Glory of God – Emily's Snippets

Who is God? In Psalms 139:17-18, we find these words – How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

When a sixth grader asked in all earnestness, when was God born? I contemplated the answer carefully, for I had never considered the question before. My answer? In the beginning God! (The first four words of Genesis, of God’s Word)

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14

The reading continues into the 15^th verse – God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

God IS. This is his name, God IS has many shades of understanding, (from John Piper ).

First of all, God has no beginning or ending. He simply is, there is no place to go outside of being. Before He creates, that is all there is: God.

God IS reality, absolute reality. There is no reality outside of God. Only God. When He spoke the universe and all that there is into being, there was nothing or no one. Everything that has life depends totally on God. He is not dependent on anyone or anything, for He created everything. Nothing evolved or big-banged its way into existence for God created everything that exists. Everything that is not God, depends on God. He is independent.

All universe is nothing before God’s Greatness. The universe is secondary and stays in being on God’s decision to keep it in being. Isaiah 40:17 – All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

If God created us all and all the world we live in, how can we add to His Glory? This is the same thing the Psalmist asked in Psalm 8:4-6 (and in Hebrews 2:6-8) What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

How can we glorify God? How can we, just people, add to His Glory? We come to Him and acknowledge Him as our Lord God, first of all. Praise, honor and worship Him as He declares in His word. In all humility and adoration, love Him. See the splendor of His Holiness! Psalm 29:1-2 – Ascribe (Honor) to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

And that is just the beginning of living. Someone dear to me once told me that each time an Angel declares, Glory to God, it is because they just learned something new about our Lord God. And the sweet thought she related is that we will never stop learning, and will be saying, Glory to God, for an eternity. Another wise man said, the Bible, The Holy Word of God with its sixty-six books in the Old and New Testament is just a ‘snippet’ of what there is to learn about the God Who created us to worship and adore, His Son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit Jesus gave us to teach us and guide us.

I Thessalonians 4:7-8 – tells us clearly – God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

How can we refuse or deny our Lord who gave us breath? It is amazing that since the beginning there are those who deny God and those who live for Him. It is a daily choice. I choose to Let God be God. I choose to worship Him and give God the glory for all He has done, when I don’t ever deserve it. Each day I have another opportunity to show Him my love by my words, attitudes and actions by living for Him. Humbly I lay all that I am at His Feet and pray for forgiveness.

We are people who constantly need reminders of who we are in Christ Jesus. In our culture, we remember so many things each day such as numbers we live by, the day’s activities in a planner. The one thing that remains the most important when all is shaken down is the great love of Jesus, Who gave us His love on the cross by giving His life as a sacrifice. For years, I pondered the words, “In Remembrance of Me” on the communion table. The freedom and joy to partake of the juice and the bread and we remember Jesus who grows sweeter as the years go by.

As the years go by, I realize more and more, that remembering the sacrifice of Jesus, is glorifying God the Father. When I have faith and trust God in all His Ways, I bring Glory to His Name. When I show in my life the Fruit of the Spirit, I bring Glory to God. Love, Joy, Peace Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control are the fruit of the Spirit, I long to see in my life. This is my prayer.

Our Lord God is timeless, the God of all ages. There is never an expiration date stamped on His Word or His Way. God is ours now and forever and we worship Him with all that is in us as long as we have breath. How can we do anything less?

Comments? eacombs@att.net