Reflections of Glory

Everyone needs hope.  Without hope, despair and darkness settle in wreaking destruction in lives.  Without hope, there is no vision, no goal, no energy…and eventually, no life.  For believers in Christ, the treasure of hope rests in us for Jesus is the ‘Hope of Glory’!  We are to be the vessels that pour out hope on a world lost in despair.  Living in Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory, brings eternal rewards to others and us.  The Hope of Glory draws others to Himself if we allow Him to shine in our lives—and His glory will shine evermore into new lives working new wonders!  Let’s consider all this title of Christ means for us.

Every soul shares a common longing:  to live a life that has substance and lasting worth.  To that end, much of life involves searching for meaning in social status, possessions and power.  In the protective design of God, earthly pursuits—wealth, power, fame, love—produce only limited returns.  The emptiness of anything but Christ Himself is a safeguard intended to keep us from eternal death.

Turning to Christ, the risen Savior, gives powerful hope for living a life with eternal significance.  Christ as “Our Hope of Glory” is an incomprehensible truth really.  At its heart, it is the most unfair exchange in history:  we give our sins to Christ and He gives us His glory.

The eternal, majestic, awesome, wonder-working Creator God desires

to dwell in you and me that our lives will have weight and glory for all eternity.

All the fullness of God’s glory dwells in Christ, who in turn allows us to be His dwelling place.   Do you see that amazing truth?Imagine:  creatures made of dust given the magnificent privilege of receiving (and sharing) the Glory of God.   Moses asked to see the glory of God…and had to be shielded from its power to protect his very life.  Simply spending time with the Lord transformed his own face so that he radiated glory.  Our glory story is so much better.  United with Christ, gazing upon His glory, our lives become reflections of His glory!  The glory of God has life-transforming goodness for His glory contains His mercy and compassion.  Scriptures tells us His glory fills all the earth.  The heavens testify to it, and we join in by declaring it with radiant lives lived in The Hope of Glory!