. Jesus has given us another chance by hitting the target for us); John 17; Ephesians 4:20-24; Galatians 4:6-7; Hebrews 10:19-24
ACTIVATION
Take some time to think about how you have (or have not) made room in your life for the pursuit of Glory. Think about the idea that you were made for Glory. We were created to worship Him and Know Him (“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism). He is the source of Life. What are some practical ways we can set new priorities in our daily routine that make room for our “target practice” (Rom 3:23). In these devotionals we have talked about a new mindset, new habits and the willingness to experience change. It’s important to act on what we know and believe. Let’s move the Truths we believe from the theoretical to the experiential. That’s where dynamic change happens.Set your face for something new in 2025.
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