Dear siblings,
After sharing yesterday’s reflection, I saw a video of a young man born with 4 fingers. He plays the piano, yet he has been to Carnegie Hall. I believe that for him, it was more than he could have imagined! For some of us, God is already at work. To the others of us, I say, let it not be us who are the stumbling blocks in our blessing plan. As we reflect on Today’s Holy Nougat, may we recall that it is all God.
Ephesians 3:20-21 AMP
[20] Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,
[21] to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.
The Glory belongs to God
I know you all realized that the phrase was not quite a sentence, and perhaps wondered whether we would get to reflecting on it. Well, here it is. I’m not sure why the editors of the Bible opted for a verse break there, but we unpacked the first part, so it isn’t that critical. Anyway, let’s continue with the reflection.
In looking at Ephesians 6, we note that one of the challenges the Ephesian church faced was idolatry. In fact, one might even safely presume that occultism was normal, as Paul is clear that the war the church faced was being waged at various dimensions in the heavenlies. It should not surprise us therefore that Paul’s invitation to glorify God is preceded by the qualifier we have been reflecting on. He was ensuring that everyone knew which ‘he’, i.e., to which God Paul referred. In case you, or those Ephesiains missed it, Paul was speaking to the only God Who has the capacity to fulfil everything God has promised, and Who is capable of positively responding to our asks beyond our imaginations and expectation. More critically, Paul assured the Ephesians that that power of God is at work within their lives.
Self-Check
If called on to describe God to young converts, what would your response be?
Application
When we think of God and the goodness of Jesus, when we think of the power of the ever-capable God being at work within us, are we moved to praise? That’s what Paul deems as appropriate. Strong’s, our trusty Bible concordance tells us that glory – you guessed it – is from the Greek doxa, from which we derive the term doxology. So when we sing ‘Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow’, or the Gloria Patri (after the end of the responsive Psalm), we are participating in singing glory to God.
The ‘Usage’ reveals that doxa is used primarily to speak of God’s glory and majesty, as it points to God’s divinity, God’s attributes, and the honour rightfully due to God (see Psalm 29), including God’s visible manifestation. We further note that the ‘Cultural and Historical Background’ indicates that in those days, doxa was grounded in an individual’s reputation, their esteem and public opinion. The truth is, in light of all Paul had described, the glory is the Lord’s.
As we close our reflection, I invite us to think about those attributes we used to describe God previously (or, let’s do so now). Do we consider those sufficient grounds to glorify God? We can always add more. Having considered, let’s glorify God.
Point to Ponder
Are our actions enhancing God’s reputation as all we say God is? I pray that we sway public opinion with our words, thoughts and deeds.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
https://www.bible.com/bible/1588/eph.3.20-21.AMP
