Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize will be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Early 12th Century)
By: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)
Listen to this version with a single solo voice as you prepare to ponder this hymn.
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Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We continue our journey through this ancient hymn originally written in Latin, but still true today. Consider the blessing of knowing the glory of Jesus now, and later. Let’s think about this.
Glory Now
How fortunate we are! We know the wonder of the revealed glory of the Son of God. We may struggle to wrap our minds around it but that makes it no less true.
Our prayer in these closing lines of the hymn simply asks Him to be our glory. What does that mean to you? How do you imagine Jesus will be your glory today?
Glory has two different aspects to it, honor and beauty. Jesus is both to us. He is our honor and beauty when others see and acknowledge something about us that we know is a direct result of our surrendering our lives to Jesus. Maybe you respond to a difficult situation in an unusual way. Maybe you show someone a remarkable measure of grace.
Things like this demonstrate that Jesus is our glory now, and we must be ready and willing to give Him the glory rather that keep it to ourselves. We can thank people for the recognition, but we need to be careful to redirect that to our Lord. To make light of the glory in our lives that reflects Jesus diminishes His glory in us. We can receive those words, but only long enough to give Him praise for it.
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV
He is our glory now, not only to those who saw Him face-to-face. He wants to show Himself in your flesh today. We have seen His glory in His blending of grace and truth and want to reflect it to the world around us.
We are not simply waiting until the day we can live in the glory of Jesus eternally. We can do that today. There is an inheritance that will be ours one day, but we can walk in the reality of it even now. How can you do that today?
RESONATE!
How can you allow the glory of Jesus to be seen in your life today? You need to make certain you can identify it, so spending regular time with Him is essential. As you become more like Jesus at the core of who you are, reflecting the reality of who He is will become more natural, while always remaining supernatural. Thank Him for revealing His glory to You. Ask Him to help you be ready when He brings opportunities to you today to reflect it to the world.
Glory Later
Keeping the end in mind balances this struggle of glory now and later. We can welcome the truth of His glory into our lives today more easily when we are convinced it is already ours in some measure and will be fully ours one day because of what Jesus has already done. Are you living today with an eye on eternity?
And through eternity.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…Philippians 3:20 ESV
This earth is not our home, our final destination. We are passing through. Keeping eternity in mind becomes more difficult when we forget this and become more concerned with making this life as comfortable as possible. We are waiting for something, and waiting is never easy.
Jesus is our joy and glory now, but even still we await an incredible inheritance, the privilege of living in the very presence of God forever. That will be heaven indeed. We need to be careful not to act like we have become naturalized citizens of earth.
RESONATE!
What things in your life make it clear you are living for now? For later? Is there a balance, or do you need to make some adjustments? We must look forward to what is to come, but remember that if we are still here, God has a purpose for us. That purpose is always to reflect His glory by living in the reality of it every moment, even as we wait for the fulfillment of it one day. Ask Him to show you how to do that today.
Jesus, thank You for being my glory now. May I be quick to point others to you when they see it in me today. May I also long for more of it now, and later. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Glorified Thinking!
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Podcast 21.4 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 ESV
We find joy in many things in life, but Jesus is the source of them all. In this passage, Jesus is speaking of living in His love, for doing so provides us life. When we stay connected to Jesus, His joy flows through us. Ask Him to help you abide in His joy today.
As Thou our prize will be;
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 ESV
We also know there is more coming. Jesus is our joy today, and one day soon will be our prize. It is the ultimate conclusion of living in the call of God. Press on today through even delight and dilemma, listening to His voice. Praise Him for calling you upward.
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV
He is our glory now, not only to those who saw Him face-to-face. He has made His grace and truth known to us, and surrendering to walk in it with Him has ushered His glory into our lives. Thank Him for the glory He is making known to you today.
And through eternity.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…Philippians 3:20 ESV
Jesus is our joy and glory now, but even still, we await an incredible inheritance, the privilege of living in the very presence of God forever. That will be heaven indeed. Ask Him to help you wait for His return and the anticipation of enjoying your forever home.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more, with the refrain.
Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize will be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, Be Resonant.
The post Is Your Living Giving All Glory to Jesus? appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Jesus, Be Thou Our Glory Now – https://pixabay.com/photos/stained-glass-church-window-1414790/
And Through Eternity – https://pixabay.com/photos/clouds-heaven-sky-powerful-god-4907646/
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