The Quest for Glory

The quest for glory is highly motivating. How often we will try harder or run farther when glory seems within reach. We are even willing to sacrifice personal comfort for a chance at glory. Repeating “No pain, no gain!”, we will fight to push further. We want our lives to count. We want to be celebrated for pursuing something worthwhile.

There is a reason we experience this deep thirst for glory. In God’s Word we discover that we were created for glory. He formed our bodies and breathed life into us so that we might know the greatness of His holiness and stand in awe of it. Our hearts and minds were meant to be so impressed with God’s goodness, that we would readily worship and obey Him. In this way, we would reflect the amazing glory of God.

Yet, look around you. The world doesn’t shine with the glory of holiness, does it? Perhaps you have noticed how evil has deformed our world. There is suffering, bitterness, deceit and death. If we were created to know the glory of God, what went wrong?

The answer provided by God’s Word points to our own hearts. We were created to rely on God and give Him glory. But we insist on seeking our own glory instead. We have substituted God’s will for our own desires, and set out to make a name for ourselves. This is what the Bible calls ‘sin’ and it is the disobedience of God’s purpose for us. Sin tempts us to find satisfaction in our own frailty instead of God’s greatness. Mistakenly, we try to find enduring glory in our identity, our work or our dreams. But again and again we find ourselves both empty and un-satisfied. We also find ourselves condemned for our sin does not go unnoticed by God. He is a righteous Judge. We stand guilty of forsaking His truth while attempting to establish our own. The penalty of this sin is described quite clearly: death and eternal distance from God.

But the message of the gospel is gloriously good news! “God so loved the world”, the Bible says, “that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus Christ, the perfect son of God, took the form of man but without the sin of man. He lived among men yet without participating in their disobedience. He did not waver from pursuing God’s will and glorifying God’s name. He perfectly reflected God’s glory.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8, KJV). His obedience led Him to die on a cross. Why is this?

Here is the answer: Jesus Christ took our condemnation upon Himself. He died our death so that we may live. He suffered the penalty we should have suffered. He took on our sins so that we might know forgiveness. He gave His life so that we might be accepted before God. He died for us so that we might confess our sins and find redemption in Him. This is marvelous, glorious news! Three days after His death, Jesus Christ rose again. He rose victorious over condemnation, death and sin!

The Bible phrases the good news like this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). In Jesus, we are gifted with forgiveness, hope, peace and satisfaction. In Jesus, we are readily accepted before God’s presence and discover anew the beauty of His love and holiness. This is salvation. This is truly glorious. This is the gospel.

Dear friend, have you confessed your sins and believed in Jesus Christ? Are you willing to trust in His death and resurrection as being the means by which we are saved? You may be saved today. He will forgive you.

Our prayer is that you would believe in Him and discover that His glory truly satisfies.