Glorious Sunrise

2 Thessalonians 1-Part 7
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.   2 Thess. 1:12


LET IT GLOW

Here is Paul, writing a prayer for his brethren, the Thessalonians, beginning in verse 11.
As a Christian, a saint, I am now glorified in Jesus as my head. I am being raised to sit together with Him in heavenly places. Through His blood covering my sins, wearing His robe of Righteousness, I can enter the Throne Room of the Most High God and lay my petitions at His feet, converse with Him. How humbling it is to think such a powerful God would take time to listen to me, would even pay me attention. And then, He is building me a mansion in His kingdom. Yes indeed, what a glorious Lord we have!

Isaiah 28:5 states, "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people."

Here are some comments I found concerning verse 12:

• The wonderful glory of Christ shall shine in them (Thessalonians). The love and power of our Lord may be glorified-gloriously desplayed in you. (John Wesley Explanatory Notes)
• May my life show His virtues and  His glorious excellence; that I may be adorned with the graces of His Spirit, as He's glorified by my salvation from all sin. (Adam Clarke Commentary)
• Grace is used of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, increases them in Christian faith. (Thayer's Lexicon)
• It's His grace, merciful kindness, blessed Spirit, that sanctifies, elects, redeems, calls, justifies, pardon, adopts me, not my works. (The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible)
• The worthy walk of verse 11 allows God to be glorified in us, the light of all purposes (The MacArthur Bible Commentary)
• For the believer, the ultimate goal in life is to glorify God. Effective intercessory prayer is not necessarily praying for relief for the afflicted or even for removal of the affliction. It is praying purposefully in light of a kingdom perspective. Read the kingdom into someone's situation, then reflect on the development of their faith, remembering the ultimate goal of glorifying God. (Contagious Christianity by Charles Swindoll)

I  want God's grace to increase my Christian faith, don't you?
When it's all said and done, just give me Jesus.

LET IT GROW

It was 6 am this morning, when I began my usual routine-take a pill with water an hour before eating and pull back my kitchen curtain to see what the  new day had in store outside. Ahh, another quiet Saturday morning in summer. There's nothing like it. (Late sleepers, you  miss out on so much.) Then it happened,  I caught a glimpse of the sun's rays shining. So I took two steps to the left, pulled the curtian back further, and saw this glorious sunrise. It was so radiant in the midst of  a deep blue sky, with a few clouds sourrounding it. Glory to the Lord on high! God of Wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy! I stood there absorbing the magnificance of God's creation, feeling His presence. Do I thank Him for the clouds and sunshine in my life?
 How many times do I allow my vision of the Lord's working to be blocked by clouds in my life?

Then I walked to my computer room, opened my Bible,  and  read our key verse again. This morning's sight was for me. Christ Jesus brought me out of my spiritual darkness and into His marvelous light. Oh yes, there are times that clouds of affliction surround me; times that persecution darkens my vision. But they are only  minute in comparisond to Paul's sufferings. They are trying to hide the Son, but He comes through, giving me a ray of hope, shining in my life. He is Sovereign and in control.

In Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Is my Lord Jesus  shining through me?
Do others see my good works and glorify Him instead of me?
Here's that s-word again.

Do you recall that Paul used the phrase "the Lord Jesus" three times in each chapter? Did you find them in chapter 1? I found it in verses 1, 7, and 12. How about you?


LET IT GO

Allow God's grace to increase my faith.

Let His light shine through me.

Give Jesus the glory for all and in all things.

Pray for God's will to be done in my life and the life of others.