Crown of Glory

QUESTION: Crown of Glory - Your Relationship

ANSWER:

Crown of Glory – Insights from God's Word
And all of us have had the veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Crown of Glory – Deepen Your Relationship
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I sit here this morning realizing more than ever, that Your ways are not my ways. I am overwhelmed with the truth that this servant of God has far too often attempted to change herself, by herself, I have failed miserably to change because I have forgotten that it is YOU who will do the changing in me. No mere striving on my part will ever bring about a lasting change in my character. More and more I am realizing that You are at the helm of my boat, and lasting change -- freedom from my character defects -- comes first by recognizing just who it is that has molded my nature.

I am tuned into Your wave length this morning, and I am recognizing that Your ability to change me is like a force of nature over which I have no control. I simply have to get in the path of Your hurricane and allow You to do in me what I could never do in myself. You are the Potter and I am the clay, and I see clearly this morning how many times this piece of clay has counted on her own abilities, instead of relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to change her from deep within. It is truly as the Scripture says, "by reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are changed."

I am calling on You today to please help me and all who pray this prayer, to understand Your glory more clearly. I know it is really Your glory and the revelation of that glory at work in me that holds everything together -- tightly woven as a brilliant tapestry of diversity. It is into Your character -- the most beautiful, divine expression of God’s magnificence -- that we are being transformed in a daily process of refinement. You are changing all of Your children into models of long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth. Thank You, Jesus, that You love us so much that You revealed Your character, Your nature, to Your kids and through the Holy Spirit made it possible for us to become Christ-like. Your beauty and Your radiance were fully expressed when You walked among us and became a witness to the generations that followed of a surrendered life, dedicated to reflecting the glory of the Father.

You left us with the reality of Your glory -- beautiful, morally upright, reflecting a depth of spiritual reality from within -- completely real and completely communicable to the world in which we live. I thank You that You are in the business of purifying my character -- day by day -- with the goal of being made like You. Thank You that every day I witness You work in all of us to transform us from the unspiritual, worldly dependant clay we all are, into a reflected beauty expressing itself through us, and changing us from shallow, selfish beings into a gentle, yet powerful expression of Your nature.

Slowly but surely You are changing us into different people as we dedicate our lives to doing good, to helping others. Slowly but surely the seal of Your imprint on our lives begins to make sense, and just as You did with the early Apostles, You are making all of us into a warrior army in awe of our King and His ways and His character -- fully functioning and able to defeat Satan and his plans for evil.

Thank You that as we draw closer to You, as we begin to understand You more and more -- our basic sin nature is transformed into a loving, caring, expression of our King. Your willingness to be my guide, to be my protector, my friend, is truly a spiritual thing that no force can stand against. Every day by Your design, by Your divine plan, You have left us with a way to communicate with our Savior. You left us with a spiritual ability that goes from mere imitation, and changes us into a living, breathing reflection where Your nature becomes our nature. Day by day I am falling more and more under Your influence, and day by day my response to those who harm me is changing. Day by day I am becoming less selfish as I pray more consistently for the needs of others and reach out to help those who are suffering. My own blinds are coming off, and my bondages are being broken.

It is not about me. It is about my reaching out to the poor in spirit, to the helpless and hopeless. It has nothing to do with my own abilities or strengths, but it has everything to do with becoming a Christ like expression of God’s love -- being conscious every day of His glory being reflected in the lives of others around me, and humbly giving God all the glory. For without Him I would be just a shell of a woman, pleasant to look at, but empty and devoid of character on the inside. Thank You, Jesus!

Crown of Glory – Making it Personal
Reflect: More than the influence of your upbringing on the world in which you live, you are created to have the nature and character of Christ. When we became born again, we received the Holy Spirit as a permanent resident within, capable of molding and shaping our character into a Christ like person. Your agendas, your plans, your hopes and dreams -- all that is holy and pure comes from Jesus, and your relationship with Him is the crown of glory which He provides to help you partner with Him in combating the sin in your own life and the fallen nature of your world in which we daily work. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize your own potential, and do not let Satan win by holding you prisoner to his ways. Ask the Holy Spirit to set you free and turn your reflection into a glorious reflection of Jesus Christ for the entire world to see.