God is most satisfied when...

In my time with the Father today I read more on the definition of “glory”. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “glory” means “weight, that which is important and honorable.” We see that Paul’s phase “an eternal weight of glory” in 2 Corinthians 4:17 carries this idea. In the New Testament the Greek word translated “glory” means “opinion, fame.” Theologians tell us that the “glory of God” is the sum total of all that He is, the manifestation of His character. Glory is not an attribute of God. It’s an attribute of all his attributes.

John Piper writes in his book Desiring God that, “God is most glorified in us when I am most satisfied in Him.” It’s a pretty overwhelming thing to think that the creator of this universe is glorified through me or even by me. That by carrying the mark of the King either fosters His glory or denigrates it. This weight or honor of bearing His name makes me cringe a bit once I stop to consider my thoughts and actions over the past couple of days. It’s not that my life or actions have been any different than normal over the past couple of days, but that normal is the problem.

If God is to be glorified in me then I guess the problem is my take on what normal is. Being satisfied in Him may be my problem. I love resting in the Lord and finding solace in His presence. I know the moments that He has been that strong tower that has allowed me to find refuge from the storms of life. I can fully identify the aspects of His forgiveness and mercy in my life. And I know He loves me. But once again I come back to the aspect of normal. Big Daddy Weave sings a song that says, “You love me just the way I am.” That train of thought is what presents a problem for me.

I don’t know that I can honestly communicate what I’m thinking at this moment, but I know I don’t want to be simply satisfied in Him. Satisfaction communicates a place of contentment or gratification to me and my personal gratification is not what I believe is important to the Master. To me it is represented every week by the guests that come through our church looking for a church home. Once they realize that our church is a smaller group of believers they don’t believe HVC can meet their needs, as if the only reason to become part of a local church is to have your own needs met. I don’t want my satisfaction with the Father to be selfish or aimed at meeting my personal gratification.

I want to change what normal looks like. I want to bear the mark of Christ. That to me means taking up a cross. Dieing to myself and saying, “Here am I, send me.” I live in a culture that is about my gratification. Fast food, drive through windows, online banking… I get frustrated when my microwave doesn’t cook my food in under two minutes or less. Can I honestly say that I don’t place the same demands intentionally or unintentionally on the God I find refuge in?

When Jesus prayed and said, “Glorify Thy Son” He understood it would cost Him His life on the cross. My definition of normal is great lengths from this…