Scripture talks much about the glory of God, and as believers, we like to think we know what that means. But do we? Could we explain the glory of God to an unbelieving friend in under a few minutes? Today’s reading from The Kingdom Turn might help. You can find it on page 12:
“God’s purpose in creation is to glorify Himself. The unfathomable scope, wondrous diversity, glorious beauty, and mysterious power of the creation all testify to the glory of God. Creation witnesses to God and declares to us something of what He is like and what He expects for and of His creation.
“This includes the time God invests in us – the time in which we establish and pursue the priorities of our lives. As Jesus explained, in the Kingdom of God, making money is not the driving force. We cannot serve God and mammon. The driving force, the number one priority in the Kingdom of God is knowing, enjoying, growing in, and making known the glory of the infinite, eternal, wise, and loving God.
“Those who have made the Kingdom turn live in this economy first, and in our secular economy only second. Their perspective is spiritual and eternal, and their passion to know and love God drives them each day to consider how best to use the time of their lives so as to experience and exhibit the glory of God. They understand that God’s declared intention is that the knowledge of His glory should cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and they make it their point, in all the time of their lives, to seek and to refract the presence, power, and promises of God to the people around them.
“In the Kingdom of God, our first priority lines up exactly with God’s, and with what Jesus prayed for us in that garden long ago: To know the glory of God, and to make that glory known in everything we do.”
For reflection or discussion
1. What is the glory of God? How can we know when we know it?
2. What does it mean to live for God’s glory? How much of our lives does that include?
Paul described the glory of God like an “eternal weight”, that is, a kind of spiritual heaviness that indicates we are in the orbit of heavenly things. We can know that weight, and so can the people we know and meet each day. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then get together to discuss it. You can order your free copy of The Kingdom Turn by going to The Ailbe Bookstore.
T. M. Moore
