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Infused Glory

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“This monarch butterfly was captured at Leu Gardens here in central Florida, quite by accident, while I was admiring the lovely rose garden varieties.  I find that some of the most beautiful things in life can be missed when we are distracted by our fruitless worries and inevitable disappointments.  The glory of God is infused in the smallest details of life, that flutter by, never to be seen again.  I must daily remind myself to slow down, embrace the moment, and look for the glory of God that is showered upon us daily.”
By Grace,

Ruth

 

 

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Heavenly Glory

 

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.


glory

 Psalm 19:1

This photo was taken as I stood atop a mountain in Medellin, Colombia, as dusk was making her entrance. The tiny light to the upper left is the moon—a minuscule speck!

Looking upward more intently I gasped at the magnificent open sky, where, for one brief moment, sun, moon and stars were all delicately resting together upon the blue velvet firmament. Indeed, it was one brief moment, but a moment declaring the glory of God.

Astounded, I recalled God’s first command for Creation, Let there be light, and with His mighty words there was light for the first time—except for His eternal brilliance. Then, on Day 4, God brought into existence sun, moon, all recorded in Genesis 1 of the Bible.

Think about it, Dear Sisters! What you and I observe in the sky are the same heavenly lights that God created—from nothing— on that phenomenal ancient day. How amazing!

The psalmist tells us in Psalm 148 that sun and moon and stars praise God. They were created to give Him glory, every day, without contest or objection, whether perceived, or behind clouds.

Psalms 148:3

Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light.

God’s eternal, infinite refulgence is unapproachable to us, but these created beings are visible to the eyes of such little ones as you and me! That we may give God glory—whether we stand atop the mountain or down in the valley.

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Mimi

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Glory

Dear Sister,

From Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of The English Language:

“GLORY, n. [L. gloria; Fr. glorie; Sp. and It. gloria; Ir. gloir, glory, and glor, clear; W. eglur, clear, bright; Arm. gloar glory.   It coincides with clear, and the primary sense seems to be to open, to expand, to enlarge. So splendor is from the Celtic ysplan, open, clear, plain, L. planus; hence, bright, shining. Glory, then, is brightness, splendor. The L. floreo, to blossom, to flower, to flourish, is probably of the same family.]

1. Brightness; luster; splendor.

The moon, serene in glory, mounts the sky. – Pope

For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. 2 Pet. i.

In this passage of Peter, the latter word glory refers to the visible splendor or bright cloud that overshadows Christ at his transfiguration. The former word glory, though the same in the original, is to be understood in a figurative sense.

2. Splendor; magnificence.

Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Matt. vi.

3. The circle of rays surrounding the head of a figure in painting.

4. Praise ascribed in adoration; honor.

Glory to God in the highest. Luke ii.

5. Honor; praise; fame; renown; celebrity.

The hero pants for the glory in the field. It was the glory of Howard to relieve the wretched.

6. The felicity of heaven prepared for the children of God; celestial bliss.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. Ps. lxxiii.

7. In scripture, the divine presence; or the ark, the manifestation of it.

The glory is departed from Israel. 1 Sam. iv.

8. The divine perfections or excellence.

The heavens declare the glory of God. Ps. xix.

9. Honorable representation of God. 1 Cor. xi. viii.

10. Distinguished honor or ornament; that which honors or makes renowned; that of which one may boast.

Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. Is. xiii.

11. Pride; boastfulness; arrogance; as vain glory.

12. Generous pride.   Sidney.

MoreGlory

 

 

 

 

 

 

GLORY, v. i. [L. glorior ,from gloria.] To exult with joy; to rejoice.

Glory ye in his holy name. Ps. cv.   1 Chron. xvi

2. To boast; to be proud of.

No one should glory in his prosperity. –Richardson.”

God’s glory is all around and within His creation, within us; His glory is waiting for us in heaven; and it is our purpose, goal, ambition, our hope to glorify Him!

Running with you,

Rebecca

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The Glory of the Cross

Dear Sister,

This may seem like an unlikely music video for glory, especially its beginning, but please take the five minutes or so to watch the entire thing. The New Testament cannot speak of glory without Jesus and the cross. Jesus was crowned with glory because he suffered on the cross, “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Heb 2:9). And we get our glory because of what Jesus did on the cross, “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thes 2:14).”
There are two heart swelling moments for me in this video that have visualized for me the glory of the cross. The first comes when the wrath of hell is being blocked by the cross and the second is the man RUNNING to Christ in heaven. Oh how I glory in the cross because my wrath was taken by Jesus! Oh how I glory in the cross because it enables me to run to Jesus forever more! Glory!

All I have is Christ

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Wisdom at the Gate

Dear Sister,

I have a confession to make. I love to read. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping, I’ll sneak in some reading. I will slip away from the kids and my husband to read a few pages. I read in bed, while multitasking (not very well), on the computer, in the bathtub, outside, in the car. I read, read, read, read, read. Books, articles, dictionaries, reference works, all types of genre, on the Kindle, on the computer, in newspapers, and magazines; but my favorite mode of reading is snuggled a comfy chair with a good, well-worn paperback book and a steaming hot cup of tea.

I read for entertainment, new ideas, how-tos, and for insight. Besides my occasional inability to appropriately budget my reading time, the hunt for insight can get me into trouble. We do not have cable TV in our home. Early on in our marriage, we determined we did not want to have to pay for TV, nor did we want the distraction of all the TV channels pumped into our home. So, if we want to know about the current events of the day, we read (yes, we do have the internet). That is where the trouble begins. I can ask any number of questions (do I vaccinate, should I recycle, what about the situation in Ukraine, is evolution a verifiable fact, is the Bible truth?); but the real question is how do I discern the truth?

Our society leans heavily toward listening and following the polished, bombastic, handsome person delivering an answer (and to the answer most beneficial to self); more than it does toward discerning actual truth. Our pastor at Azorean Baptist Church in Portugal liked to say that as a society (this was an American-Portuguese community), if given a choice between hard work and flying pigs, the flying pigs would win every time. I also find myself suckered by gimmicks, and worried over inflammatory articles. Neither indicates a wise response.

During ancient biblical times, governing and economic business occurred in the gates of the cities—those who had wisdom in their fields of business were found in the gates, conducting business, governing the city, imparting wisdom. The Israelites could look to those who had experience for their counsel. Solomon himself says, “Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice? On top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates, at the opening to the city, at the entrance of the doors, she cries out: ‘To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O naïve ones, understand prudence; and, O fools, understand wisdom.’” Proverbs 8:1-5.

We are not born with wisdom; we have to seek it out. But, while we may not be blessed with innate wisdom, we do have the ability to choose where we find our counsel. Dear sister, this is crucial! Look past appearances and around the easy answers you know you are naturally drawn to. Select marital guidance from someone who has a marriage that has gone the distance and works instead of from flippant lines on the newest witty sitcom. Find economic advice from those who have built and maintained successful, honest businesses that are a benefit to their families as well as to the community. Search out counsel about societal truths from those working in the depths of humanity and making an impact for good, not just from teachers (or politicians) who sit and pontificate their newest theories.

It is nigh impossible for me to get out from behind my computer and search for those truly making a difference; but I know in the long run, discovering wise counsel is a journey worth sacrificing for. “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35.

Running with you,
Rebecca