When I was younger,
I saw a lot of people who were seeking the glory.
We called them glory seekers.
The problem with this is that that usually entails
seeking after the miracles, signs and wonders
and not seeking after Jesus Christ Himself.
The minute we focus on anything other than Jesus Himself,
including miracles done by Him,
we are not following Him,
we are then following the miracles.
This saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
neither let the mighty man glory in his might,
let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this,
that he understandeth and knoweth me,
that I am the Lord
which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth:
for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24
Seek Him, let His glory be who we seek after,
not just glory
If we do strive for miracles,
we are seeking control of our relationship with Him
Is sitting at His feet enough?
Learning from Him?
Do we want to search for signs and wonders or are we searching for Him?
Signs and wonders will be a part of our lives if we are following Him.
The difference is, though they are a part of Him,
they are at His discretion.
A major sign I have often is quite simple but very beautiful,
it has a name. It’s called the Rhema word.
That is where you are reading a passage in the bible and you get it,
a light goes on, a realization that you can understand.
And sometimes it is even specifically for you.
That is truly hearing from Jesus by the Holy Spirit
because you recognize it touches your heart as from God.
You know something about Him,
you know the Holy Spirit has read your heart,
and reached out to you in a way no human could.
This is a form of His true glory because it draws you unto Him
and shows you how much He is concerned about you.
Healings, manifestations of the gifts, visions,
things like that may very well happen when we draw near to Him,
because our spiritual senses become more aware
or are more open to His presence.
What we do not want to do is search for the exciting signs
and wonders and not focus on Him.
He is enough.
Jesus saith unto him,
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:29
Elijah, the prophet was distraught. The Israelites had done all sorts of evil
and Elijah needed to hear from God. God knew Elijah needed to hear from Him:
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.
And, behold, the Lord passed by,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord;
but the Lord was not in the wind:
and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire:
and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12
God came through for Elijah
though not in the way he and we may have thought.
We notice His real glory, His true self,
not His miracles only but the Majesty of God,
the cognizance of who He is,
the fear of His awesomeness,
that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
What we think of as glory and God’s glory may not be the same thing.
The disciples even mixed up heavenly glory,
or as it were, earthly glory with the glory of God.
They wanted to build tabernacles for Moses and Elijah.
God does not want us to glorify men,
no matter how holy or righteous they may seem
How can we find real glory?
That is, the glory of God that Moses experienced?
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
and He was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus,
“Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish,
let us make here three tabernacles:
one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud overshadowed them;
and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Matthew 17:1-5
This was the same Peter
who had confessed Jesus was The Christ not too long before.
The same Peter whose eyes had been opened by God
to realize He is the Christ, and now,
he is thinking of worshiping Moses and Elijah, too?
Sounds like something we humans would do.
God has marvelous ways of leading us back to the Truth
when you’d think we wouldn’t stray from it in the first place.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Jesus surprises us.
What we think of a manifestation of His glory
might be a fleshly idea of His true glory:
But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him. John 4:23
How can you believe,
who receive honor from one another,
and do not seek the honor
that comes from the only God? John 5:44