Glory

Psalm 8:1 says:
Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens. 

We saw this glory expressed as we were out on the boat one evening.  The picture of it is here on the left.  The cloud formations,  the fire-like glow of the sun, the reflections on the water, all point to the glory of the Lord.  It was awe-inspiring to us all.  Like other things last week, it got me to thinking.  

Glory is something that belongs to God alone.  He is worthy of it.  He chooses to share it with us through His creation.  He allows it to be reflected in us, similar to how the moon reflects the light of the sun.  But the source and object of all glory is God alone.

Many people spend life seeking glory for themselves.  Accomplishments, career goals, financial achievements, social standing, or as we watched the past two weeks, earning gold in sports.  As I read Ecclesiastes this past week, all these things are a "chasing after the wind."  They do not satisfy for long.  While working so hard at seeking our own glory we can miss out in enjoying His glory.

Last week invigorated me to bring Him even more glory.  He is deserving of it.  I am not.  

As Ephesians 5:20-21 states:

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.   

   We traveled for vacation yesterday.  I have a new app for my iPhone and thought I would give it a try.  Along the way we wanted to stop to see our daughter.    I turned the app on and was ready to head directly south.  It told me to head west.   It took us a way that no other map program suggested but indicated that if we went this way we would get to our destination in amazing time.  So with that anticipation, I followed its directions. 
   As we traveled, and time passed slowly, I began to doubt this app.  This doesn't seem to make sense.  It felt as if we weren't getting there as quickly as it said.  If we took our "normal" route it would have brought us to the same point we just passed.  We were getting a little stir crazy and ready for the trip to be over.  And to our great joy we finally arrived.
   This morning I have been using other programs to evaluate what happened yesterday.  To be fair, the program indicated that the time was the "travel time."  It did not include our stops to eat, get gas, and stretch.  If I took those times off, it was right.  I used map quest to check mileage.  My new program was right.  The fastest and shortest route to our destination was the way it led us.  And as we traveled my new program warned me about upcoming traffic slow downs and problems.  So despite my feelings, the program was right all along.
   I see people take their first journeys of faith the same way.  They have a new "app" to use called the Bible.  They have been used to traveling a particular path to try to reach a destination and suddenly this new app says to go a different direction.  It feels weird.  And it seems that it is taking longer to get there but they forget that along the way there are needs to address.  And when they reach their destination they find the Bible was right all along. 
   Next time I take a trip, I will have a little more confidence in my new program.  It didn't fail me.  My initial perceptions of what it was telling me were wrong.  What it was saying was right, I just didn't understand it well because I was hearing it based on my former frame of reference and personal experience. 
   I pray that if you are on your initial journey of faith that you can also learn to trust the Bible and what the Holy Spirit is directing you to do, even if your experience and former frame of reference tell you that this can't be right.  You will find it is and it will give you confidence as you take the next leg of your trip.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6