Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Glory Of God Revealed

We often look to the Psalms for inspiration, encouragement, and hope in difficult or troubled times. We are reminded of the faith of those who have gone on before us. Incredible stuff that we desire to emulate as we move forward in our love and dedication to God. We also find in these psalms a bigger picture of purpose then what we find in our simple and insignificant life:

The heavens declare the glory of God; 
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 
Day after day they pour forth speech; 
   night after night they display knowledge. 
There is no speech or language 
   where their voice is not heard. 
Their voice goes out into all the earth, 
   their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)


Isn't this a great truth? It doesn't matter what language or culture we are from, the glory of our Creation is understood by our simple observation of his great works that surround us every day. It is seen in all the earth, glory to God!

Yet, the many psalms are limited. They are limited in their understanding of God's true glory, of his greatest work because it followed after they were written. Our God did not reveal himself all at once; he did it slowly, over the centuries until he revealed his full glory in Jesus, the Christ. He did not bring us back into the rich and free relationship he had with Adam right away. Things had to be established first, things prepared, before he could come to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Now there is even a greater glory than David, Moses, Elijah or any of the others could have understood.

It is true that our Creator's great works can be seen in creation itself and is translated into every language but a greater glory was revealed in Jesus as he was lifted up on the cross. This glory is also understood by every culture and language. It shines even brighter than that of creation, and day after day it pours forth speech, and night after night it displays knowledge. In fact, there is no speech or language where its voice is no heard. The voice of the cross, of this single act of love for our redemption, goes out into all the earth, its words to the ends of the world, in a way that leaves people with only two choices.

The cross cannot be ignored. It is a powerful thing, this loving act of redemption, so that a person must either accept this love or reject it. We are either for God or against him. We are either saved or lost. We are either redeemed or condemned. The cross demands clarity of position from us, it is too powerful to pretend it does not exist. It does exist and Easter is a constant reminder of that. The cross is too powerful for its glory to be stolen by an Easter bunny like the glory of the birth was stolen by Santa Claus. It is too great a thing of love for man to try to hide it away or to refer to it as myth. It is God's glory and it demands a response.

God has revealed a greater glory through Jesus on the cross than any person, who came before it, could have possibly imagined. It is a glory revealed through a decision bathed in humility, welling up from a compassion rooted in love for us. Our Creator loved so much he offered himself as the only possible sacrifice to allow us back into fellowship with him. Hear the voice of the cross world. In your dark and diseased rebellious ways, hear the brilliant voice of our Father calling us back to be with him once more. Hear his heart revealed to you through the sacrifice of the cross. Hear it and understand that he does not consider your life too insignificant to pay such a price as this for you. Will you not hear and return to him?






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