Classic Christian Quotes From Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes From Classic Ministers

How is Jesus the “Glory of God”? by R.C. Sproul

The book of James has an unusual sentence construction that links the word glory with the name of Jesus: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality” (James 2:1). In this verse the words Lord of glory have alternate renditions. Some translations read, “Our glorious Lord.” Still another possible translation reads, “Jesus Christ, who is the glory.” B. B. Warfield, in his book The Lord of Glory, says, that Jesus was the glory of God, the shekinah. According to the Old Testament, the shekinah was the visible manifestation of the invisible God. The shekinah was a radiant cloud or brilliant light within a cloud that signaled the immediate presence of God. For Jesus to be identified with the shekinah was to be equated with the presence of God Himself. In Jesus we see the full manifestation of the majesty of God. That the New Testament writers ascribed glory to Jesus was a clear indication of their confession of His full deity. Glory, in the sense it is used with reference to Jesus, is a divine attribute. It is the glory of God that He refuses to share with any man. The angels sang “Glory to God” at Christ’s birth. The heavenly elders give glory to God around His throne. Why don’t you follow their example and give God glory today in every circumstance of your life? _________________________ Praying for Change James 5:16 Hanging above the door in our house, my mother's favorite plaque constantly reminded us, "Prayer changes things." From an early age, I witnessed this powerful truth through her example. She'd tell me about some difficulties she was facing and then have me pray about them with her. And later, she'd always be sure to give God the glory when sharing the awesome news that He had answered those prayers. Indeed, this is our confidence: Anything we pray for that aligns with the Father's plan will be granted. And the more time we spend with Him, the more we'll come to understand His will and how to pray for it. Remember, prayer doesn't change God's mind, but it does transform the believer's heart. Some requests are granted immediately, simply because we asked with the realization that our Father loves to give us good gifts. Other requests may require time or certain divine preparations before they can be given. We, meanwhile, must simply be diligent to persevere in prayer. Whatever the Lord's response or timing, we trust that He has only the very best in store for His children. That means we might not receive exactly what we're asking for, but something even better. Such is God's great pleasure, for He alone perfectly knows each heart's desire and wishes to fulfill it. Our most powerful tool for shaping the world and lives around us is always available. Prayer lets us witness God's hand in any situation. And as we give attention, time, and perseverance to conversation with Him, we find no limit to what He can achieve in people's hearts and circumstances. ~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~ ___________________________ Are You Listening? Yesterday we began a series of devotionals focusing on how you can regain your spiritual edge.  As we think about how to do that, it is important to consider those things that would indicate we have become spiritually dull. I believe the number one characteristic you find in someone who has lost their cutting edge spiritually is that the voice of the Holy Spirit is no longer recognized.  Those impressions that the Spirit makes upon your heart, through which He guides you, are no longer clear. In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus talks about this in a pretty plain way, "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'" This concern is echoed in Hebrews 5:11, where the writer, in talking about the priesthood of Christ, says, Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Have you lost the edge?  Have you lost that sensitivity to the voice of God?  Hearing with the physical ears, but not understanding in the heart; seeing with the physical eyes, but not perceiving what God is doing? Jesus said that happens when the heart becomes dull.  When someone loses that edge spiritually, it results is an insensitivity to the voice of God. If this describes you today, ask God to open your eyes to see and your ears to hear.  Begin now to regain your spiritual edge. ~Bayless Conley~