Day 4 – The Hope of Sharing God’s Glory

Day 4 — The Hope of Sharing God’s Glory

Opening prayer

Lord God, as I read your Word today, lift my eyes beyond what is temporary and help me to see what is eternal. Teach me to hope in the glory you promise through Jesus, and shape my life today in the light of that future. Amen.

Headline

One of the great treasures of Christianity is that, in Christ, I can begin to know the Father’s delight now and will share fully in his glory when I see Jesus face to face.

Romans 5:1-5

Comment

So far this week, I have written about two treasures I discovered in becoming a Christian: truth and love.

The truth of the gospel set me free from guilt. The love of the Father showed me that I was not merely forgiven, but adopted as his child. But there was still another treasure to discover, one that I have only begun to understand much more recently: the treasure of glory.

In today’s readings, Paul makes two astonishing statements.

In Romans 5 he says:

“We boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (v.2)

And in 2 Corinthians 4 he says:

“Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (v.17)

If we know God as the supreme and eternal Creator, then it is easy to understand that he has glory. But Paul says something more surprising: Christians will somehow share in that glory. We have “the hope of the glory of God.” We look forward to “an eternal glory.”

What does that mean?

Once again, I needed help from someone connected with Oxford. Not this time a student friend in the 1980s, but a professor in the 1940s: C. S. Lewis.

In his sermon The Weight of Glory, Lewis reflects on the meaning of glory. One meaning he draws out is not fame before other people, but approval or appreciation from God. He speaks of the almost unbearable wonder of being welcomed, delighted in, and praised by God himself.

That could sound proud or self-centred, until we remember what we saw yesterday. In Christ, God is our Father. And in a healthy father-child relationship, there is nothing arrogant about a child delighting in the pleasure of their father. It is one of the most natural and humble joys in the world.

So when the Bible speaks about sharing God’s glory, it is not promising celebrity, self-importance or spiritual status. It is promising the joy of being welcomed by God, delighted in by God, and one day fully at home with God.

This is something Christians can begin to know and feel now. There are moments when, by the Spirit, we sense that we are not merely tolerated by God but loved by him; not merely forgiven but delighted in. Perhaps in prayer, or in worship, or in serving others, or simply in the quiet assurance that we belong to him, we taste something of the Father’s pleasure.

But what we know now is only a foretaste. One day, when we see Jesus face to face, that joy will be complete. Then we will know fully what we now know only partly: that in Christ, the Father’s delight rests on us, not because we have earned it, but because we belong to his Son.

And this glory is not earned. That is crucial. Romans 5 begins by reminding us that we have been justified through faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We stand in grace. So the glory we hope for is not a prize for the spiritually impressive. It is a gift for those who belong to Christ.

This changes how we see both the present and the future.

It changes the present because, like a child who feels the pleasure of a loving parent, we can begin to know and feel the Father’s pleasure now. Not perfectly, and not constantly, but truly. By his Spirit, God assures us that we are his children, and gives us foretastes of the joy that will one day be complete when we see Jesus face to face.

And it changes the future because our best days are not behind us, nor are they limited to this life. In Christ, we are heading towards glory: towards seeing Jesus, being made like him, and enjoying the Father’s delight forever.

Why does God want you to hear this today? Perhaps because you need to know not only that God forgives you, and not only that God loves you, but that in Christ God delights in you. You may feel that only faintly now. Some days you may not feel it at all. But the promise remains: the Father’s pleasure rests on his children, and one day, when you see Jesus face to face, that joy will be full.

Reflect

• What do Romans 5:1–5 and 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 teach you about the Christian’s present experience of God’s love and future hope of glory?
• How does knowing that you stand in grace help you receive the Father’s pleasure and delight, rather than trying to earn it?
• Where do you most need to lift your eyes from what is seen and temporary to the unseen reality that, in Christ, God loves you, delights in you, and is bringing you to glory?

Action 

Take a few minutes today to remember a time when you sensed God’s pleasure or delight in you — perhaps in prayer, worship, obedience, service, or simply in knowing that you belong to him.

Complete this sentence:

“One moment when I have tasted the Father’s delight was…”

Closing prayer

Lord God, I praise you for the hope of sharing your glory through Jesus Christ. Thank you that, because I stand in grace, I can know your delight now and look forward to enjoying it fully when I see Jesus face to face. Help me to fix my eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, and to live today in the light of the eternal glory you have promised. Amen.