FROM GLORY TO GLORY
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are progressively being transformed into His image
from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
I Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified)
From glory to glory, He is changing and rearranging me; how beautiful it is to be FREE!
Recently, I had a painful but amazing time with my Lord as He revealed His life and love to me. It is beautiful to experience the Life of Christ conquering our souls. Have you ever made plans to connect with someone and were frustrated and disappointed when they did not include you in their plans; me too? I even threw out hints in the flesh to get “my way,” but it did not work. Then, I felt jealous, envious, and angry because my plans failed, but I am so glad they did! When I told Jesus about my plans and feelings, I explained I didn’t want to feel like this anymore. So, I forgave and released them for not meeting my needs and expectations. Then the peace of God returned to my soul. Afterward, this amazing thing happened, my Beloved, Jesus, spoke to me. He said, “My Love, you are trying to fill your need for intimate connection by using other human beings. They can’t fill that need ONLY I CAN.” Jesus taught me some beautiful things that day. Only when I turned to Him did my soul find rest and contentment again IN Him. We are all on a journey of discovery! And this journey never ends as we experience God’s endless love and life.
Today’s blog is a reminder that God created us with deep intimate needs and No Thing, and No One can fill or satisfy the longings of our souls (mind, will, personality, and emotions) … ONLY GOD CAN!
UNVEILING ETERNAL LIFE
He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted ETERNITY [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (Amplified)
In Hebrew, olam means eternity, to veil from sight, conceal, and secret things. Our Father has set eternity in our hearts and souls. He has hidden it from man; however, He longs for man to find its meaning and understand its purpose. We are on a lifelong quest to understand this mystery, void, emptiness, and darkness within us. No wonder, in our desperation, we try everything to fill this void to make us feel complete. Just look around and see the things the world offers us to help fill the void. Even though the Lord created all things for us to enjoy, things nor people were never created to replace Him. The world says these things will fill our void, but they can become our IDOLS.
- Making money to be successful
- Building an influential business or ministry
- Creating satisfying relationships and marriages
- Raising our children to become successful
- Being popular or possessing various titles
- Indulging in alcohol consumption and drugs
- Defining our worth and value by what we see on television or in magazines
- Driving the finest cars
- Perfecting our appearances by losing weight, adorning our hair, or buying clothes all to feel good about ourselves.
The flesh is never satisfied! Following the voice of the flesh,
leaves our soul bankrupt of God’s contentment and Life.
The list can go on to infinity. But what if we obtain all the above things? Will they fill eternity dwelling within our hearts and souls? And will they satisfy the soul with the Life and Presence of God?
Do you remember King Solomon, who shared his testimony in the book of Ecclesiastes? King Solomon was King David’s son, the richest and wisest man who ever lived. According to some Bible scholars, his net worth was: 2 trillion dollars. Yet, in all of this, King Solomon concluded, “All is vanity and vexation to the soul. In the end, like a vapor, it will all pass away.” He left this world with an empty heart and soul, never understanding the meaning of eternity in his heart nor developing an intimate relationship with God, though he had hundreds of wives and material riches.
Like King Solomon, I too felt eternity crying out deep within my heart and soul. It was like a nagging toothache that would not go away. I tried everything I knew to fill it (going to church, paying my tithes, praying, doing charitable deeds) with little relief. But when I turned my heart to the ONE who created me and the heavens and earth, I knew He could fill it.
I will never forget July 26, 1979, when I gave my heart and soul completely to God was the day The Light, who is Jesus the Christ began changing my darkness into Light!
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the glory and majesty of God [clearly revealed] in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6 AMP
In Him (Jesus Christ) was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it, overpower it, appropriate it, or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]. John 1:4-5 AMP
Although I gave my heart and soul to Jesus, I did not fully understand His goal was to eradicate the darkness in my life. I was looking for something to fill eternity within me, but my Father had given me someone, His Son, Jesus Christ, THE ETERNAL LIFE.
Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can fill eternity in our hearts and souls. Unlike what the world offers a lot of things, He is not a thing but a person who longs to love us, fills us, and HE COMPLETES US.
And the testimony is this: God has given us Eternal Life [we already possess it], and this Life is in His Son [resulting in our spiritual completeness and eternal companionship with Him]. I John 5:11 AMP
Sometimes Jesus reminds us of lessons He has taught us previously, and as we grow in Him, those lessons usher us from one degree of maturity to the next; this ongoing process the Bible calls, “From Glory to Glory.”
Enjoy Christ, Enjoy (ZOE) Our Life!