What does it mean for you and me to be a carrier of God’s glory? I talked about this last Saturday night (you can catch the podcast at http://blazingfire.podbean.com/)
Here it is in a nutshell:
In the Old Covenant, Moses made a bold request to God in Exodus 33:18, “Show me your glory,” to which God responded, “All right, then, I will allow my character, the goodness of my nature to pass in front of you. I’ll show you how good I really am.”
Sometimes we read that story and say, “Dang, I wish I was Moses to see that!” No really you don’t—you have it way better than Moses in the New Covenant of Grace!
2 Corinthians 3:13 explains how Moses, after he met with the Israelite people to share what God had told him, put a veil over his face because he didn’t want them to see the glory fading. Why was it fading? Because it was external. Remember that God’s glory passed before him.
Now, you gotta catch this!
For you who are in the New Covenant of Grace, God’s goodness doesn't pass before you, but lives in you! That glorious goodness of God that Moses got to see the backside of as He passed by has made His home in you!! Have you ever really looked at people who spend a lot of time with God? They glow and leak all over the place—they can’t help it!
In the Old Covenant, when Moses said, show me your glory, God’s goodness passed before him. In the New Covenant, when we say, “God, show me your glory,” God's response is...
“Look in the mirror!!”
Have you ever really done that--intently looking to see Christ in you, the hope of glory? It's REAL, my friends! Many times and with much more frequency now, I look into my own eyes in the mirror and see God's glory. “Oh My! There you are Jesus! I can see you! I carry your glory! I release it everywhere I go!"
And so do you! Jesus said to his Father, "I have given them the glory that you gave to me." (John 17:22) The very same glory that the Father deposited into Jesus as the Light of the World, permeates and pours out of each of us as well!
So I want to encourage you today--right now if you can--look in the mirror, but before you do, ask God, “Show me your glory!”
And while you're at it, say out loud these declarations that we made together Saturday night:
I CARRY GOD'S GLORY!
I AM GREAT BEYOND MEASURE!
I AM MADE FOR INTIMACY WITH THE LORD!
I BRING HIS PRESENCE WITH ME EVERYWHERE I GO!
So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord. (2 Cor 3:18, Contemporary English Bible)
