The "More Excellent" Glory · Friday 08

For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth (2 Corinthians 3:9-10).

Exodus 34 tells us how Moses had been in the presence of God for forty days and forty nights, receiving the "Ten Commandments." The commandments were few sentences that ordinarily, shouldn’t require a whole day to pen down. So, why did Moses stay forty days and forty nights to receive them? It was because, to Moses, they weren’t mere "Commandments"; they were life.

Afterwards, as Moses stepped down from mount Sinai, Aaron and all the people looked at him and saw that his face shone with the glory of God, and they were afraid to go near him (Exodus 34:30). There was such radiance of glory, emanating from the face of Moses that he had to use a veil to cover his face, because the people couldn’t stand the glory of God. How did the glory rub off on him that much? It was from meditating on what God said.

Moses contemplated God’s Word so much that he didn’t know his face was radiating with the glory (Greek: doxa) of God. The Word of God is where the glory is. The Word made such impression on Moses that it impacted his physical body. From then on, when Moses went to pray, he took off the veil. But when he came out to the people, he covered his face.

The glory we have today far exceeds the glory that Moses enjoyed. We don’t need a veil on our faces; the glory is in our spirits: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we behold the glory of God in the Word of God, we are metamorphosed from glory to glory.

Confession : My life is the expression of God’s glory, grace, perfection, beauty and righteousness. The excellence and virtues of divinity are manifested in, and through, me in ever-increasing splendour! I’m continually transfigured from glory to glory, by the Spirit, as I behold the glory of God in the Word, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: Psalms 82:5-7; Matthew 13:15

1 Year Bible Reading : Romans 11:1-24 Psalms 79-81

2 Year Bible Reading : Philippians 1:1-8 Isaiah 59

You Carry Heaven In You · Tuesday 29

We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven (Philippians 3:20 GNB).

When Jesus came to this world, He came with as much heaven as He could live by, and bless the world with. Let’s illustrate it this way. Imagine you’re from the United Kingdom, and you’re the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to South Africa, you’d be living in your embassy in South Africa as though you were in the United Kingdom. Everything necessary for you to live the life in the United Kingdom would be made available to you, even though the house you live in is situated in South Africa.

Now, when you come out of that house, you’ll have all the rights of a diplomat from the United Kingdom, but when you meet with the people of South Africa, you deal with them as South Africans. Nevertheless, you know that you’re from the United Kingdom. You can only help them with as much of the United Kingdom that you came to South Africa with. When you enter the Embassy of the United Kingdom, the rules of the United Kingdom apply. Yet, there is a country called the United Kingdom away from you; but you have brought as much life with you from the United Kingdom to South Africa in line with what the rules allow.

The Lord Jesus did the same thing. As much as the rules allowed, He brought heaven in Him to earth. He brought it in His heart, because the Holy Spirit lived inside Him. He came with the throne of God in His heart. No wonder He was such a blessing to the world! The same applies to the Christian.

A Christian is more than a religious person; he’s one who is born again, and by reason of the New Birth, has been translated into the Kingdom of God, and now lives in heaven, in the earth. He’s one with as much heaven as he can carry. Halleluiah. If you’re born again, you carry the throne of God in your heart. You’re thus heaven’s ambassador to this world. Therefore, preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Bless the world with the grace and glory of heaven that’s in you.

Prayer  

Dear Father, I thank you for bringing me into the glorious Kingdom of your dear Son Jesus, making me a partaker of your glory and life. I carry in my heart the divine attributes of divinity, and I bless my world today, with your grace and glory that I carry, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: Hebrews 12:22-24

1 Year Bible Reading : Psalms 45-48 Romans 4:1-25

2 Year Bible Reading : Ephesians 4:11-16 Isaiah 49

Glorious Things Are Spoken Of You · Friday 11

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God (Hebrews 10:7).

The Lord Jesus, while He walked the earth, lived out the perfect will of God; He walked in a preordained destiny. He located His destiny and purpose in the written Word, and fulfilled the glorious things that had been spoken of Him.

Luke 4:17-21 shows us how the Lord entered into His destiny. It reads, "And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." The Master recognized and acknowledged publicly that these verses were written concerning Him. He knew what His identity and mission were; His destiny was clearly spelt out in the Word.

Psalms 87:3 says, "Glorious things are spoken of thee O city of God"; that refers to you—the new creation in Christ Jesus—you’re the city of God. Glorious things are spoken of you in the Word: glorious things about your heritage, placement, ability, liberty, and privileges in Christ Jesus. Your responsibility is to look into the Word to locate, and enter into, the glorious things that are written of you, and fulfil your destiny.

Your destiny is in the Word of God, and it’s been settled; it’s not determined by your family background, country of residence or the government of the day. You’ve been destined for greatness, set apart for a life of victory and triumph from glory to glory. 1 John 4:4 says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." This means your origin is in God; you hail from Him, and you’re already victorious over Satan and the adversities of life. This is your destiny. Personalize this and other glorious things written of you in the Word, and walk in the light of them. Halleluiah!

Confession  

I know who I am! I’m the effulgence of God’s glory; the radiance of His grace and beauty! I walk in the light of His glory today, manifesting His righteousness, and unveiling His wisdom that’s inherent in my spirit, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: Ephesians 2:10; Psalms 87:3

1 Year Bible Reading : Acts 21:1-16 Job 25-28

2 Year Bible Reading : Galatians 3:1-12 Isaiah 31