S26P10 – Our future in Christ: glorified
Rom. 8:29-30
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many believers. And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.
Some people live with the goal of achieving earthly glory. For them, to win is to be elevated by people, before people and above people. They want to be recognized, to be known for something. There is something within them that desires to be raised above where they believe their current state is. The problem with seeking earthly glory is that it is extremely limited. Earthly glory can be here today and gone tomorrow with no guarantee of longevity. Not only that, earthly glory can lift you only so high and take you only so far. It is incomplete and temporary. And when this short life ends, we cannot take that glory with us. It is a poor substitute for the glory God imparts to us if we follow Jesus Christ. Yes, it is true that we have been and will be glorified by God.
The difference between God’s glory and man’s glory is the direction in which it flows. Man’s glory is all about the recipient taking and building himself up. God’s glory is all about God giving and building up the man. God’s glory and man’s Glory are not the same thing. To be glorified by God is not to be praised by him. When God glorifies us, He raises us up to a heavenly dignity. He takes us from the earthly level where we naturally reside and allows us to enter into a heavenly atmosphere. He makes us worthy to enter his heavenly kingdom. Man’s glory might get you into the hottest club in town or the most exclusive restaurant but, God’s glory will get you into his eternal kingdom. And it is not only a future Glory that we look forward to, but God has made us worthy by glorifying us even today. Our spirits are glorified now, and our bodies will be glorified then.
God owns the most inclusive exclusive club there is. The unglorified spirit and unglorified body simply cannot enter. It takes the work of Jesus Christ on the cross to open the door for our spirits and eventually our bodies to be raised to the standard of heavenly dignity required to enter God’s kingdom and remain there with him eternally. But the beautiful part is that all are welcome to join this exclusive club. No one needs fancy credentials or the right connections to get in. We only need to know Jesus Christ and him crucified to gain entry to the kingdom. Father, thank You that You have glorified our spirits and raitse them to heavenly dignity, and thank You that You will glorify our bodies in this manner as well.