Abiding in God’s Glory Fills the Longing of the Heart

 Website DIVISIONS (Over 600 articles to help you to grow in every facet of your life)

Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email to a friend

God wants you to abide in His glory. Why? God loves you and wants you to have the best possible life, a life filled with love, joy and peace.

The best way to describe God’s glory is that His Glory is His presence . . . Where ever God is there His glory is also.

It is the purpose of this paper to answer these four questions:

1.      What is God’s glory?

     2.      What does it mean to abide in God’s glory?

     3.      What are the benefits of abiding in God’s glory?

     4.      How does one abide in God’s glory?

What is God’s glory?  God’s glory is manifested all around us in the beauty of His creation . . . in a sunrise or a sunset, or in the miracle of a newly born baby. Because God is omnipresent, His glory is everywhere throughout His creation. In the Old Testament God manifested His glory to prophets by speaking to them in an audible voice. His glory was seen by Moses, in the burning bush, in the desert. God led the Children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years by a manifestation of his glory, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. However, the Children of Israel only directly confronted God’s glory primarily once a year on the Day of Atonement, when His Shekinah Glory appeared in the Tabernacle, and then it was from a distance. The only other times were when they were moving, and the cloud or pillar of fire led them from above. Sometimes God’s glory appeared in the Tabernacle to speak to Moses or Aaron.

In the New Testament, the glory of God was witnessed by shepherds tending their flocks by night. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid” Luke 2:8-9. God’s glory appeared on this occasion in the form of a bright light.

 We often take light for granted, but without it we couldn’t live. The earth would cool, and everything would freeze, and plants wouldn’t be able to survive. All life would become extinct. Light is necessary for life.

What is light? It may seem to be nothingness, but, in fact, it is a substance. Einstein’s quantum theory of light states that it is electromagnetic radiation consisting of both wave links and particles called photons, which are packets of energy that move at the rate of 186,000 miles per second. The brightness of light is determined by the number of photons. [1]

Where did the light come from. In the third verse of the Bible, Geneses 1:3, God said, “Let there be light: and there was light.” Ironically God had created light before he created the sun, moon and the stars, which came later in Genesis 1:17. The Bible teaches in the book of Revelation that God is the light of heaven; there will be no need of the sun, moon and the stars or artificial light.

In the New Testament light is a prominent way of manifesting God’s glory. When the light of God’s glory resides in a person’s heart, it means that that person has life; the Bible says that they are passed from death unto life, and not just ordinary life but life eternal. It is also God’s purpose for that light to shine out to others: ^”Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 5: 14-16.

The New Testament verse above speaks of God’s indwelling glory, but it was not always the case that God’s glory was manifested through man. Let’s put it into perspective: Throughout the Old Testament God only indwelt man with His glory on exceptional occasions. This He did to empower then to carry out His will in specific instances, like when Moses led the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

God’s glory was present to guide and protect Israel throughout the early Old Testament, but that changed when Israel rebelled against God and turned to idols. God removed the protective powers of His glory. The Assyrians took the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity, and Babylon took Judah, the southern kingdom, into captivity. Ezekiel was with the second group that went to Babylon and God showed him a vision which explained to him concerning what had happened, and the reason that Israel and Judah were judged and then showed him as His protective glory departed from the temple at Jerusalem and from the Children of Israel.

In the first chapter of Ezekiel, Ezekiel saw a vision when he was at the river Chebar in Babylon.

1: Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2: In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,
3: The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
4: And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

In Ezekiel chapter 8:5-18, the vision is resumed as God shows Ezekiel why He had brought judgment on His people:

5: Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6: He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7: And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8: Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9: And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10: So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
11: And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12: Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13: He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14: Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15: Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
16: And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17: Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
18: Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

In chapter 10:4; 18-20 God shows Ezekiel how he also removed His glory from their midst as a result of the above wickedness by Judah.

In the vision, He takes Ezekiel to Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem. This is a flashback because literally the Temple had already been destroyed when Babylonia took Judah into bondage.

4: Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, [The mercy seat in the Holy of Holies] and stood over the threshold of the house; [The door to the Temple] and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.

18: Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.
19: And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate  [The entrance to the outer court]of the LORD’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
20: This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims

The final phase of departure is seen in Ezekiel 11: 22-25:

22: Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
23: And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.[Then apparently the glory of God ascended into heaven.]
24: Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
25: Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.

Ezekiel watched as God’s glory lifted up from the mercy seat in the holy of holies. Then it stood over the door to the temple, and then over the East Gate, the entrance to the outer court of the temple, and finally over the mountain to the east of Jerusalem. God’s glory and protection had departed from His people. For five hundred years, they wouldn’t see God’s glory as they had in the past. This is called the inner-testament period. There was no communication from God through written word or through prophets.

Then in the beginning of the New Testament in the Gospel of Luke, chapter two, an astonishing event takes place . . . the birth of Jesus the savior. But there was also another extraordinary event that took place, Luke 2:8-9: The shepherds saw God’s returning glory. After five hundred years, God’s glory had returned and would manifest itself for some 30 years through the life Jesus as He walked the earth.

Jesus was crucified and arose from the grave on the third day, and a few days later ascended into heaven. Once again God’s glory had been taken away from the earth, but in a few days on the Day of Pentecost, God’s glory returned once again, Acts 2: 1-4. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost . . . “

God’s glory returned; this time permanently indwelling the believers . . . Now His glory would be manifested through man. Instead of a temple built by hands God’s glory would dwell in the temple within man. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

What does it mean to abide in God’s glory? Paul contrasts two opposing positions: Those who abide in God’s glory and those who don’t——So how are we to  know which position we are abiding in?

Abiding in the Spirit is described in Galatians 5:16:

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The opposite of walking in the flesh or being controlled by the flesh, and fulfilling the lust of the flesh is walking in the Spirit and being controlled by the Spirit, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.We can know that we are walking in the Spirit if our lives are showing forth the fruit of the Spirit:

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23

According to verse 25 all believers are required to walk in the Spirit or “Abide in God’s glory.” Not to abide in God’s Spirit is to be in defiance of God just as Israel defied God and chose to walk in the flesh and ultimately served idols instead.

Walking in the flesh is described in Galatians 5: 19-21:

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (Lewd, Lustful Behavior)

²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, (At odds to that which is right. Varying from the truth) emulations, (A desire to put oneself above others.) wrath, (vengeful anger) strife, (A struggle, fight, or quarrel) seditions, (discontent or rebellion) heresies,

²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, (A wild party) and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Even though all believers who walk in the flesh may not walk on the darkest side, they position themselves as ploys for Satan and are subject to any of the above traits.

On the other hand, those who abide in God’s glory position themselves to the traits of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and they are shielded from the welds of Satan.

What are the benefits of abiding in God’s glory? At the beginning of this paper, I said that God loves you and wants you to have the best life possible. Consider these benefits: Those who abide in God’s glory experience the supernatural love of God in their life. Love is the “Summum Bonum,” the highest good, the greatest thing in the world. God’s love in one’s life is the greatest experience of life.

The world searches for happiness, but no happiness based on happenstance can compare with God’s joy abiding in the hearts of His children. The world also searches for peace, but it cannot be found outside of God; God’s peace passeth all understanding. The Bible defines God as love. To abide in God is to have his love within, which is a perfect love. Love is the first mentioned in the list of nine in Galatians 5 which describes the action of the fruit of the Spirit. Actually the fruit of the Spirit is love and the eight following precepts describe how love acts in the person’s life who is abiding in God’s glory. God’s light of glory shines into the heart and what comes out is the spectrum of love, which is joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, and temperance.

The only way any person will ever experience the fullness of life is by abiding in the fullness of God’s glory. Sadly believers often miss God’s perfect plan for their life by abiding in the flesh rather than abiding in God’s glory, and much like Israel their life comes to naught.

How does one abide in God’s glory? Three things are necessary: Firstly, You must know Jesus as savior. Secondly, you must desire to abide in God’s glory. Thirdly, you must surrender 100% to God. God doesn’t want a mediocre, lukewarm kind of surrender; He expects our total commitment to Him. The definition of “surrender:” to yield, give up or over, submit, abandon, relinquish, cede, waive, or capitulate. In some translations, yielding or submitting is used instead of “surrender:”” yielding” (Romans 6:16-19) or submitting (James 4:7). Surrender includes the act of obedience to God’s commandments and to His will. You may think that surrendering 100% to anything is impossible; it would be if it were contingent upon our strength. However, it is possible toward God by the same power that redeems us from the bondage of sin. Here is a true saying: “Everything that goes to heaven comes from heaven.” Surrendering to God isn’t just a onetime event; it means a continual attitude of surrender. Sanctification is the ongoing act of surrender to God. The presence of God’s Spirit in the believer is in it fullness. However, the surrender of the believer to God allows the Spirit to control, strengthen and to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

[1] Albert Einstein to Heinrich Zangger on Quantum Theory May 20, 1912

About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is an author, motivational speaker, and child of God who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. There are hundreds of articles to help you on this website (Website Contents ) in your personal growth. If I can help you personally, please send your concerns via Contact me.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Website DIVISIONS (Over 600 articles to help you to grow in every facet of your life)

To subscribe to blog simply click on the RSS button on the left, and copy and paste the URL of our RSS feed into your RSS reader. ARTICLE INDEX _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2011 Jimmie Burroughs. All rights reserved