GOD DESIRES US TO INCREASE IN DIVINE GLORY

SATURDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2021

In the book of Haggai, the Lord desired to rebuild His temple which lied in ruins. The process of rebuilding the temple began with a newly returned group of Jews back in the land and the Babylonians who were in exile. God's pleasure and delight in rebuilding the temple stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with the entire people to work on the house of God, according to the words of Haggai the Prophet.

Reference: Haggai 2:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV) 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts...'

When the Word of God came to prophet Haggai, he was assured of God's Spirit and presence with them as they continued the work of rebuilding the temple. Although sixteen years after the project of reconstructing the temple began, it was delayed because the people interfered with the process, through their personal problems and affairs. For this reason Hagai preached messages and declared prophesies, displaying passionate intensity to stir up the nation to finish the temple. And guess what, God's sole purpose was to fill the temple with His glory (see Haggai 2:7 NKJV).

In his messages, one important truth Haggai communicated to the people was that God owned the silver and the gold and every supply needed for the completion of His temple. So it inspired and spurred the builders on to renew their courage in the Lord, place their trust in Him and walk perfectly before Him as they continued the work.

Without doubt, this story serves as an allegory of our spiritual and all-round advancement in Christ Jesus. God desires to see us prosper, advance and excel in every area of life. And He has supplied everything we require in life to accomplish this aim in His Word. The Bible says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him." (2 Peter 1:3 NIV).

Since God has given us everything we require to live a successful and prosperous Christian life, He wants to see us prosper and advance in every way. Our wealth comes from the Lord, so is the power to succeed and advance. No matter how much wealth or fortune you have gained, there is more to accumulate because all silver and gold belong to Him and He supplies it to us through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

In the latter verse of our referenced Scripture, the Lord of hosts declared, "the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former". This is so with His glory in our lives. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." In other words, unfolding of this glory in our lives comes by our special and continuous insight into the realities of the Kingdom.

God is the Father of glory (see Ephesians 1:17 NKJV). And as born again Christians, we are invited into the realm of God's glory in its full manifestation, which is not visible to the natural person or human beings on a fleshly level. We don't study the Word or search the Scriptures in vain for spiritual understanding. Something happens when we do so. Through the knowledge we receive about God, we are ushered into the spiritual dimension where we behold His glory from one degree to greater degrees.

God's glory ascends above the heights of the clouds in degrees, and we are the vessels through which He manifests it. By beholding the Word, and believing what God says, we become an expression of this glory-nature of God as Jesus is, and thereby, we live blessed and victorious here on earth. Simply put, this glory is the fundamental key to the operation of Christ's life in us.

Beloved we are designed to contain and advance in God's glory. The more we affirm the Spirit-reality above the facts of life, the more we experience His ever-increasing glory through His fixed-inward knowledge. Instead of walking according to the course of the world, we are constantly led by His indwelling Spirit to walk in glory. Although we may not change or look different on the outside, divine glory defines our day-to-day reality because it is now "the way" we function. Shalom!

Reference: Psalm 113:4; Habakkuk 2:14; John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 4:15.

Guided Prayer: Gracious Father in heaven, I honour you today for revealing the riches of your inheritance and the hope of your glory in your Word. By the exaltation of the Lord Jesus, my spiritual assimilation moves me from glory to glory as inspired by the Spirit. Thank you Lord for laying up silver and gold for me which are connected to the knowledge of my inheritance in Christ. By engaging the attention of your manifest presence in my life, I increase daily in conformity with your image in Jesus' Name, Amen!