Glory part 3
Here's what I'm trying to build for us: God has supplied all our need according to His riches in glory. And that glory, given to us, is what equips and empowers us to give HIM glory. We simply receive and release what He gives us. He first loved us, and we love Him back (with that same love) by loving each other (with that same love). And when we're talking about our need... there's no greater need than love. That's what God gave us, first and foremost; The Holy Spirit--the Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth (that God is love and He loves you)--so that we could know the love that God has always had for us. So that we could know what glory to God in the highest is all about. There's no greater expression of love than laying your life down for your friends. God gave us His only begotten Son. Jesus literally laid His life down for us. Love is giving. There is nothing more glorious than giving what you've got. And there is nothing better to give than love. That's what people need. And when I say "love is what people need" that can look like a whole lot of things. That can look like food when someone is hungry. Or a coat when someone is cold. A shoulder to cry on. An ear to listen when someone needs to speak. And that can be venting, too, by the way. Bottling things up all day long is no good. You'll eventually explode. And that's why connection--relationship--is so important. We need people we can let it all out with. Not ON, not attacking people, but WITH. Someone who will let you say what you gotta say. Unfortunately, that's kind of rare. So if you have someone like that, cherish them. And if you are someone like that, good on you! But my point today is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "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." We see His glory, and we can give Him glory. We are "changed" FROM glory TO glory. I put that in quotes because its really a maturation more than a change. Starting at glory and then discovering what it means to be glorious as Jesus reveals His glory to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. Finding out what it means to be glorious... by loving people. That's how we test the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of God's love for us--we love people bigger and harder and stronger than we ever thought we could. We let His glory come first, and fill us up to overflowing. Like the temple that Solomon built for the Lord. And when the glory filled the temple is was too much! They couldn't even do anything else except experience that glory. God has already given us everything we could ever need. And He did according to His glory. Because what we needed... was His glory. Now that we have it--and know that we have it--we can let what's inside come out. We can be glorious. By loving each other. By laying our lives down for our friends. Giving everything we have and everything we are to each other. Because we're all in this together. We can't do it alone. We have everything we need... but we need to share everything we have. That's the glory of God. Like I tell my kid all the time, what's mine... is yours!