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Day 32The Gospel Joy in Glorifying God Thursday, March 22, 2018
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
“... to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6 |
Devotional:
Is that crazy or what? But, that’s what His Word says. What does Our Savior mean by that? How is it possible? If it weren’t for the fact that Jesus uttered those words, and not some preacher or prophet, it sounds almost sacrilegious.
But because these words are His and are preceded by “Truly, Truly,” I believe it is possible. That means we are able to do greater works than He because, out of his love, God gave us the one thing Jesus did not have: the power of the Gospel; the promise in the completion of the Cross. Christ in you is able to do so much more to glorify God than Jesus was ever able to do in his earthly ministry. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Such great love! Such amazing grace. Saint, your Father loves you.
Think about it, my friend. Rather than sacrifice His only Son, God could have condemned us all and destroyed this earth once and for all. Or in His omnipotence, He could have saved us with a snap of his Holy fingers, wiped our slates clean, programmed a heavenly re-boot, performed a sacred do-over. But, in his pure love and delight in us, His creation, He made us active partakers in the divine plan of His salvation.
“We have been designed by God to consciously display God’s greatness, beauty, and worth,” says John Piper. Your identity is to live to display God’s identity as glorious. And God is most glorious when seen through Jesus Christ’s completed work on the Cross.
His supernatural love so immense that He gave His only Son to die for you- that He may live in you to do the greater works. God gave you an even bigger role in spreading the gospel than Jesus could himself in his earthly form! A love so great that the unmatched joy He creates in you comes simply and purely by glorifying Him in your living out the brilliant truth of the Cross.
In my own life, I spent many many years seeking out the satisfaction of a soul longing, for what seemed like echos of a sweeter almost lost and inconsolable memory. I have finally found my deepest yearnings fulfilled by coming to Him in my own death so that He may be made Life in me. C.S. Lewis describes this longing, like Milton’s “enormous bliss of Eden,” as Joy. “It was when I was happiest that I longed most…The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all the beauty came from.” The beauty comes from being active partakers in His divine nature. This is my “enormous bliss.”
In your journey down the Gospel Road, as you are seeking your own “enormous bliss,” ask God to show what it means to have a cross-shaped heart that beats to His word, “if anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11
But because these words are His and are preceded by “Truly, Truly,” I believe it is possible. That means we are able to do greater works than He because, out of his love, God gave us the one thing Jesus did not have: the power of the Gospel; the promise in the completion of the Cross. Christ in you is able to do so much more to glorify God than Jesus was ever able to do in his earthly ministry. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Such great love! Such amazing grace. Saint, your Father loves you.
Think about it, my friend. Rather than sacrifice His only Son, God could have condemned us all and destroyed this earth once and for all. Or in His omnipotence, He could have saved us with a snap of his Holy fingers, wiped our slates clean, programmed a heavenly re-boot, performed a sacred do-over. But, in his pure love and delight in us, His creation, He made us active partakers in the divine plan of His salvation.
“We have been designed by God to consciously display God’s greatness, beauty, and worth,” says John Piper. Your identity is to live to display God’s identity as glorious. And God is most glorious when seen through Jesus Christ’s completed work on the Cross.
His supernatural love so immense that He gave His only Son to die for you- that He may live in you to do the greater works. God gave you an even bigger role in spreading the gospel than Jesus could himself in his earthly form! A love so great that the unmatched joy He creates in you comes simply and purely by glorifying Him in your living out the brilliant truth of the Cross.
In my own life, I spent many many years seeking out the satisfaction of a soul longing, for what seemed like echos of a sweeter almost lost and inconsolable memory. I have finally found my deepest yearnings fulfilled by coming to Him in my own death so that He may be made Life in me. C.S. Lewis describes this longing, like Milton’s “enormous bliss of Eden,” as Joy. “It was when I was happiest that I longed most…The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all the beauty came from.” The beauty comes from being active partakers in His divine nature. This is my “enormous bliss.”
In your journey down the Gospel Road, as you are seeking your own “enormous bliss,” ask God to show what it means to have a cross-shaped heart that beats to His word, “if anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11
Prayer: |
Lord Jesus, I pray that you will show me ways to glorify you in living out the gospel in all ways, even the ordinary things of life. Give me a humble heart as I do the works that you call me to do. I offer you praise that you have given me your Holy Spirit through your sacrifice on the cross so that I may do greater works than you in bringing your love and redemption to the world.
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Song/Hymn: |
The Revelation Song “…..”
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