Nougat 3

I’ve read through Romans before. But I’d not grasped the concept of election before spending this time with you. Thank you! It is so good to chew on God’s Word with you, especially when you offer feedback.

As we reflect on Today’s Holy Nougat, I invite us to consider what it would be like to bear God’s glory.

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Given God’s Glory

Wow!

This wasn’t written in the stars, rather it’s ordained by God’s hands and plans. Aside from being made in God’s likeness, from the very beginning of Creation, the redemption plan includes our sharing God’s glory. What an amazing God!

Of course, there’s the matter of discerning what God’s glory is. At Jesus’ birth God’s glory was manifested to the shepherds and it scared them (see Luke 2). What happened next was them being ushered into the visible and audible presence of the heavenlies, as an entire host of angels confirmed what they’d been told. Their fear left, and under divine directive, they went to experience the manifestation of God’s grace. They went to see Jesus.

There’s also Moses’ experience of God’s glory. We’re told in ‘Moses’ memoirs’ (the first five books of the Bible are credited to Moses, hence my coining the expression) that Moses asked God to see God’s glory. And according to Scripture, their conversation went like this:

Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. (See Exodus 33:17-18)

What an amazing experience that must have been! What we can infer from Moses’ memoir is that God’s glory includes all God’s goodness, mercy and compassion, as well as the power that accompanies God’s name. For YHWH reveals life, breath, as well as the presence and provision of God. Being recipients of our heirs to God’s glory therefore means that those would be imparted upon us. One commentator suggests that Gods glory is the ‘magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of [God’s] many perfections.’ See Christopher Morgan’s article, “The Glory of God”, in

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-glory-of-god/). Morgan adds to His thesis a quote from Sverre Aalen, whose interpretation of the Hebrew and Greek terms for glory reveals ’God’s manifestation of His person, presence, and/or works, especially His power, judgement and salvation’.

As God’s Called, Chosen, Justified people, who are recipients of God’s glory, we ought to be visibly manifesting the ‘magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of [God’s] many perfections’ wherever we are. That is people should recognize God’s difference in us. Not because we’re judgemental, but because of the goodness, grace and mercy we exude. They should feel and see the impact of the name of God upon our lives.

In a world where violence and disregard for the sanctity of life have become normative, we must be the antidote. People are literally dying for want of God’s glory revealed through us.

It is time siblings.

We’ve got work to do: God’s glory to reveal.

Help us Jesus!

Come Holy Spirit.

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May all we seek be found in Christ