Who is Glorified?

Who is Glorified?

Psalm 25:11-15

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹¹ For your ^(A)name's sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is ^(B)great.
¹² Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him ^(C)will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³ His soul shall ^(D)abide in well-being,
    and his ^(E)offspring ^(F)shall inherit the land.
^14 (G)The friendship^[a] of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵ My ^(H)eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will ^(I)pluck my feet out of the net.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2025:%2011-15&version=ESV)

So many times we think that our sins should be forgiven to save us from eternal separation from God but look at the first verse again.  “For your name sake, O Lord” this indicates to me that it is not for us but for the Lord.  That is a difficult concept to get in our heads because we somehow always revert back to “me” and “my needs”.  I once heard a sermon on a song that described the crucifixion as being for us and yes Christ did die for us but even more it was so that the Father could be glorified.  John 13:31 “³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus said, ^(A)“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and ^(B)God is glorified in him.”  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2013:31&version=ESV)

Jesus knew, even as He prayed in the Garden just before His arrest, that this life was not about Him but about the will of the Father.  He knew He would suffer even unto death but He also knew that this suffering would result in the glorification of the Lord.  Now how do we apply that to our lives? 

First of all we need to recognize that this life is not all about us.  If it isn’t about us, who is it about?  It is about glorifying God. None of us like suffering and we don’t understand why we have to suffer.  If, however, we look at it at the proper perspective, it is to honor God.  If we are able to recognize this life is about our Lord and the glorification of Him we soon realize that everything we do has a purpose.

When we recognize Him our whole entire being gravitates towards Him.  When that happens we fear Him yet He becomes our friend, a friend who we can always talk to!  He is a friend who will pull us out of the muck and mire of this old life.  A friend who will save us in the time of distress, who will pulls us up when we are down, and a friend who will be glorified as He blesses us, can only be found through Jesus.  Yet, we should not be His friend in order for us to be glorified but to glorify the Father.  We should always strive to recognize that it is His will not ours.  Again, as Jesus was in the Garden it was very apparent that He did not want to suffer at the cross but He was dependent upon the Father not His own will but His Father’s will.  Even in His distress He knew the Father was in control.  If we want to be His friend to be blessed we need to re-think our purpose.  We don’t like it when friends use us but we are so quick to try to use the Lord to benefit us. 

Today, if you need a true friend look towards your Father in Heaven.  Seek Him and His friendship and then be a true friend to Him by placing Him at the top of your priority list.  Get to know Him by reading His word.   He will be glorified and in the end He will bless you as well.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila