Question: is the glory of God good enough for you? That may sound like a trick question; but it’s not. Of course, the question itself may gender more questions, so let’s clarify a few things. John 17:22-23 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Did you see that? Jesus gave His glory to us. Wow! We talk about giving glory to God. How can we give Him something we don’t have? There is a connection between grace and glory. Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. The Lord gives us grace and glory! His grace enables us to receive and do the things of God. Grace is a precious package filled with treasures. This passage of Scripture reveals the faithfulness of God and His desire to bless you. In fact, He wants to bless you more than you want to be blessed. Indeed, He already has!
Unfortunately, a number of believers push the Lord’s glory away from themselves. One of the ways they do that is by seeking man’s affirmation above His. Those who still carry wounds which come between them and receiving the love of God, often find themselves searching for love and affirmation elsewhere. Others seek man’s affirmation out of pride. Both are precarious places to be, because in the end, they may seek to bring glory to themselves. They struggle with envy and jealousy because they haven’t received the love of the Father, which cannot be earned. They are more concerned about man’s admiration than the Lord’s affirmation. Ultimately, many “good things” they do have ulterior motives behind them. That’s not to say they don’t want to do what’s right in God’s view, but there’s a serious struggle going on. John 5:41-44 I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?
Those who are “in ministry” and are stuck in this trap, often are more concerned about building their own little kingdoms than partnering with God to further His. This is why a number of churches are failing to produce fruit. They are inward focused. They do things in the Name of the Lord, but want the spotlight for themselves. If we freely received His glory, shouldn’t we freely give Him all the glory? As it was in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, so it is today. There are hypocrites in our midst, doing things to be seen of people. They have their reward already (see Matthew 6:1-18). It is not too late for them to repent. We all need to be compassionate for them as well. After all, we’ve all been there to one degree or another.
If you’ve been struggling with envy, jealousy and the desire for man’s admiration, which are linked to the things of the world (see 1 John 2:15-17), perhaps it is time to legitimately receive the love of the Father. You never could earn it or deserve it. His love is not designed to be earned. The Cross reveals how precious you are to Him, even while you were yet a sinner (see Romans 5:8). It does not declare your shame; it declares His love for you! Because of His love, Jesus gave us glory. What could be better than that?
