I Will Appreciate The Glory I Will See, So I Will See The Things That I Will Go Through Here On Earth As Trivial

STUDY: #605 CHURCH IN THE HOUSES WEEK: AUGUST 18 – 24, 2009

Topic: “I Will Appreciate The Glory I Will See, So I Will See The Things That I Will Go Through Here On Earth As Trivial” 2 Corinthians 12:1 and Romans 8:18 There is a dwelling in the Third Heaven, and it is the dwelling of the Almighty God. This is where His glory emanates for all His creatures, especially for His very beloved children that have believed in Jesus Christ. From that place we can perceive what the Lord feels; there in His celestial throne is the most pure and holy. It is impossible that any glory comparable to the one God has can come out from a human being. Everything we can enjoy here on earth comes totally from the glory of God. We have nothing to boast about when we are in the true Gospel. When we say that something that has happened to us or something we have seen was really great, perhaps we will say that “the glory belongs to God”, but the truth is that we are attributing a bit of greatness to ourselves. This is something that does not correspond to us at all or any other human being, because the glory belongs only and entirely to God. Therefore, when we see something great that comes from God or something wonderful happens to us, we do not have to point out “may the glory be to God”, since it is already known that the glory belongs exclusively to Him and always will. God is the One who provides. There is no glory in the human being. Paul brings to us in these biblical passages part of the history of the church of Jesus Christ. The last thing that Paul wished was to glorify himself of anything that he had seen or experimented in the work of God. Any time we glorify ourselves for something we have lived in the Gospel, this will turn into a great problem for us. Because it is not convenient for us to take the glory that does not belong to us. God’s glory belongs to God, and it is for God. God’s grace is the one that comes entirely for us. We are saved by His grace. We receive gifts and promises through His grace. Therefore, we are blessed and that is more than enough. Why should we want glory and for people to admire us? Is it not enough for us everything that we have received and will receive by grace? What do we have that is so great? Everything that is good for our lives comes from God. It is not good for us to boast or attribute greatness to ourselves, because as we read in the Bible, even the apostle Paul lived very humiliating circumstances in his ministry. Paul knew that he was human like everyone else and that he was only an instrument through which God did great things. He would obtain his reward as a faithful servant, but the glory only belonged to God. 2 Corinthians 11: 16, 21-22 Paul became the most humiliated and despised of all God’s servants. Sometimes, when we are going through problems and necessities, we say that God has left us, and we evaluate ourselves as if God had abandoned us. But, before the Lord, Paul was silent. He did it in obedience because he had nothing to boast about. If we want to see God’s glory we have to know that we have a lot to suffer. We can see in this that there was a great spirit of humility in Paul. That apostle and man of God heard the language of paradise, what God spoke in Heaven. We should learn from this since many times we talk about our tragedies when we should talk about the wonders of the Lord. In reality we speak according to how our relationship is with God. If it is a close relationship, we will talk about what God does. Paul was forbidden to speak about what God had revealed to him in that experience where he went to Heaven, and in obedience he returned to the land of the living, in silence, after all the magnificent and supernatural things that he saw and heard. Those words could not be explained since they were so holy. Blessed be the apostle Paul, who was chosen to live that experience, and with reverence and obedience kept silent before men just as he was ordered. When God reveals Himself to us it is too overwhelming, but the effect that it will have in us will become evident in the life and the service we give. God works in the depths of the heart of the human being and not in the outward appearance. He speaks to us so that our service and life may change. By bragging about his weaknesses Paul demonstrated that he did not care at all about exalting himself or attributing abilities or great talents to himself. Paul did not want anyone to have a superior idea of what they could see or hear from him. Nowadays, many people live in a appearance before others, but then they see how flabby they really are. Paul spoke of a glory he had seen. The glory that will be manifested in us will be greater than the bad circumstances that we could be living. Paul suffered lashes, rivers, prisons, solitude, shipwrecks, and he never stopped being faithful to God because he knew that the glory he would live would be greater than the affliction that he could be going through in that present time. We should struggle to obtain that glory that will be manifested in us and that has been promised to us by the Lord. The greatest humiliation that we may suffer here on earth will be nothing compared to when God take us and recognizes us in public as His own before the multitude in Heaven. Let’s worry today about knowing not only what is in this earth, but also what is in Heaven. We will not lose but rather we will gain. 2 Corinthians 4:17 This slight and momentary preoccupation or affliction produces in us a far more excellent weight of glory. Let’s appreciate the glory that we will see, and this way we will see the things that we go through here on earth as trivial, as lightweight. Let’s not give importance to the things that do not have it. Sometimes we give importance to what takes our faith away and afflicts us. Let’s forget our sufferings. Everything the Father has is ours, and it is a privilege that goes beyond our capacity. We are co-heirs with Christ. Jesus will take the scepter in His universal government and we will be with Him. If we suffer together with Him, then together with Him we will be glorified. Amen.