GLORY
noun: high renown or honor, adoration, delight, magnificence, splendor; impressiveness of beauty on a large scale
“The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple…” Colossians 1:27
The word “glory” has always seemed a bit too religious for me. I get stuck when I try to imagine angels, halos of light, the halls of heaven. My brain doesn’t really know what to do with this word. The idea of sharing in God’s glory doesn’t seem that “simple” to me.
Because I don’t think my human experiences can even begin to compare to what I get to look forward to with Jesus.
Magnificence. Splendor. Honor. Delight. Impressiveness of beauty on a large scale.
There is much glory to be seen and heard here on earth for sure. Towering mountain ranges, brilliant creatures, vast oceans and forests, the miracle of birth. We travel the planet to see places and things that can be only described as glorious–waterfalls, canyons, cathedrals, castles, paintings, symphonies, and incredible living things in the wild. We enjoy technological advances like that expand our minds and connect us to people in our world.
We get glimpses.
And as we get to know Jesus, we begin to experience his glory. We get glimmers of delight in the big and little things that he shows us. We feel a spark of unexplainable joy and hope in the midst of difficult times, and we get sneak peeks of how he works miracles in our ordinary days. We sing to him, pray to him, and thank him for who he is even though we have not yet seen him.
We turn our faces to him. And we start to shine.
Because what we do know is that something about his glory lights us up. Not necessarily with a halo of gold, but with his beauty and joy in our eyes, a reflection of his countenance. The little bit of glory we get to know on earth lights our way to more of Jesus. It hints at the splendor and impressiveness of the beauty to come. And it makes Jesus visible to others through us.
Thinking about this eternal light, experiencing these hints of glory…it makes me so excited for heaven. Today’s verse assures us that because Christ is in us, we can look forward to sharing in His glory.
And then I read more about this light, this glory in the very last chapter of the Bible. Revelation 22:4, 5 “…they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs.”
Maybe understanding this word is not so complicated after all. Maybe all we need to know right now is that Christ lives in us. As he pours his light into our lives, he reveals his glory to us and through us. Wonderful glimpses now, and so much more to come…
Invite Him In: look for sneak peeks of his glory everywhere. Open your eyes to the ways he shines his love on you in the big and little things. Notice inklings of delight, glimpses of beauty, and gentle rays of hope. Thank him and praise him with all your heart for who he is. As you look up to Jesus, he will fill you with the light of his radiant beauty and his faithful presence. Because he is in you, you get to share in his glory–now, and forever with him.