DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD

August 2000

Yes, it’s August and 90-91 degrees. The A/C isn’t up to snuff. When my husband, Pastor Jim, looked at the A/C, Lavender, our gray and yellow cat, got into the attic and wouldn’t come out for 8 days. The car decided to stall out in the middle of the highway, and basically, it’s been "one of those weeks."

Everyone seems to be having difficulties, some much worse than our little scenario. In such times, we learn to watch, wait, worship, and bring to God the wealth of His Word that He might perform His will according to His good pleasure. When things get "sticky," it’s time to declare boldly the glory of God.

We have faced more difficult times than the events of this past week. In such times every believer can be refreshed and re-created and even rewarded by declaring the Glory of God. (Hebrews 11.6)

What is the glory of God? The Hebrew word translated "glory" is kabod. It comes from the verb root meaning "to be heavy." If something is "weighty," it has value. If it is "light," it’s not as important. In Greek, the word translated "glory" is doxa. It comes from the verb root meaning "to think," and refers to the opinion a person holds about himself or to what others think. We might call it "reputation." Related words chosen by the translators of the Bible into English give us some clues and include the concepts of "honor," "boasting," "triumph," "beauty," "excellency," "strength," "dignity," "splendor," "majesty," and the like. The glory of God refers to His manifest presence, the fullness of what He is and does. The glory refers to what God is in His essential being or nature, i.e., the "weight" of the Godness of God.

Recently, at one of our MCM healing services, the Holy Spirit convicted our hearts that we were making God "small," that He is immense and very, very BIG. We have a great desire to glorify God by enjoying Him and His manifest presence, but somehow we were limiting the Holy One to what our minds could conceive of Him. God is glorious, and His glory manifests in the visible splendor or moral beauty of His manifold perfections.

Is that your desire? Do you desire to behold God in unveiled magnificence and excellence?

The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19.1). The seraphs cried: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6.3) God wants us to think about His majesty, wisdom, and power, His majestic holiness present and manifest throughout the whole earth.

We get so bogged down in the stickiness of the summer slumpies, when the glory of God is all around us, ready to refresh and renew us. We fall short of the glory of God, i.e., His righteousness, (Romans 3.23), but Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, i.e., His power and love and faithfulness to Jesus. (Romans 6.4) Paul praises the glory of God’s grace and refers to God as the Father of Glory in Ephesians.

The glory of a thing is the fullness of all that it is. When we speak of the glory of a human being we often speak in terms of their wealth. It is so even in the Bible, e.g., Genesis 31.1, Genesis 45.13, Job 19.9, Psalm 45.16, 17. We speak of a person’s net worth, and usually mean their holdings and assets and things they have materially.

God has wealth and worth. In fact, as Creator, all things were made by Him and for Him. He is the King of Glory (Psalm 24) and has a net worth that is immeasurable. We are to think about God’s net worth and ascribe to Him the worth due Him. This is what worship actually means, to ascribe worth.

God’s wealth and worth center in His being. God is spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

You and I were created for His glory (Genesis 1). We were created with dignity to be the image-bearers of God in His glory (Isaiah 43.6, 7). That image got polluted, stained, defiled, dishonored, contemned. We came to disdain the glory and make light of it because we looked at ourselves in our sinful state and found ourselves empty, dry, brittle, broken.

Redeemed by the Blood of Christ, however, we are being conformed to the image of Christ, "who being the brightness of glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1.3) We are destined for glory (Ephesians 1.5, 6), to mirror the glory and to delight in it.

We come into our destiny as we behold the glory and declare the glory. To behold the glory of God we must come to crave God’s presence, to draw near to Him, believing that He exists and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11.6). Ascribe worth to Him because of who He is as Creator/Redeemer and what He has done in His mighty deeds and acts of creation/redemption. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Declare the glory of God in your worship. Lay hold of and apprehend all that you comprehend of God according to His Word. Search the Scriptures to find out all that you can about the One who loves you and who has saved you and given you life and blessing. Look at Him, into His eyes of love, and delight in Him. That’s what it is, after all, to love God. It is to delight in Him and to be enamored by His glory, to value Him above all, to ascribe to Him the honor, worth, triumph, beauty due Him; to serve Him in worship and obedience to His will.

John Piper says in His book, Desiring God, "Salvation is not a ground for boasting of our worth to God. It is an occasion for self-abasement and joy in the glorious grace of God on our behalf — a grace which never depends on our distinctives but flows form God’s overwhelming concern to magnify His own glory on behalf of His people." (page 235)

Declare the glory of God in your work. In John 17.4, 5, Jesus says, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You gave Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me with Your own self with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Jesus manifested the Name, the glory of His Father, and goes on in His prayer to say, "All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I am glorified in them." (John 17.10) We are to declare the excellence of God’s moral beauty, of His holiness, and majesty, and power, and dominion in all that we do. 1 Corinthians 10.31 says, "Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Declare the glory of God in your willingness to obey. Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work." (John 4.34) Jesus made Himself of no reputation and took upon Himself the form of a servant. His glory was veiled in flesh, but as the Word was made flesh, we beheld His glory, full of grace and truth. Jesus’ obedience was a willing obedience. His obedience was a spiritual worship, the outworking of a heart desiring to honor His Father in all things.

Declare the glory of God in your witness to a watching world.

Jesus said, "He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory; but he that seeks His glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." (John 7.18) Certainly, Stephen declared the glory of God in his witness as recorded in Acts 7. As he was martyred for his testimony, the Bible says: "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus, standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7.55)

Declare the glory of God in your wealth. Our wealth represents what we treasure, what gives us delight, what we desire. Put supreme value on the glory of God and treasure Christ. (Hebrews 2.10, 3.6, 10.34, 11.26, 12.22-24, 13.5)

The glory of God—desire it, delight in it, behold it, and mirror it. Of those that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Thessalonians 1.9, 10 declares: "who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day." Paul goes on to pray "that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and we in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (1.11, 12)

Craighouse is a Christian community refuge for those seeking help and hope in Jesus Christ. Craighouse exists to offer refuge, times of refreshing, and restoration to the spiritually orphaned and wounded of the Christian community in an atmosphere of grace. Craighouse purposes to present the truth of Christ in a paradigm for living by the Word and by the Holy Spirit. Craighouse aspires to minister the resurrection power of Jesus Christ through worship, witness, the Word, and the Holy Spirit to those God brings to its doors. Craighouse has outgrown its current facility and needs a new one! Will you help?

Some of you do not know that MCM also gives monthly to local community ministries helping the indigent, families in distress, and children, what I call "mercy ministries." Through MCM you are also supporting other small ministries that do not have our outreach capabilities.

Thank you for partnering with MCM as fellow workers for the truth. Your support of Mary Craig Ministries causes us great joy and abounds in thanksgivings to God. May the gifts you give to Mary Craig Ministries be blessed and bear fruit that remains for the kingdom whose Covenant Lord reigns as the one, true and living God, whose we are and whom we serve. To God be the glory!

Calling the nations to resurrection,

Mary Craig

P.S. Email me at mary@marycraig.org with your prayer requests, comments, and suggestions. Our Soldiers of the Cross™ pray regularly and faithfully for you and for your requests.

When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3.4)

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

(1 Timothy 1.17)

MAKING YOUR HOME A HAVEN

Wherever you find yourself, at home, in the workplace, in a hotel or motel, you can create a shelter of protection from demonic influence, a spiritual refuge, an oasis of God’s presence.

1. Remove whatever desecrates the environment. Cleanse the place of "slime," the lingering effects of sin and wickedness. Cleanse it of all that defiles flesh and spirit. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. You might pray, "Holy Father, I seek to make this a sanctuary for your Spirit. Cleanse this place. I apply the Blood of Jesus and these scriptures _____________ now. Whatever things You detest, abominations, reveal them that they might be removed. Cleanse this place of all evil."
2. Consecrate and set the place apart for God’s use and glory. Offer it to Him and invite His presence. Dedicate your home (2 Chronicles 6, Joshua 24.15) to God. Declare your intent verbally and visibly. You might pray, "Father, you are the Lord of this place. Fill my home with your holy Presence and use it for your purposes, to glorify your Name. Set holy, elect angels at its boundaries to shield and protect us from evil (John 17.15, 2 Thes. 3.3). Jesus has the authority here, His Word, His Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
3. Honor the Lord. (1 Samuel 2.30) Consider the décor that adorns your home, the activities you have there, what you celebrate, and how.
4. Discern and pray for the protection of your home and family. Be alert. Exercise spiritual authority. Discern and deal with evil influences. (John 10) Confront ungodly values. Example godly behavior. Resolve family issues (Ephesians 4).
5. Endeavor to establish Godly heritage. (Psalm 102.28, 103.17, 18) Believe God to keep covenant with you.
6. Bless others seeking shelter from the storms of life.
7. Stand on the truth and fight for the peace and blessing of God in your family and in your home.