It’s time for us to return to the Word of God. It’s time for us to esteem His words more precious than our physical food. It’s time for us to be able to say with the psalmist, “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me” (Ps. 119:102, NASB).
When you open the Word of God, it transforms you. It puts everything into eternal perspective and places eternity itself before your eyes (see 2 Cor. 4:18). God’s eternal plan is this: the whole earth, someday, “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Hab. 2:14).
I want this to begin now…in me. You know you do, too!
Are You Guarding Your Glory? I have to be careful to guard my glory in every area of my life. When I get dressed I have to ask myself, “Does my outfit glorify God?”
My heart breaks for the churches. I grieve over the low necklines. I grieve over the slits up the sides. I grieve over the short skirts that cause men to battle against the lust of the eyes and the flesh.
Does your dress glorify the Lord, or have you exchanged your glory for “the image of the earthy” (1 Cor. 15:49) and “the spirit of the world” (1 Cor. 2:12)? You must be the example. You must remember that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that you are to glorify God in your body, which belongs to Him (see 1 Cor. 6:13,20).
And how about the way you deal with people? Do you treat them in ways that guard your glory? Do you respond to them as Christ would respond? You should speak His words—kind, gentle words seasoned with grace—not your own, not words filled passion, anger, resentment or cruelty.
Are you guarding your glory by the way you speak? By the way you behave? By the way you spend your money and possess your possessions? By the way you invest your time, your energies, your talents and your gifts?
We don’t retire from God’s business! How do I know that? From the Word that says, “He who began a good work in [me] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).
I want to be everything God wants me to be. Even if that means I have to stand and confess my sin when I have done wrong, I will do it…because I want to guard my glory.
What is my glory? It’s that change from image to image to image to image into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Are you more like Jesus than you were a year ago? Are you more like Him than you were when you were saved? Are you being changed? Are you guarding His glory?
A line from the film Amazing Grace says that William Wilberforce lived his life “in the eloquence of the gospel.” May you and I in every situation stop and ask ourselves, “Am I living my life in the eloquence of the gospel?”
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). I promise if you will live this way, one day you will be able to turn to those in your church who have imitated you as you imitated Christ and say to them: “For who is [my] hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are [my] glory and joy” (see 1 Thess. 2:19-20).
Kay Arthur is an award-winning author and internationally known Bible teacher.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.