Destiny: Let God Use You Like He Made You Part 7

This is the same Moses who four decades earlier had the money, background, history, culture, family name, education...and who decided to take care of the problem by himself. In fact, this is the Moses who, Stephen tells us, "was a man of power in words and deeds." The man who once had power in his words now says he can't even speak. In fact, he says he could never speak-that he must have had an enlarged ego and that he couldn't really do any of it well at all.

Moses is a broken man now. We are broken when G.o.d strips us of our self-sufficiency. Our confidence is no longer in ourselves. Any confidence we have is based on what we know G.o.d can do in us and through us. Confidence independent of G.o.d is unwise. It's a one-way ticket to herding sheep. I don't know of a man or woman who has been greatly used by G.o.d who didn't have to be stripped first. Every major character in the Bible whose life is unveiled before us had to go through a stripping process in the wilderness of development.

Development isn't fun, but it's necessary. Just as old furniture has to be stripped of its old sh.e.l.lac before it can be sanded down and refinished, we must endure the painful process of development. Moses was stripped until he knew he could never pull off his destiny on his own. He said, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11).

Bigger Than You Can Imagine Here's an important clue to discovering your destiny: It will always be bigger than you. It will be more than you can even imagine. Moses knew he couldn't do a task this large alone. He had to ask, "How am I going to do this?" Friend, if you don't have to raise a similar question regarding your destiny, you might not yet know your destiny. Or you might know only a small part of it. G.o.d tells us in His Word, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..." (Ephesians 3:20).

What might G.o.d want you to do that you know only He can do through you? If you can't think of anything like that in your life, you may never see what G.o.d can do. Anything you can do on your own is too small to be G.o.d's destiny for you. A small destiny doesn't require anything beyond your own natural resources.

In the wilderness, Moses had learned that he couldn't carry out his destiny on his own. In fact, Moses didn't think he could do it at all. And he certainly didn't think anyone would believe him when he showed up to do it.

"Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The G.o.d of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" G.o.d said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3:13-14).

In those two words, G.o.d summed up who He was. In effect, He said, "I AM defined only by Myself. I am the eternally existing, self-generating One." I is a personal p.r.o.noun, and Am is present tense. In that name, G.o.d expresses His sufficiency. G.o.d told Moses that He is all Moses needs to fulfill his destiny.

Not only that, but G.o.d revealed His transcendence. Earlier He had said, "I am the G.o.d of Abraham," indicating that He is the G.o.d of Moses's past. In the next statement, He said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people," revealing that He is also the G.o.d of Moses's present. And then He went on to say, "I have come down to deliver them," making sure that Moses knew He was also the G.o.d of his future.

His name, I AM, covered everything. It covered Moses's past, his present, and his future-just as G.o.d covers you.

Moses took 40 years in the wilderness to learn the lesson of dependence. He required a setback in order to be set up for his destiny. But when his destiny arrived, G.o.d showed up in an extraordinary way.

If you have not yet walked into your destiny, or if you haven't yet received instructions for achieving and living out your purpose, or if you need further clarification from G.o.d, ask Him one thing. Ask Him to show you your burning bush. Ask Him to turn your ordinary wilderness experience into something extraordinary. When He does, turn aside to look, and you will hear Him call you by your name.

Moses's wilderness experience lasted 40 years. Yours doesn't have to. The lesson is often the same-allow G.o.d to strip you of your self-sufficiency so that He can accomplish His purpose through you.

13.

Wors.h.i.+p I travel a lot. A typical week involves at least one flight to deliver the Word of G.o.d to a large group of people. When Sylvia (my a.s.sistant) and I began using cell phones, communication about my travel schedule and last-minute changes became a lot easier. But if you were to ask her, Sylvia could tell you about earlier times when reaching me at an airport wasn't so easy. Back in the day, communicating about changes in flights or hotels was more of a challenge.

One time, my fellow pa.s.sengers and I were lining up to board a plane when I heard a faint voice over the public address system saying, "Tony Evans, please pick up a white courtesy phone." With all of the noise and chatter at an airport, I wasn't sure I had heard my name correctly, and I didn't know where a white courtesy phone might be. I had a flight to catch and was focused on getting ready to board. The plane wouldn't wait for me. But once again, I heard, "Tony Evans, please pick up a white courtesy phone."

When you hear your name being called in a situation like that, even if your flight is about to board, you stop. Thousands of people are at the airport, and if someone is calling you by name, the message must be important.

When I had heard my name the second time, I quickly got out of the boarding line and asked the attendant at the counter where a white courtesy phone was located. The agent behind the counter pointed to one, and I went to pick it up. I was glad I did-Sylvia was calling to let me know that because of a last-minute change in the schedule, I needed to board a different flight!

Minutes away from getting on an airplane that would have taken me to the wrong destination, I heard someone calling my name and directing me to a phone, where I received new information that put me on the path to where I needed to go.

What was I doing at the airport in the first place? I had gone to the airport to get where I thought I needed to go. But when I was about to board the plane that I thought would take me there, someone singled me out and called my name. And because that person called my name and I (eventually) responded, I received new instructions and altered my course so I could reach my destination and fulfill my purpose.

Friend, when you place yourself before G.o.d to wors.h.i.+p Him-whether that be in your church, at home, on a walk, or wherever you direct your heart and mind to wors.h.i.+p Him-you are on your way to a higher place. You are moving out of the earthly realm and into the heavenly realm. Wors.h.i.+p lifts you from earth into heaven.

When your pa.s.sion is to leave this realm in order to enter that realm, don't be surprised if on your way, you hear your name. Don't be surprised if, as you begin to wors.h.i.+p, your name is called and you are asked to "pick up a white courtesy phone." When you are in the right location of wors.h.i.+p, G.o.d will often meet you where you are with a special instruction just for you. He will call your name. He will guide you. The Holy Spirit will speak to you. G.o.d will direct you.

But there's a catch. You must be able to hear Him.

Had I remained so focused on what I was doing-gathering my belongings, chatting with others in line, getting ready to board my flight-that I had tuned out the sounds around me, I would never have heard my name or received my instructions that day at the airport. As a result, I would have gone to the wrong destination.

Isaiah was wors.h.i.+pping G.o.d in the presence of angels when he heard G.o.d call his name and reveal the nature of his destiny. G.o.d said, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?"

Isaiah quickly replied, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8).

Hearing What Matters One day, a Native American from a rural village decided to visit a friend in New York City. As they walked together down the bustling sidewalk, the Native American suddenly held up his hand. They paused, and he asked his friend, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" his friend asked over the noise, a bit bewildered.

"It's a cricket," the Native American said.

"A cricket?" his friend replied. "I don't hear a cricket. In fact, how is it even possible to hear a cricket over the roar of the traffic?" The Native American then walked to the street corner, where a small cricket was sitting. He leaned over and scooped it up, much to the amazement of his friend.

The Native American smiled and led his friend toward a group of people. As they caught up with the group, he reached in his pocket, grabbed some change, and dropped it on the ground. Heads turned as the change hit the ground. Most of the people around them had heard the tiny sound.

The Native American turned toward his friend with a smile and said, "You hear what you want to hear."

When we don't hear G.o.d, the problem is not that He isn't talking, but that we're not attuned to the sound of His voice. G.o.d could stand before many of us and shout, yet we wouldn't hear Him simply because we wouldn't recognize His voice.

If you are pursuing your destiny, one basic necessity you must incorporate into your lifestyle is an att.i.tude of wors.h.i.+p. To wors.h.i.+p G.o.d simply means to maintain a posture or mindset in which you intentionally and actively ascribe worth to G.o.d. To wors.h.i.+p G.o.d is not only the right thing to do but also one of the most strategic investments you can make. As you acknowledge His infinite value and preeminence, you open yourself to a greater opportunity of communing with Him and, as a result, hearing directly from Him.

If you are searching for your destiny, or your calling, you need to be able to hear the caller. A calling always presumes a caller. You need to be able to hear the phone ring and know that He is on the line.

An event recorded for us in the book of Acts highlights two aspects of wors.h.i.+p-the context and the content of your calling.

Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away (Acts 13:1-3).

The Context The beginning of Acts 13 provides us with the context in which Paul and Barnabas received clear instruction as to their purpose. Both men were at Antioch, surrounded by other prophets and teachers. The church at Antioch included people from different cultures-the Greek term translated Niger meant "black," and Cyrene was an African nation. This church also included people from different cla.s.ses-Manaen had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch and thus was originally from the royal community. When G.o.d calls us to unity in the body of Christ, He is not calling us all to be the same. Unity does not mean uniformity. Unity means oneness of purpose.

These men in the church at Antioch had one purpose. They were seeking to hear from G.o.d while wors.h.i.+pping Him, and they did not allow their differences to divide them. Rather, they gathered together with one purpose in mind-to hear from G.o.d.

We know they gathered together to hear from G.o.d because the pa.s.sage describes them as prophets and teachers. In biblical times, prophets proclaimed the Word of G.o.d and applied its truth to the lives of the people. Teachers were pedagogues who made sure the people understood the Word of G.o.d. The church at Antioch was made up of leaders who communicated G.o.d's truth in a relevant way to the congregation.

They gathered not only to hear from G.o.d but also to wors.h.i.+p Him. We read, "While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said..." (verse 2). To minister to the Lord is to wors.h.i.+p Him, praise Him, and offer Him our service. Did you know that one of the main reasons you are to attend church and have personal times with G.o.d is to minister to Him? You engage in these practices not only so you will be ministered to yourself but also so you can minister to G.o.d.

In our churches and our personal times of wors.h.i.+p, we need to be careful not to become so mechanical or scheduled that we program G.o.d right out of the picture. We have to be careful not to fill the time so much that we don't leave room for a fresh wind to blow or for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our experience with Him.

The Holy Spirit's role is to communicate with G.o.d's people. Wors.h.i.+p is one of the contexts in which He does this, as we see in Acts. Think of heaven as having a frequency, and think of wors.h.i.+p as your antenna. Wors.h.i.+p allows you to tune into heaven's frequency.

Most people don't have antennas these days because we live in a world of cable television, satellite dishes, and Internet feeds, but if you ever had an antenna, you probably had to move it and adjust it until you connected with the signal. When you connected with the signal, you saw a clear picture.

In wors.h.i.+p, you adjust your spiritual antenna so you can receive the Holy Spirit's signal clearly. In this context, seeking G.o.d through His Word and in wors.h.i.+p, Paul and Barnabas received specific instructions regarding their purpose.

Friend, don't be surprised if you discover your calling while you are seeking G.o.d through His Word at church, reading the Scripture, or listening to recorded sermons. Nearly every week I preach an hour-long sermon to thousands of people, most of whom I do not know on a deeply personal level. Yet without fail, people approach me after a service and tell me that the sermon had their name written all over it. They tell me that G.o.d spoke to them directly about something specific in their lives.

The beautiful thing about the Word of G.o.d is that one message can be applied thousands of ways to thousands of people because of the unique work of the Holy Spirit.

Have you heard a sermon that seemed to have your name in the t.i.tle? "A Sermon Just for _______!" Perhaps you felt as if no one else were around and the teacher or preacher spoke directly to you. The Holy Spirit applied the generic truth directly to your specific situation.

G.o.d can speak to you in various ways. He can speak to you directly during your own personal time in His Word, but He may also speak to you through a preacher or teacher who proclaims G.o.d's truth. Either way, G.o.d will make His purpose for your life clear to your heart and mind when you seek Him with a heart of wors.h.i.+p through His Word.

The Content In the next verse in Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas experienced something that often happens to people today when they listen to a sermon or hear a message on G.o.d's Word. Paul and Barnabas received the content of their calling, and their names were written all over it. "The Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them'" (verse 2). In other words, the Holy Spirit spoke.

The Bible does not explain how to apply everything it teaches to every unique setting. For example, it does not tell you where to work, whom to marry, or what your unique purpose might be.

We discover principles and precepts in the Bible. But we don't find all of the principles and precepts applied to specific circ.u.mstances. The Bible does not specifically address every person's unique situation. In order to make that application, we need more than the Bible-we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

But of course, we don't want to go so far as to say that all a person needs is the Holy Spirit and that the Bible is unimportant. The subjective experience of hearing from the Spirit cannot be compared with the objective experience of reading the truths in the Bible. The Holy Spirit will never say anything that contradicts the truths He wrote in the Bible. Scripture tells us that the words of G.o.d were recorded by the leading of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). So anything the Spirit of G.o.d says to you will agree with what He wrote to you. He can't contradict Himself.

We are not to live in either extreme. We are to merge the two. The Holy Spirit guides, directs, enlightens, informs, leads, counsels, comforts, and more in the context of the truth of G.o.d's Word. Our human comprehension of spiritual truths is limited, but the Spirit guides us into all the truth (John 16:13).

One day, I was witnessing to a man and had given him an ironclad case for salvation. I laid out the whole thing, put Scriptures in all the right places, and a.s.sumed he was tracking with what I was saying. Just to make sure, I asked him to explain to me how someone becomes a Christian. That way I could see if he heard and understood the plan of salvation.

Yet each time I asked this man to explain how to become a Christian, he reverted back to what he believed and gave me all the wrong answers-going to church, doing good, and so on. Every time he gave me a wrong explanation, I started over again and worked through the whole concept step by step. After several unsuccessful attempts, I thought of Elisha asking G.o.d to open his servant's eyes so that he could see, and I did the same thing with this man. The problem definitely wasn't what the Bible said nor what I was saying. The problem was that there was too much fog cluttering his mind. He couldn't grasp it.

After I prayed, I started going through it again. But this time-halfway through-I saw a tremendous change in him. The light in his eyes brightened, and he got it. The Holy Spirit had illumined his mind so he could understand the spiritual truths he was hearing. When I asked him once again to tell me how a person becomes saved, he explained that Jesus had died and already paid the penalty for sin, that He had risen from the grave, and that a person simply needed to trust in Him and accept His payment personally. G.o.d had turned on the lightbulb.

He does the same thing with your destiny. You will know your destiny when you are living a lifestyle of wors.h.i.+p, the lightbulb comes on, and you say, "I've got it! That's what I've been created to do!" The Holy Spirit will illumine your mind and reveal the deep truth of your purpose. It may be so deep, in fact, that it is difficult to articulate at first. You may know what it is but have trouble explaining it to others or even knowing exactly when and where you will have the opportunity to experience it. But you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is what you are supposed to do with the life you have been given. The Holy Spirit will have a job for you with your name on it...

...just as He did with Barnabas and Saul. Did you notice how specifically the Spirit spoke? He named Barnabas and Saul, and said He had a work for them to do. Your work, your purpose and destiny, has your name on it as well. And it is only for you to do. You have a unique calling. When you don't know what that is and you operate outside of your calling, you are attempting to do something you were never made to do.

In order to hear G.o.d call your name, you need to listen for the still, small voice that comes in the midst of wors.h.i.+pping G.o.d and seeking Him through His Word. He speaks deeply to your spirit in a way unlike any other. And His words will never contradict the revelation of Scripture. Rather, the Bible will confirm the Spirit's message to you.

The closer you are to G.o.d, the less you have to manufacture in your life. The further you are from G.o.d, the more you have to manufacture. Why? Because the closer you are, the better you can hear Him and walk in His purpose for you. Your purpose may be unclear right now because you have not positioned yourself in a spirit of wors.h.i.+p before G.o.d. When you develop a lifestyle of wors.h.i.+p, you will hear Him. You will learn to recognize His voice calling your name.

Let G.o.d Drive When my children were small, we went over to the church parking lot on a Sat.u.r.day night when it was empty, and I let them "drive" the car. They each took a turn sitting on my lap and steering the wheel. But they didn't know that while they were driving, I was actually the one running the show. My foot was either on the brake or the accelerator, and regardless of where they had their hands on the wheel, I held the bottom of it with two fingers to control how far they could turn it. They weren't going to go too fast. Nor were they going to go anywhere they shouldn't.

In other words, they positioned themselves to go somewhere, but I controlled where they went. As a result, they had a much better experience than if they had driven on their own.

Friend, when you wors.h.i.+p, you climb into G.o.d's lap and position yourself to go somewhere He wants to take you. You position yourself to have a brilliant ride in this life because you place yourself near Him, in His presence. You will never discover your destiny as long as you are functioning independently of G.o.d.

When you get close to Him, you will hear Him call you by name. That's what happened to Samuel. Samuel was in the house of the Lord, the temple, when he heard G.o.d call, "Samuel!" (1 Samuel 3:1-10).

G.o.d has a calling, a destiny, with your name on it. I don't know what it is. I can't tell you what it is. Don't write to me and ask me what it is because I'll just direct you back to G.o.d. But I do know that your destiny will always facilitate your pa.s.sion, vision, gifts, experience, and opportunities. It will light a fire in you when you hear it, see it, or do it-such a fire that you would do it even if you weren't paid to do it simply because you were made to do it.

You will know your destiny when you hear the Spirit describe it and put your name on it. And when you do, embrace it with all you have within you. Enter into it as an act of wors.h.i.+p toward G.o.d-to bring Him the glory that is due Him. After all, as we will see in the next chapter, to bring G.o.d glory is the result of living out your destiny.

14.

Glory Electromagnetic radiation is all around you. The air is thick with it. This radiation allows you to speak to someone on your cell phone, listen to the radio, receive a television signal through your satellite dish, or operate your computer wirelessly.

No one can see this electromagnetic radiation in our atmosphere. What you see or hear, rather, is its effect. You see what it produces.

Scripture tells us that no man has seen G.o.d at any time. G.o.d is invisible to our human eyes. He is a Spirit-an essence that our eyes are not able to visualize. Yet the atmosphere weighs heavy with His presence because G.o.d is everywhere.

When G.o.d's invisible reality comes across in living color to His creation, the result is simply called His glory. G.o.d's glory reflects G.o.d Himself. It is the visible manifestation of the invisible attributes of G.o.d.

The Old Testament idea of glory comes from a number of Hebrew terms. It is best understood through three of them. The first is the Hebrew word kbd, which is derived from the original root kbad, meaning "heavy," "weighty," and "honor." The second component of G.o.d's glory comes from the Hebrew word hdr. When combined with its root, hdr means "to swell," "swelling," "splendor," and "ornament." The third major aspect comes from the Hebrew word hlal, which means "s.h.i.+ne," "praise," and "praiseworthy."

When we combine these thoughts, we see that glory is the weighty, s.h.i.+ning splendor of G.o.d. He is the weightiest, heaviest, deepest Being in the universe. To glorify Him or to speak of His glory is to enter into and engage that which is invisible through that which can now be seen and experienced. We see G.o.d's glory when He shows up and reveals Himself in a way that evokes a response of praise.

Unlike everyone else, G.o.d is intrinsically glorious. Everyone else has ascribed glory. We honor police officers, military personnel, and government officials because of their positions and duties. Take off the uniform and badge, remove the t.i.tle and duties, and those people would not receive the glory they had received before. When a judge puts on a robe and takes his place, we ascribe glory to him. Take off the robe, and he's just another man walking down the street.

G.o.d isn't like that. He is intrinsically glorious regardless of whether we ascribe glory to Him. G.o.d is glorious because He's glorious. Similarly, water is wet because it's wet. You can't discuss water without discussing wetness because wetness is part of the intrinsic nature of water. Similarly, you can't discuss the sun without discussing blazing heat because blazing heat is part of the intrinsic nature of the sun. Whether you are happy about water being wet or the sun being blazing hot is irrelevant. Those attributes are intrinsic to water and the sun.

Likewise, G.o.d is glorious intrinsically. When you recognize His glory, He is glorious. When you don't recognize His glory, He is still glorious. When you like His glory, He is glorious. When you don't care one way or the other about His glory, He is still glorious. G.o.d is glorious simply because that's the way He is.

Here's one of the greatest things about fulfilling your destiny: You get to intentionally tap into the glory of G.o.d. As we saw in an earlier chapter, the chief end of man is to glorify G.o.d and to enjoy Him forever.

To state it plainly, whatever you think about G.o.d, He is much more than that and then some. G.o.d's glory is greater than all of His creation. Keep in mind that the earth is only a small portion of creation. G.o.d created a universe that mankind cannot even comprehend. And G.o.d is even more than that.

Almost everything G.o.d created automatically recognizes His glory.

* "Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).

* "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).

* "... everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made" (Isaiah 43:7).

Unfortunately, two things don't recognize G.o.d's glory: Satan and his angels, and fallen humanity. Many people do not know their purpose because they have missed the fundamental premise that life is not about them. It's about Him. G.o.d says, "I have created you for My glory." He created you to be the television or radio station that broadcasts His invisible attributes. He created you to reflect Him.

The problem is that most of us are anthropocentric rather than theocentric. That is, we are man-centered rather than G.o.d-centered. Many people are existentialists, for whom the central focus of life is human experience and free will. An existentialist asks, what is my destiny by me for me? Most of these people do not openly claim to be existentialists, and they may not even know that their lives reflect this belief system, but it is the most common worldview in the Western world today.

G.o.d wants you to ask a different question. Don't ask, what is your destiny by you for you? Ask instead, what is your destiny by G.o.d for G.o.d? You were created to reflect Him and His glory to a world in desperate need of seeing, experiencing, and feeling Him and His glory.

I have been a pastor for more than 36 years, and I have witnessed a trend in the church that saddens me-individuals coming to church to be blessed. They come to church wanting to know what the church is going to do for them. They want to know what is in it for them. Nothing is wrong with being blessed, but the problem comes when individuals focus on their own blessing. They neglect the higher purpose of allowing that blessing to touch others and reflect G.o.d's glory.

Focusing on our own blessing leads to frustration, depression, and emptiness because G.o.d created each of us for Himself. When we bless others, we reflect G.o.d's glory. Both the giver and the receiver are blessed. Yet when our lives are all about ourselves and not about Him, we miss the experience of G.o.d's glory that comes through blessing others.

G.o.d created you for His glory. He brings you pleasure when you reflect His pleasure. Why should G.o.d give you His purpose for your life if you're not sure whose glory you are seeking to reflect?

The Greatest Glory We can always focus on G.o.d because no one is greater than Him. On your best day, someone is still greater than you. You may be pretty, but someone is still prettier. You may be smart, but someone is smarter. You may be wealthy, but someone is wealthier. Yet when G.o.d looks for someone greater than Himself, He finds no one at all. No one is greater than G.o.d. Thus nothing and no one deserves more glory than Him.

You can tell whether people have a heart for G.o.d by whose glory they are seeking-His or their own. This is the starting point for Christian growth: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen" (2 Peter 3:18). The desire and drive to reflect G.o.d's glory is an indicator of spiritual growth. If you are seeking more glory for yourself and G.o.d is getting less glory in your life, you are moving in the wrong spiritual direction. As you grow in living out your purpose, your pa.s.sion for His name, His glory, and His recognition will increase.

The reverse of that is true as well. Sin can increase in people's lives even if they never go out and rob a bank. Sin is frequently increasing when people try to take the glory that belongs only to G.o.d. In Isaiah we read, "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another" (Isaiah 42:8). When you try to take G.o.d's glory for yourself, you are a cosmic thief. Whatever G.o.d has blessed you with-intellect, looks, wealth, or your gregarious personality-G.o.d is to receive the glory because G.o.d is the One who has given it to you. Sin dominates our thoughts and our lives when we keep for ourselves the glory and visible recognition G.o.d demands and deserves.

The All-Encompa.s.sing Glory of G.o.d Many of our problems today stem from the fact that we are not consumed with G.o.d's glory. We will dip into it for a little bit on a Sunday morning and possibly a Wednesday night. Or we might try to access it by watching a television preacher or partic.i.p.ating in a Bible study. But notice how the book of Revelation describes the all-encompa.s.sing nature of G.o.d's glory, which we will one day experience in its fullness in heaven: "The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to s.h.i.+ne on it, for the glory of G.o.d has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb" (Revelation 21:23). If G.o.d's unleashed and visible glory s.h.i.+nes brighter than the sun in heaven, there certainly must be plenty of it to reach earth right now.

Rather than giving G.o.d's glory a nod or a song or a two-hour block of time on a Sunday, bask in G.o.d's all-consuming presence now. The closer you get to G.o.d, the closer you get to experiencing the power and purpose of His glory.