And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them... (John 17:22).
There're those who say, "God never shares His glory with
anyone." Yes, He wouldn't share His glory with the heathen gods. But
with us, His kids, He did better than share His glory with us: He gave
us His glory, and made us His glory. When He said in Isaiah 42:8, "...my
glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images,"
He wasn't talking about not sharing His glory with His children. He was
talking about idols. He's made us partakers of His glory!
Read again, the words of the Master in our opening verse:
"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them...." He was
praying to the Father. But notice that He didn't say, "The glory which
thou gavest me, I shall give them when they get to heaven." He said the
glory that God gave Him, He has in turn given to us. It's a fact for
now.
The Lord Jesus doesn't mind that you're sharing His glory,
because He gave it to you in the first place! Not to believe and accept
this isn't humility; it's ignorance. Moreover, the Bible says those that
God called, "...them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he
also glorified" (Romans 8:30). We've been gloried! Jesus Christ is the
express image of God's Person. He's the effulgence or outshining of the
glory of God. The Bible says "...He received from God the Father, honour
and glory" (2 Peter 1:17). Now, the same glory the Father gave Him is
what He has freely given to you.
No wonder He says, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:1). You're the
epitome of God's glory. The Apostle Paul understood this and declared:
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory
of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Now, mirrors reflect whatever is before them, which means
when you stand before the mirror of God—His Word—what you see, which is
the glory of God—is actually yourself. Therefore, not only has He given
you His glory, He's made you His glory! You're the expression of God's
glory today!
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for glorifying me with the glory
of your Son, Jesus Christ! That glory is evident in my physical body, my
family, job, business, and in all areas of my life, in Jesus' Name.
Amen.
Further Study: || Ephesians 1:15-19 Wherefore I also, after
I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my
prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may
know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his
mighty power, ||
|| John 17:20-22 NIV “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ||
Daily Scripture Reading
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Matthew 11:1-30,
Exodus 10-12
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Acts 12:20-25,
Job 22-23
|| John 17:20-22 NIV “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ||
Daily Scripture Reading
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Matthew 11:1-30,
Exodus 10-12
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Acts 12:20-25,
Job 22-23
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