From Glory to Glory

Glory. It’s a word I can’t seem to get away from lately.

It finds me in every conversation I have, every Scripture I read, every song I listen to. And it’s not just the word. The reality of God’s glory has hit me hard; it’s blatantly obvious everywhere I turn. And maybe it’s always been. Maybe I just haven’t been looking.

After a string of painful weeks wrought with death, I’m humbled by the reverberating presence of glory. From stressful mornings to hard yet beautiful funerals–like that of Tyler Trent–glory has filled the silence.

And I wonder, “What are you doing God? What are you trying to say?“

Having just finished a study of Philippians, I’m reminded Paul’s reminder for us to fix our thoughts on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). I’ve come to believe that if you combine all those things, you have a rough starting point for what “glory” is.

Have you ever heard the phrase “from glory to glory,” from 2 Corinthians? Yeah, I always thought I knew what it meant. It means that God is going to take us from one glorious moment to the next, flitting about like effervescent little butterflies. Right?

Wrong. That’s not what this Scripture’s referring to, and I’m sorry to say I didn’t take a closer look at the verse until, well, two weeks ago.

In reality, this verse is talking about the impact of the gospel. See, that first “glory” refers to the Law, the Old Covenant. And the second “glory”? That’s the New Covenant, made possible through the death of Christ.

“From glory to glory” means that those who trust in Christ are being drawn further and further into grace as we behold Him. We are given new life.

Even amidst the ravaging impact of death–something I’ve seen far too many people suffer from in the past week–the glory of Christ’s transforming grace is bringing life.

And maybe that’s what He’s been trying to show me; that no matter how ill-equipped I feel to comfort those who are suffering or how much I fail at rebuking less-than-glorious sinful nature, the glory of the Lord breathes life.

“Magnificent; wonderful; of high honor.” That is the definition of glorious. And that is our King Jesus.

Friends, even as we speed through these limited earthly years, the glory of God is transforming us to be more like Christ so that one day, when we stand at the threshold of eternity, we can boldly proclaim, “I love Jesus and I lived for Jesus; and I’m about to knock down these gates because I can’t wait to finally behold, with unveiled face, the glory of my Jesus.”

I want to live that kind of life; to be that kind of Christian, one who is so intimately in love with the Savior that His glory transforms me and I live in the light of grace. And I want that for you as well.

So, take a moment to pause. Stop scrolling and stop doing. Just consider the glory of God, the worth of His love for you. Would you do that?

And don’t stop at one moment. Do it in all the moments. Do it with every single breath you have left on this earth. And I’ll do it with you. And we’ll keep running towards our Jesus.

Love,

Hannah