I'm pondering my words for the year.
Power.
Glory.
Humility.
At first, I was thinking of them from the perspective that power and glory are God's, and humility is for me. This is not a bad way to see it.
Yet, I was struck by how, together, these words tell the story of Jesus.
Jesus was full of power and glory. Through Jesus, and by Jesus, and for Jesus, all things were created (Proverbs 8:23-31, John 1:3-4, Colossians 1:15-17). He is the power behind all life and the glory of all that is good.
Yet, in humility, Jesus emptied Himself of divine glory,
became a man--the perfect God-man who never sinned--
and offered His life for the atonement of our sins (Philippians 2:6-8, Hebrews 9:14, 1 John 2:2).
Of course, after He humbly finished his work for us, Jesus was raised to the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:19-21, Philippians 2:9, Hebrews 12:2). Now Jesus lives in glory for all eternity, constantly interceding for us and defending us from accusations and attempted condemnation by the enemy of our souls (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:24-25). Jesus has paid the price to redeem us (Titus 2:14, Revelation 5:9-10). There is therefore now no condemnation for those who have run to the Savior (Romans 8:1).
Power and glory. Jesus relinquished them for awhile, exchanged His heavenly robes of infinite light for a frail human body that could break and bleed. Instead of remaining the Source, Jesus allowed Himself to become the perfect channel through which God would broadcast light and life into the world. Through Him flowed as much power and glory as could be cloaked by the skin of one human male, which was plenty. Jesus poured out a bounty of love, healing, wisdom and hope, all for the benefit of His beloved created ones. In return, He endured insults, ridicule, hunger, fatigue, abandonment, betrayal and death. Yet, by the miracle of grace, He triumphed.
Jesus' radical act of ultimate humility accomplished the purpose of God, once and for all.
How could you ever imagine that a King would conquer His enemy by walking right into enemy territory, laying down His life and dying?
Yet, this paradoxical action undid the power of sin. We cannot totally understand it, but we can believe it.
And afterwards, Jesus returned to His glory, by the mighty power of God. I can't understand this either; somehow the post-resurrection glory is even greater than the glory before Jesus died.
We haven't seen anything yet.
But wait, there's more.
God invites us into this glory, to share it with Him and to live with Him, in His presence, for all eternity (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
Did you get that?
He invites us into His glory.
How? How can He even want to do this? Why does He love us like this? We do not deserve this. We don't even appreciate it. We can't comprehend the outrageousness of it. Lots of people simply reject the truth altogether, as ridiculous. They have a point. It is ridiculous. That God should love me enough to become a man and die for me is absolutely ridiculous. But He does and He did.
Do you know what else is ridiculous? It's ridiculous that so many believers take this all for granted. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus died for me. Yes, I get to go to heaven. We just assume. We take it in stride. Of course God loves us. Of course Jesus died for us. Of course we are going to go to heaven.
This is why we need humility. Humility enables us to realize that the truth about Jesus is mind-boggling. Humility allows the wonder of grace to wash over us like waves that take our breath away. Humility helps us internalize some wisdom about who God is, and what He does not owe us but miraculously gives us anyway. Humility allows us to experience gratitude and joy. Humility results in joy.
So many things are paradoxical.
Power, glory, humility.
My verse for the year:
Yours, O Lord,
is the greatness and the power and the glory
and the victory and the majesty,
for all that is in the heavens
and in the earth is Yours.
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
and You are exalted
as head above all.
~1 Chronicles 29:11
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