Whose glory are you reflecting?

 4 Feb 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One


Readings:

Exodus 34

Exodus 35

Exodus 36

Matthew 23:1-22


Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he walked with Him (Exodus 34:29). 


Whose glory are you reflecting?


Initially, Moses doesn’t know that his face carries a heavenly glow from meeting with the Lord. His shine is temporal. Paul informs us that today we carry a greater degree of God’s glory because of the indwelling Spirit (2 Corinthians 3). He writes, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Sadly, the scribes and Pharisees pretend to display the Lord’s presence in their lives by wearing large phylacteries (Matthew 23:5). Phylacteries are a small box that house Bible verses, worn on the head or arm. We shouldn’t imitate these hypocrites who aren’t seeking to display God’s glory, but their own. 


Employment Point: Reflect God’s glory by regularly basking in His glory.

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Reflections

Not good for me to say this but reading this devotional reminds me of certain men who walk around wearing big amulets over their chest, displaying for all to see. Or in a more worldly manner, people who wear chunky gold chains and bracelets over their bodies. I think the question we want to ask here is this-what is the message that they are trying to send?


For the former, maybe because they wear such big gods over their chests, they felt protected? To me this felt that someone who is too insecure. For the latter, if they think this is a way to flaunt their wealth, I think it’s just too “meh”. The really wealthy people I’ve met carries with them a certain posture or charisma around them that is not don by gold, silver or diamonds. Only people who are in between and not quite there does that. It comes from the knowing who they truly are and where they stand in the society.


The same goes for Moses and even us. I think the fact that if someone can tell we are reflecting God’s glory without us even wearing a cross or explicitly saying we are Christians, it is an affirmation to us that we are on the right track. Vice versa, if no one ever mentioned about that to us, it is something that we should totally work on

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In God’s Grip

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

February 04


For Christ’s love compels us. —2 Corinthians 5:14


When Paul says that he is compelled by Christ’s love, he means that he is overruled, overmastered, held by an iron grip. Most of us have no idea what it means to be held in the grip of God’s love. We are held only by our experience. The one thing that held Paul was love. Whenever you see someone held like this, you know there is nothing standing in the way of the Spirit of God.


For some time after we are saved, our testimony tends to focus on what God has done for us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit takes our focus off ourselves, and places it on Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). He didn’t say “witnesses to what I have done for you.” It isn’t wrong to share personal testimony, but Christ wants us to pass on to a deeper, more profound kind of witness. He wants us to learn to view everything that happens to us as if it were happening to him—any praise we receive, any persecution we suffer. This is why we must be overruled by love and by the majesty of our Lord’s personal power. If we aren’t, we won’t be able to stand for him.


Paul lived to persuade people of the judgment seat of God and the love of Christ. Some called him insane, but Paul didn’t care. He understood the reason behind his actions: the love of Christ had him in its grip.


When we too are filled with this love, everything we do will give the impression of God’s holiness and power, never our own. Then we will truly be witnesses, and our lives will bear wonderful fruit.


Exodus 34-35; Matthew 22:23-46


WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Re-state to yourself what you believe, then do away with as much of it as possible, and get back to the bedrock of the Cross of Christ.  

———————-

Reflections

As a child of God, and out of love for our Father, we will be willing to do anything that He wants us to do. If you understand love, you will understand why this is so. Because only out of love that the giving touches the heart. It cannot be forced or imitated. If someone is only giving for the sake of giving, the feeling will be much different.


The giving out of love is a joyful one. Remember that God loves a cheerful giver. It is not the same as giving out of obligation. For example, if your company asked you to be secret santa and get a gift for someone and you do not know what to get, it’s either you buy anything generic - like chocolates or mugs (to be safe) or you get something which you know the person likes. Gifts are very personal and generic gifts can be personal too if you know the person well.


As Oswald mentioned, our focus ought to be shifted to Him. Yes we definitely have some parts to play in obedience to His command but ultimately, we need to remember that it is Him who should receive the biggest glory. It is Him only that we seek to please and not men. The Lord is our first and only love and we should let nothing come between us and the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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