Glory In The Lord
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
I recently met a retired Air Force Colonel, a high school graphics/web design geek, an insurance salesman, and a real estate broker. There was for each of them this very obvious and dramatic change in their stance/posture, tone of voice and look in their eye when they went from just casual introduction to discussing and expounding on who they were and the passions and dreams that occupied their hearts. I’m sure each of them had personal characteristics and life issues that could be reason for discouragement, inhibitions, and generally downcast image and presence, but there was this whole other world of confidence they entered into when they began to speak of those things that brought them fulfillment and self affirmation. It was like a light was turned on in their trophy and game room. To speak of their accomplishments and aspirations was something that only required a little prompting or questioning. Like a well spring just needing to be dug into or tapped, once released there was a flow that could go on for some time. In fact, there was an obvious reduction of excitement and interest, along with a glazed look in the eye that took over when they were politely listening to my comments. It was like they were just waiting their turn to glory once again in the motivation of their life.
In each of our lives there are those things that bring a spring in the step, a light in the eye, and a reason for living that brings vitality to life. It’s not like any of those things should necessarily be avoided when they are a definite part of our gifts and inspiration, but as another treasure begins to occupy the heart when Jesus takes up His residence there, those other elements will begin to be seen so differently as their value is placed next to the most valuable asset one could ever hold. Those things that had once brought a rush of adrenaline will begin to motivate the glazed look compared to the subject of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption that are ours in Christ. When we’re dug into, the stuff that comes out will be the real substance of life in Christ.
A friend we came to know some time ago recently made contact with us for the first time in a couple years. He is a very wealthy businessman with several properties, a beautiful home on acreage, cars, toys, a lovely wife, precious small children and pretty much the ultimate life, or so it was the last time we’d seen him. The reason for his call was that he had come across our number in some of his wife’s things after she had left him to go discover all that she had been missing in life. He had been suddenly left with a broken heart and children to raise alone, not to mention the social embarrassment and separation from circles they’d known together. He shared with us that through this experience his whole perspective on life had been greatly adjusted. He had given his life to the Lord many years prior to this, but where he had once spent hours talking about business and his acquisitions and conquests, there was something else that had become the subject of his conversations and his glory- the incredible treasure that was his in Christ. As the presence of the Lord had become his refuge and his source of peace in the time of great storm, those other things that had motivated and driven him completely lost their luster. Where once their glory had overwhelmed his focus and occupied his meditation, he had discovered their true worth in the time of difficulty compared to the Rock of his salvation and the Refuge in which he could find peace, rest, security, and confidence. He said that all he had once identified as valuable and important in life had given way to those things that are real and eternal in his God.
The wisdom and the values of the world would say that making all the money and getting all the stuff is what life is all about. The perception of greatness that the flesh would promote, however, will always lead to a precarious position where all that is held dear in the glory of one’s life is subject to destruction. The true, eternal, and infinite value in life, on the other hand, is a substance that has no connection whatsoever with the flesh and its glory. It is faith alone in a God who formed all that stuff and holds the sum of all creation in the palm of His hand. It is becoming full of all that’s been provided in Christ so that, like that well, we easily overflow with boasting of His hand and His greatness in our lives. If there is a change of stance/posture, light in the eye, tone of voice, and air of confidence that comes in the glory that is ours, may it come from His expounded greatness and its great worth in our lives.
