The Glory of the Lord

Our women’s ministry is doing a group Bible study currently based on Beth Moore’s book, Breaking Free.  Last week one of the day’s homework focused on God’s glory.  I have really enjoyed both Jennifer Kennedy Dean’s and Beth Moore’s teachings on God’s glory.  Since this is a topic that has been coming up in my own personal study a lot lately, I thought it would be good to do a blog on it.  And also I have a very special photo to share of a painting my oldest daughter, Ashley, did recently.  After we saw it, I just had to ask her to name it “The Glory of the Lord.”  As soon as I get a digital copy of it, I will post it as a reply to this post.

What stood out to me the most from Beth Moore’s writing in this week’s study lesson was that God’s glory is something that can be seen.  It has a visible manifestation and that manifestation moves the viewer to pure worship and praise!  The most amazing conclusion she came to is that God’s glory is also the external manifestation of the indwelling Christ in the believer.  When one sees this truly lived out and revealed in the life of a saint, the response is to worship and praise God!  You just know you are in the presence of holiness.

Something that Jennifer Kennedy Dean brings out in her teaching is that when we read that “all have fallen short of God’s glory”, we view that as saying that we have all fallen short of God’s expectations of us, or perhaps even fallen short of God’s perfection.  Of course we have and do!!!!  But this is saying that we fall short of revealing God…that external manifestation of the indwelling Christ in us.  That is something only the Holy Spirit can orchestrate.  That is what makes it so amazing and holy…not anything we do, say, act or pronounce.  Read Ephesians 3:14-21 

“This is the secret:  Christ lives in you.  This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.”  Colossians 1:27b

Now what about that painting I told you about in the beginning?  I am so excited to share this gift from God above with all of you.  This was painted for my prayer room in our lodge at the lake.  I asked Ashley to paint something with clouds and certain colors on a very large canvas. She kept asking me for more direction and more guidance on it and I kept telling her, “You are the creative one; go with the flow and paint it as it comes to you.”  She has not read much of the Bible and never read the vision of Ezekiel in chapters 1, or that the Lord’s glory came onto Israel in a cloud, but that is what she painted, I believe led by the Holy Spirit of God.  Come back in a couple of days to view a photo of her painting.  I pray you will be blessed by it!