When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have set in place;
What is man that You think of him,
And a son of man that You are concerned about him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
Psalm 8:3-5 NASB
God’s word tells me that Jesus gave up the glory of heaven to come to earth and make a way for me to be redeemed from my sin…and regain fellowship and intimacy with the Father. His Word says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us…that we should be called sons and daughters of God!”
When my daughter, Glory Bethel, was born, we felt impressed to give her this very special name. Glory (the weight of God’s presence) Bethel (the house of God – the dwelling place of His glory) is a constant reminder of the truth of who we are in Christ.
In Christ, I have become the temple of the Living God…the very Creator of the universe lives in me! Christ in me is the hope of glory! His glory is ever-present with me and in me by virtue of the blood of Jesus and my salvation! I am His workmanship, therefore I am a reflection of who He is, created in His very image!
When He thinks of joy, I come on His mind. And He enjoys being with me…and desires my presence more than I desire His! I was the pearl of great price (even though my sin made me unworthy, He found worth in me: yet another example of the mystery of the unsearchable great depths of His massive love!)
He thought I was worth the glory of heaven to purchase…with His own blood. How can my heart contain the richness or the vastness or the weight of that truth? It cannot! It can only overflow with the very glory His life is in me!
Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings
Psalm 17:8 NASB
Just as an earthly parent wants nothing but what is best for their children, our Father God wants what is best for us and He desires that we succeed at life and that we have our every need met and that we be vessels of His glory. If we want all these things for our children, how much MORE does our heavenly Father desire them for us?!
"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is [alive] today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more [will He clothe] you? You of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things [are what] the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you.” Luke 12:27-31 NASB
Let’s keep life simple. Follow Jesus. Believe and receive His love for us and enjoy the great adventure of life as we attempt to unravel the great mystery of His great love for us. You are the apple of His eye. You are His glory.
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, You Are My Glory, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-are-my-glory/
Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/05/07/12/19/kid-5141328_1280.jpg