Behold His Glory
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am,
that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
(John 17:24)
Hello Saints,
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Discouraged? Frustrated? Scared? Angry? Hopeless? Focussing on the world and its wrongs can lead you to a not so pleasant place, which can manifest in all kinds of health and mental issues. The antidote is simple, but it requires a shift in focus – fix your eyes on Jesus! Behold His glory! Jesus – full of grace and truth and love! It changed the apostle John so much so that it solidified for him who Jesus was and caused him to persevere through all his trials. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14; 2:11). John loved Jesus, and Jesus loved John. This love is exemplified in the closeness at the last supper as John rested on Jesus’ bosom (John 13:23). Because of John’s intimacy with Jesus, he was privy to Jesus’ ‘high priestly prayer’ in John 17 and also witnessed the incredible revelation of Christ, beholding His magnificent glory multiple times while banished to the island of Patmos. John had ‘beheld’ enough of Jesus’ glory for it to be the drive to persevere through exile and tribulation. The disciples received Jesus’ glory (John 17:22), just as we have. That glory is the presence of Jesus Christ – His presence in the person of Holy Spirit indwelling all true believers. It is Jesus’ unfathomable great love poured into our hearts enabling us to love one another in the church unto complete unity; and to love the lost as we fulfill the mission of sharing Christ with the world. As the love and presence of Christ rules in our heart, our character reflects more and more that of our Savior. The Apostle Paul puts it like this, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Friends, we know in part – we have a small taste of the glory of Christ in us for we are partakers of the divine nature (2Pet. 1:4). That little taste of the glory of Christ in us is the catalyst we need to desire to see the glory of Christ in all of its glory in heaven. Jesus prayed, “I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me” (17:24). Here Jesus’ desire is to be with His followers in Heaven, so His followers can truly see who He really is – His majesty, His radiance, His divinity, His glory! The gospels contain a sneak peek when Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John (and Moses and Elijah). Think about it…Jesus wants us to be with Him, and He wants us to see His glory! We have put our faith in someone we have never seen. We believe by faith and have experienced His presence, but our longing and Jesus’ prayer is for us to see Him as He truly is. Do you long to ‘behold’ His glory? Is it the desire that fuels your fire and causes you to persevere to the finish line? It was Peter's: "rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:13). Beholding His glory will be fullness of Joy! The word ‘behold’ comes from the Greek word for ‘theatre’. In a theatre, we sit and take in the scene before us – it is much more than ‘see’ – it is to be in awe, captivated by what is in front of us, even drawn in to partake with all of our senses. Think of John seeing the glorified Jesus in Revelation 1 – he was so overwhelmed in all of his senses that he “fell as though dead” (Rev. 1:17). What an incredible thing to be in the presence of the Risen Christ! Isaiah saw Him (Isa. 6); Ezekiel saw Him (Eze. 1); Daniel saw Him (Dan. 7). Right now we see through a glass dimly (1Cor. 13:12). That obscurity ought to be enough for us to desire to see Jesus in all of His glory, not settle for the partial view we have now. Jesus’ desire is for us to see Him as He truly is. Is that your desire? I find myself craving to be in His presence more and more as I see the way this world is going. As darkness increases, I long for the glory of the Lord, to see His radiant beauty and majesty. Jesus’ desire is for us to see His glory, which means to be where He is. I believe that is the desire that will cause all of us to persevere to the end when He comes to take us to be with Him forever. Keep your eyes on Jesus; desire to be in His presence and we will overcome as He has. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1John 3:2-3).
Press on!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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