Glory to Glory

I don't know about you all, but I am a person who likes to know what is going on all around me. I like to analyze my life and the lives of others. It has always been enjoyable for me, and brought me a sense of security to know what is coming up in the future. I am a planner, even though some would call me completely spontaneous. Even though my house is always unorganized, I enjoy organizing my stuff, my life, and my future plans. I love having a plan to follow. You get the point, I do not like to be surprised when it comes to major decisions in life. In the world, this can be a great quality, and it can even have its benefits in the kingdom of God....which brings me to my point for the day. God asks us to follow Him one day at a time. He asks us to trust Him, and know that He is God. We are commanded to not worry about tomorrow. I have never liked to label my analysis of life as worry, but many others have along the way. They have told me that I worry too much about what is going on around me. Worry. I do not even like to hear that word, but it just might be true. Maybe I am a worrier, and I have just labeled it something else...being analytical.

God has been helping me with this "worry." I am at a place in my walk with Christ where I am beginning to understand that he only gives us enough light for the step we are on. The scripture that I have been considering for awhile now is:

Psalm 119:105 (NASB)

"Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."

I began to think about this scripture and realized that when I am walking in the dark (with a lamp), I can only see a very short distance in front of my feet and all around me. There are many things lurking in the dark which I do not even WANT to see. I feel comfortable and secure with the light from my lamp. But when it comes to my spiritual walk with Christ, I want to see way out in the future. I want to see his great master plan and how I fit into it, so I will not be afraid of what is to come. He protects me from being overwhelmed and even fearful by NOT showing me the master plan all at once. He gives me what I need for today. He commands me:

Phillipians 4:5-7 (NASB)

"Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

God is clearly telling us that we should not be anxious, or worry about what will happen tomorrow. Even with all the amazing things I have witnessed my God do, why do I still have trouble accepting this? It is because of my own insecurities and remembrance of the times I have trusted man and have gotten burned. This is a stronghold in my life that must be broken down. Lack of trust. But I am encouraged by God's Word as it tells me:

Numbers 23:19 (NIV):

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

So, God's Word clearly shows that God is not like an old boyfriend who broke our heart when he decided he no longer loved you, or lied to you, or cheated on you. He is not a father who is never there, or a mother who never cared. He is not a bad business partner, or a betraying best friend. He is not an abuser, or a tyrant who is wicked. He does not murder, or steal, or commit betrayal of any kind. He is what we hope to find in others. He is the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV):

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

He does lie, He does not change His mind. So what is there to worry about? If everyone in the world was like Him, there would be no sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkeness, orgies and the like (Galatians 5:19-21). He warns in verse 21 that "those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

On the other hand, if we trust God, then we have an amazing journey of becoming Christ-like to look forward to. We can wake up every day with purpose and hope. In the process, we become the fruit of the Spirit and the whole world around us benefits from the presence of God in our lives. God showed me this morning what it means to go from "glory to glory" as spoken of in His Word. This is what God is doing in my life. He is taking me from one glory to the next, and he is making me more Christ-like in the process. One day, I pray that I will be able to stand before Him and be a mirror image of Him. The scripture he revealed to my heart was:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV):

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Each day holds a new glory, a new experience of God which reveals who He is, and where I am going in my path of becoming Christ-like. I live each day to find out what new glory he will reveal to me, and to know Him better.

Lord,

Today, I thank you for the continuing journey that you are taking me on. I thank you for waking me up each day with gladness and rejoicing, and that I always have something to look forward to in hope. I thank you for your great love for me, and your daily interactions in my life. I thank you for guiding me each day and encouraging me not to worry, for everything is in your mighty hands. I thank you for each reader that has joined me on my blog today, and I pray your blessings would be poured out upon their lives. Bless the hearing of your Word. Show them who they are in your kingdom, and whether or not your Spirit is in them. If they find they do not have your Spirit, give them the strength, wisdom and faith to accept you as their Savior and Lord today! I pray that you would guide them with your Light and your Word, and that they would find peace in you that surpasses all understanding. Give them a better understanding of your Word, and continue to reveal your great love for them. I confess today my own anxieties about the future, and I ask that you help me to trust you more each day. Please forgive me for my sin. Giving you great honor, praise and glory, I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From glory to glory,

Sarah