What is Glory? - 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 Video #46 (Kingdom Thinking)

Many times throughout the bible we read about glory, but what is it really? The Old Testament says often, "The glory of the Lord filled the temple." We begin to understand from this statement that glory is something people can at least recognize.

In all the accounts where God's glory filled the temple, two things happen to the people. They experienced the presence of God and were filled with an awareness of the fullness of who He is. In 2 Chronicles (I mistakenly say 2 Corinthians in the video) 7:1-3 we read an account of God's glory showing up. Solomon has gathered the nation of Israel to celebrate the completion of the temple.

God's glory comes and the people respond by exclaiming that God is good and He is love. Glory is the fullness of God and His presence. When His glory is recognized by people, their natural response is to declare His goodness and love.

When we truly encounter God, our response will naturally be the same as the people in 2 Chronicles, for everything God is and does is both good and loving. When we recognize His goodness and love, we recognize His glory.

God is so good and so loving He actually shares His glory with us. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, our very lives become the temple for God to fill. When we put our trust in Christ, He in turn makes an exchange and gives us a new body, with a new heart, new mind, and an awakened, eternally connected spirit to God's own Spirit.

As the new creation, we now continue our journey in not only discovering more and more, each day and moment, who God is, but we begin to understand more of who we are because of Him. As we look on the face of God, we awaken to His glory. We are the reflection of the thing our eyes now fixate on, and so too we awaken to see His glory in us, on us, and around us.

We are glorious because He is glorious. Isaiah 60:1 reveals this truth. God desires for us to shine His glory that He placed in each of us for all to see. God is given glory when we shine. Isaiah goes on to say in 61:3 that God plants us like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.

So join me today in beholding the glory of God. Recognize His goodness and unending love. Then let us all acknowledge the glory we hold inside of us, given to us by our good, loving Father. Let God's glory be seen in all we are, say, think, and do. That is His heart for us. Let's give God glory by knowing He made us glorious like Him.

When we do, we will inevitably want to give all the glory back to Him because we understand where the glory is rooted and began. We will say much like the Psalmist in 115:1, "Not us, but you God get all the glory attached to your name. Why? Because you are love and faithful."