Monday, October 01, 2007

The Glory of God


I awoke this morning to an angry looking sky much like the one in this picture.Rainy season has started here in Oregon.Thankfully such a dreary sky did not dampen my enthusiasm for my devotional time spent with the Lord.And even more wonderful than that is the fact that it did not impair God's ability to bless me through the following devotional writing.Smile.I hope you are equally blessed:

When God's power is manifested in the world,in His creation or in His people,God is glorified.When we pray that our lives may glorify Him,we are asking that the self may be put down,for it is not possible to show the power of God and at the same time to glorify what George MacDonald called"the bastard self."

We must be prepared to lose ourselves,whatever that may entail,that God may be all in all.Losing an argument for His sake,losing something we held dear,losing face,reputation,a position of power or superiority,losing a claim on someone or on his affection or respect-can these be a part of the answer to our prayer to glorify God in our lives?

Assuredly they can,for assuredly the Son Himself laid aside all such assets when He came to do the will of the Father.

"I have glorified thee on the earth"(John 17:4,KJV),He said-and that glory was manifested through weakness,loss and suffering.What a priveleged position we are called to share.

Lord,lift up our eyes,away from ourselves and our small losses,up to the glory yet tobe revealed.Teach us that it is only out of weakness that we are made strong,only as we suffer that we may reign,only as we lose that we may gain.

~Taken from"A Lamp Unto My Feet"by Elisabeth Elliot~
Photo courtesy of www.freestockphotos.com



15 comments:

Vicki said...

Very inspiring, Sharon. Thanks for posting this! Thought of you today and said a prayer. Sending hugs!

Maxine said...

Hello there, Sharon,
Wonderful words from an old friend of many of us, Elisabeth Eliot. She has been a blessing to many of us through the years. Thanks for posting these inspiring words.
Our pastor's sermon Sunday morning was on Mark 10:28-31. He said we should all ask ourselves if we can say what Peter said to Jesus: "I have left all and followed you."
This devotional brings that to my
mind.

Nice meeting you through emails! Hope we can be gloggy friends.

sparrow's song said...

"We must be prepared to lose ourselves..."

Yes. Or die to self. Such an unpopular theme. And yet for the believer it is essential that we decrease so that He may increase and in the end be glorified.

Excellent.

Mama Bev said...

thanks for your encouraging words; I'm glad you like my blog :)

just found yours, and will be checking it from time to time.

Beverly

Sharon Goemaere said...

Dear friends~
I want to thank each one of you for stopping by and leaving such kind comments.Life has gotten hellatious lately with our daughter's divorce.:-(Her husband has decided he no longer wanted to be married.It has impacted us as well on many levels.So,if I don't respond right away it is because I am not at the computer.Thank you for understanding.You are each a gift from God in my life.Thank you for your prayers.Heaven knows we surely need them.Much love to each of you...
Blessings~Sharon

sparrow's song said...

Pausing to pray concerning the situation you've mentioned.

I'm missing you, Sharon. God bless.

Maxine said...

Sorry to hear about this Sharon. These things are so difficult for a family and I'll pray.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sharon, what a beautiful and inspiring devotional. Thank you for sharing and that is a great picture! Thinking of you always. Love and Blessings..

chrisd said...

Sharon, I'm so sorry to hear about the difficulties in your family.

Sharon Goemaere said...

Maxine...thanks for your prayers.They are much appreciated.And thanks for stopping by.:-)
Sharon

Sharon Goemaere said...

Nancze...Bless you and thank you for stopping by.That picture is a very accurate representation of what our skies look like in Oregon in the fall and winter...Oddly enough I love a good storm.

Sharon Goemaere said...

Chris...thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments.Bless you...
Sharon

Anonymous said...

Hi Sharon, good to see you stopping by saturday. We had a nice little get away for the day. I will pray for you on your weight. It's truly a very huge struggle to deal with. Lots of ~hugs~

Suzanne said...

Hi Sharon,
We have the comfort of knowing God is with us through ALL things. I see you have the devotional "God Calling" in your list of books. The Lord spoke to me through that book over and over again when I was dealing with cancer. It's a wonderful devotional. God Bless.

Sharon Goemaere said...

Amen Suzanne!It's been a hugely comforting book to me too.:-)Blessings on your week.
Sharon