The Glory that Awaits Us – Paul Nordman

The Glory That Awaits Us

Cruise line promotions stuff our mailbox on a regular basis. They are tantalizing. I find it interesting that, although their literature features onboard activities and delectable dining, what they’re really selling is destination. Ornate European cities dotting the Rhine; Scandinavia’s fjords, majestic green mountains exploding upward from placid blue waters; the laid-back, steel drum vibe of the Caribbean — the allure of the trip is the destination that awaits.

Over the past three weeks, we have been focusing on God’s glory, not only in who He is, but also in what He does. Why then is it important that we take time to contemplate glory? First, as we’ve seen, glorifying God is our Biblically-stated purpose in life — it’s why we were created.¹ Moreover, the majesty of His being calls forth His praise: “Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty . . . thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.”²

There is yet another cause for pause and contemplation, and it is this: Glory is where we are going, it is our destination, it awaits. Paul declares the time is coming when, “at the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”³ No exceptions: we will all behold His glory and worship Him. But grace upon grace, we who live in Christ now through faith will be glorified with Him face to face. “What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later,”⁴ writes Paul. Moreover, “we have the Holy Spirit within us [now] as a foretaste of future glory.”⁵ And when Christ appears, “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”⁶ Yes, glory is where we are going, both Jesus’ glory and — in Him — our own.

Every day our ship draws nearer to port. Then may we heed Paul’s exhortation to this world’s travelers of any generation: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”⁷ This is our destination. See you on board.

Father, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what [You have] prepared for those who love [You].”⁸ Thank you for your amazing, boundless love. Be glorified in this life You have so graciously given me. In Christ I pray. Amen.

¹ See Isaiah 43:6-7 NIV
² 1 Chronicles 29:11 KJV
³ Philippians 2:10-11 NIV
⁴ Romans 8:18 NLT
⁵ Romans 8:23 NLT
⁶ 1 John 3:2 NIV
⁷ Colossians 3:1-4 ESV
⁸ 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT

The Glory that Awaits Us

Mercury Morris was a running back with the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to go undefeated throughout an entire season. When asked what it was like to have been part of this unequaled feat, Morris thoughtfully reflected, “I asked Buzz Aldrin once, ‘What was it like to walk on the moon?’” Pausing briefly, Morris continued, “I still don’t know. All I know is what [Aldrin] told me.” Which is to say there are some things in life we cannot understand until we experience them. Such is the case with God’s glory.

God’s gift of grace is the overflow of His nature of grace. He is full of grace and truth,¹ and in great love He lavishly pours out His merciful kindness to us undeserving people. In prodigious proportions, He showers us with His own righteousness, strength, and sufficiency, and in unmatched generosity, He saves us, redeems us, and transforms us into the image of Christ. Then consider this, also: though “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”² the “God of all grace [has] called [us] to his eternal glory in Christ.”³ Even now, we are “being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory,”⁴ and it shows, for God works through our spiritual gifts, which is “the manifestation of the Spirit,”⁵ and “the fruit of the Spirit”⁶ in our lives testifies to the divine nature of Christ in us. And in all things, God’s glory in us ultimately glorifies Him. Paul writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”⁷ This is truth; this is grace.

Yet a far greater glory awaits us. To the Colossians Paul wrote, “Your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”⁸ To believers in Rome, he reflected, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”⁹ And to the Corinthians, Paul marveled, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him.”¹⁰ So, what will it ultimately look like to fully experience God’s glory? I still don’t know. All I know is what the Bible tells me. But it’s going to be good . . .

Father, Your promises are sure. Enlighten our hearts, that we may know the hope of Your calling, the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in us, and the greatness of Your power toward us who believe.¹¹. In Christ we pray. Amen.

¹ John 1:14
² Romans 3:23
³ 1 Peter 5:10
⁴ 2 Corinthians 3:18
⁵ 1 Corinthians 12:7
⁶ Galatians 5:22-23
⁷ 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
⁸ Colossians 3:3-4
⁹ Romans 8:18
¹⁰ 1 Corinthians 2:9
¹¹ Ephesians 1:18-21