Glory Seekers
Where does glory come from?
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” - John 5:30-47
Jesus tells us that glory can only come from the Father.
It is not something that has value when we laud it upon ourselves or each other.
Our own self-image can be our downfall. When we think too highly of ourselves, we make ourselves more important than others.
And when we have a low opinion of ourselves, we tend to let others have power over us.
So, what should we do?
Jesus tells us that he is from the Father and all he does he does in the Father's name. Even the words he speaks are the Father's words.
I believe he is modeling how we should go through life.
If in all we do and say, we can see and hear the Father, then the chances are we are doing His will, and that will lead us to share in His glory.
We can easily slip up here, and think that our will is His, so we need to make sure we are keeping true to our faith.
Jesus warns his followers to abide by the law, so that the law will not punish them.
He will not accuse us of wrongdoing before God. The law of Moses will do that. In other words, we should keep the commandments.
If we can do that, and we seek God first in all we do and say, we should be all right.
More to come...