PRAYER
Father, I thank you for making me a house of glory. Let the light of this glorious gospel shine through me. May I become so changed from within that your glory is seen upon me and manifested through me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
CONFESSION
I am a house of glory. My Father is the Father of glory, and he has begotten me as a son of glory. I will live my life as an imitator of God. I will reflect the image of my Father. I will walk in the glory of God and let his glory shine out through me.
DEFINING MOMENTS...
One of the great titles given to the Holy Spirit is he is called the "Spirit of glory" (1 Pet. 4:14). Paul said it is the Spirit of the Lord that changes us from glory to glory. God gave us the Holy Spirit to not only navigate us through these changes, but to adapt us to what we are called to. The more we allow him to penetrate into our lives, then the more this call will resonate in us until when anything is mentioned about the glory, we will find ourselves being drawn to it, as if something has called our name!
|
 |
|
|
Man was originally created where he was clothed with glory and honor (Psa. 8:5). According to Romans chapter three, "We all fell short of the glory..." (Rom. 3:  23). Jesus came for the express purpose of dying in our place so that the glory could be restored to man. "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory" (Heb. 2:10). Paul called this a mystery: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). Now that we are in him and he is in us, we must seek to know this truth concerning the gospel - to behold that we are a house of glory, and that the church is now to be the theatre for the manifestation of the glory of God.
|
|
|
A HOUSE OF GLORY
understanding our calling
|
|
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."
- 2 Peter 1:3
According to this verse, we are called to glory and virtue. This word "called" is the Greek word KALEO. It has to do with an affixation; something that is affixed or attached to a thing. A good example is a title given to someone. When you think of the medical field you have individuals who have a title affixed to them such as: doctor or nurse. Folks will often address a person by their title and not even mention their given name. We do this in many different areas concerning folk's calling. We might call the President, Mr. President or our employer, our boss. Folks will often call their minister, Pastor. In all of these mentioned, none of them are the individual's name; yet, there is something in the title that draws each one's individual attention when they are called.
When you became born again you had affixed to you a calling to the glory of God. That is now ascribed to you just like a title.
When you hear it something on the inside should draw your attention as if it is calling you. Paul said to the church of Colosse:
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). The very thought of having Jesus in our heart carries something with it.
It carries a calling to the glory!When God first created man he crowned him with glory and honor. Sin came in and robbed him of that glory. Man was naked and not ashamed, but when he ate of the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, suddenly, he was ashamed of his nakedness and went and hid himself from God. The usage of the word "naked," in this passage, has two entirely different meanings. One speaks of being without a covering or clothing. The other speaks of an utter helplessness; to be stripped bare. Adam was unclothed and yet clothed upon with the glory of God. After he sinned, he was stripped of the glory and found he was naked. This nakedness penetrated far deeper into his inner consciousness than just being without any outward clothing. He knew he was stripped of something far more significant. Where before, he was not afraid; now he finds he is afraid.
According to Second Corinthians four, the gospel is about our enlightenment to the glory of God. In fact, in the previous chapter Paul said, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). This word "changed" is METAMORPHOO. It is the same word used in Romans chapter twelve when he talks about us being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).We get the word metamorphosis from this same word.When a caterpillar begins to spin a cocoon it goes through the process of metamorphosis. It is a transformation carried out from within until finally, the caterpillar is changed into a butterfly.But what is so amazing to this is the butterfly once it reaches a place of transformation has to break out of the cocoon. Its wings and body squirms around until it breaks open and is able to fly away.
We are being changed inwardly through the process of mind renewal.Each day, as we feed on the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is renewing our minds. We are being acclimated to a life of glory. The more we think like God wants us to think the clearer we will hear the call to the glory. This is our destiny to be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up with life (2 Cor. 5:4)! Right now we are a house of glory. Cocooned within this mortal flesh is a new creature made in the image of God, filled with the life and glory of God. One day, God will "change these vile bodies until they are fashioned like unto his (Christ's) glorious body" (Phil. 3:21). But until then, we must know and recognize what is happening in us!
First Timothy says, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, RECEIVED UP INTO GLORY" (1 Tim. 3:16).Heaven is the glory world. When Ezekiel looked up and saw God sitting upon the throne, he described the very appearance of it as brightness all around it, and said it was "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord" (Ezek. 1:27). As we are transformed, we will begin closing the gap between heaven and earth. Our calling to glory is to a life of dignity and kingly majesty.When we learn to walk according to who we are in Christ, then we will begin to see the greater manifestations of this glory. John wrote and said: "This is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)! We are called to have fellowship with the light! We are to walk in the light as he is in the light! It is all about our calling and what we are to do with it. Let's not just wait until he comes to change us. Let us aggressively begin squirming on the inside until what is in us begins to break out, and we shine as lights in the midst of a world in darkness! "For ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day..."(1 Thess. 5:5).
|
|
|
|
|
