And in Christ you too are being built together to become a dwelling place in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22, NIV)
If you were to name the things you enjoy most about golf, you likely would not say, “My game.”
We all can come up with reasons for loving golf—the time outdoors, the challenge of the course, the banter with friends. Almost never do we think these things need improvement. They are inherent wonders of the game.
Our own play, however, instigates a different evaluation, a more critical appraisal of our strengths and weaknesses, with an emphasis on the latter. Always, always, we can name things to improve.
All of this is not unlike our walk with Jesus. We are ever-quick to extol the wonders of the Lord and denigrate ourselves. And in many ways that is how it should be. He is perfect, we are not. He is pure, we are not. He reigns, we do not.
And yet, there is one strong truth that turns the tide for all who believe. It is this: God lives in us. And because God goes nowhere that his glory does not go with him, God’s glory takes shape in us.
This is wholly remarkable, that God would honor in this way the very people who have spent so much of their lives turning aside from the path he has set for them. Can any of us honestly say that we intentionally set out, for instance, to glorify God in all we do, right down to the eating and drinking of each meal?
God would do this for one simple reason: he loves his Son. And as his Son has achieved his own glory in his obedient death… and as his Son is exalted to the right hand of the Father… and as his Son intercedes on our behalf, making the case for our acceptance and salvation to the Father… then God is willing to multiply the glory of his Son by shining into and through the lives of those who believe and follow him. We are ambassadors for Christ, made so not by our own excellence but by his.
In recognizing this grand significance of God in us, we then ask ourselves significant questions: How may we catch more of him? How may we represent him best, revealing his glory in our heart, soul, mind, and strength?
—
Jeff Hopper
January 3, 2014
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.