Living with God's Glory

Is the glory of God one of those concepts that you sing and talk about, but don’t really understand? Take a closer look at this important theme in Scripture. See how close God wants to come. Keep Reading…

What is God’s Glory?
The glory of God can sometimes feel quite intangible. We sing about it and preach on it. We tell people that we are living for his glory. But what does that really mean? When we think of God’s glory, our minds are often filled with vague thoughts of clouds and unapproachable light. But when the purpose of our lives - God’s glory - is just an inaccessible ideal, we become more Buddhist in our practice than Christian.

Though glory seems to be this inaccessible concept, it was never meant to be that way. In fact, the whole point of God’s glory was to reveal himself in a tangible way to his people. God’s glory does not stay beyond the clouds. It comes close.

Although God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth (Isaiah 40:22), he has always made a way to be close with his creation. The Great One confines himself in small spaces so that we could know his nearness. Throughout the Bible we read of God revealing himself in a tangible ways to his people. This tangible revelation is his glory.

God’s Glory in the Old Testament
After God led the Israelites out of Egypt, he brought them to Mount Sinai. There he gave them his law - his fatherly boundaries - from which they could establish a new nation. He also gave them detailed instructions for his tent-house, the tabernacle. At this time, the Israelites were living in tents. And he would live in a tent too.

God instructed the Israelites to set up his tent in the middle of the Israelite camp. He wanted everyone to know that the God of the universe lives WITH his people. Once his tent (tabernacle) was finished, God came in a cloud and filled the tabernacle with his glory. Exodus 40:34-35 All of Israel knew where their God was. He was visibly present in their midst.

Later in Israelite history, when God’s people had settled in the Promised Land, King Solomon built a temple for God. The people now lived in houses, and God would too. Again God brought his manifest presence into the middle of Israel. His glory filled the temple. 1 Kings 8:10-11

God’s Glory in Jesus and You
Jesus, the centrepiece of history, embodied the glory of God (and still does). The Father no longer needed a tabernacle or temple. He sent his most precious Son, Jesus, to live with us. His body was the temple of God.  He told the Pharisees, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (indicating his death and resurrection) John 2:19 God’s glory did not remain beyond the clouds. It got very personal. It was and is housed in a man - even one who had no external beauty or majesty. Isaiah 53:2

When Jesus told his disciples that he would be leaving them (John 14:1-4), they feared abandonment. For without Jesus’ daily presence (his glory), what would they do? Jesus calmed their fears by telling them that his Father would send another One - the Holy Spirit. He would not leave them as orphans. John 14:18  Indeed the Spirit of glory would rest on them (1 Peter 4:14) and would be with and in them. John 14:17

Think about this: the Father gave us the same glory that is in Jesus - the Holy Spirit. We are now the containers of his glory. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says, ”Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And 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.” Living with the Holy Spirit or God’s glory inside changes us. Just like God lived in the center of Israel’s camp, he now lives in us. Like Jesus, we house the glory of God in our very human, frail bodies.

The Filling of God’s Glory
You will notice a theme throughout Scripture regarding God’s glory. Wherever God goes on earth, he looks for structures to inhabit. He fills the tabernacle, then the temple. God fills Jesus, then his disciples with glory. Ultimately, God’s goal is revealed in Habbakuk 2:14 - “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” He will fill the whole earth with his glory. In the end, the new heavens and earth will be full of his manifest presence. Revelation 21:23

God always looks for a structure that has been prepared for his arrival. ”Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 He longs to fill your body, to inhabit you with his Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:18 Will he find a space prepared within you?

Living with God’s Glory
Consider the immense privilege of containing the glory of God. The very thing that the Israelites saw at a distance as the cloud of glory enveloped the tabernacle, you have within you. Will you determine to keep your structure (body, eyes, ears, spirit) pure? God wants his beauty to be seen through you. Although he could fill the earth right now with his glory, he has chosen to fill you with himself.

God wants the unbelieving world to take notice of glory - his manifest presence - within you. Would people notice glory on or in you? This doesn’t mean that your appearance or abilities have to be glorious. But the ongoing movement or filling of the Holy Spirit in your life is the hallmark of God’s glory. The more you surrender to the Holy Spirit and keep in step with him (Galatians 5:25), the more you will reveal God’s glory to a world who desperately needs to see him.