The Brightness of His Glory (a.k.a God's Excellence)

This blog is a somewhat lengthy quote from a book I'm reading, Living & Praying In Jesus Name by Dick Eastman and Jack Hayford. I wish I could reprint the whole chapter here, but I won't. In Hebrews 1:3 Jesus is called "the radiance of His glory."

"Glory refers to that which exceeds or excels. The glory of a craftsman is in his ability to use the ordinary to create the extraordinary. The glory of an athlete is his ability to use his skill to seize the moment and turn it into the magnificent...

Residing in every human heart are dreams of glory, although the realities of life and the limitations of our flesh tend to quench our desire to attain these dreams.... All of us are tempted to settle for less than the finest (merely 'good' has become the enemy of 'best'). And our own sense of limitation often argues for that settlement. But Christ has called us to glory. He appeals to us to allow His excellence to shine through us until everything that is unworthy of His presence is crowded out."

In every human heart of dreams of glory. God put them there. He intends for us to fulfill them, but not in our own strength. It is Christ in us that is the hope of glory. This time of year most are looking forward to a fresh start. I know I am! All the past year's resolutions can be erased and replaced with new ones. But if we approach the quest for excellence from our humanity, we are destined for disappointment.

"The human approach to a daily quest for excellence is often wearying. It is plagued with perfectionism, criticism, and competition. The divine way, however, is restful, filled with grace, goodness, and mercy."

The divine way boils down to three steps, found in Isaiah 6:1-8.
1st: I saw the Lord...high and lifted up. Exalt the Lord. Lift Him up. This requires a proper view of God. Elevate your view of God by taking time to study His nature as revealed in His word.
2nd: Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips. Cast aside every pretension. "The real possibility of glory will open only to those who renounce the notion that their flesh can ever attain it." Confess you sin in prayer. Allow God's fire to cleanse you.
3rd: Here am I! Send me. Listen for the commission of God. Spend quiet time saturating in His presence - in Christ - until you hear His still small voice with the orders for the day. Then in Jesus name you can speak "excellence" into all that you do.

Looking forward to excellence!
Della P