Tonight I had a wonderful night of food, fellowship, prayer, and worship with a group of brothers and sisters.  As we crowded around the fire, someone started sharing about the Glory of God and what this Glory is that we find in scripture, worship songs and even in conversations within the Christian community.  As my friend spoke, I found one of his points particularly profound – the idea that it was for God’s Glory that Christ died.  

 As we later entered into a time of prayer, I silently began speaking to God.  Without even thinking about it, one of the first phrases out of my heart was along the lines of “Lord, I don’t know why you would die for me”.  As if trying to re-emphasize the points that were spoken earlier in the evening, God gently, but faithfully, revealed to me my own sin of selfishness.  Not just in my prayer, but in my walk with Him in general.  So often I make my journey…my relationship with God, about me.  I think the truth is that as much as I’d like it to be, it’s not about me at all.  I felt the weight of repentance as the ideas from the night’s talk weighed on my heart.  The reality is that while Christ’s death reveals to us something of God’s love toward us, even more so it is the vehicle by which God is restoring and revealing His Glory here on Earth.  Christ died for me and for you, but even more He died because of the Lord.  Christ died so that the Glory of God might be revealed in increasing measure as we grow in faith and in relationship. 

 For us, a transformation of increasing Glory might look like restoration, healing, strength in weakness, freedom, and an ever growing faith and belief in God.  Eternally, it has implications that I don’t know if we can rightly understand.  Just as the glory of the Lord shined through Moses to the Israelites, so too will the Lord’s glory shine from us…only the veils will be no longer.  Being redeemed in Christ and sinful no more…We will one day reflect and dwell in the pure Glory of the Lord.  Until then, we can rejoice in the glimpses we are able to see and experience because of Christ. 

 If Glory really means or points to the attributes of God, then His love for us is part of that, but never are we the focus or the point (as much as we’d like to be).  As I realized tonight, it, we, Christ, are all for the Glory of God…and that is something truly worth our attention and even more so, our praise.