Tag Archives: glory

WYWIWYB

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“we all… are being transformed
into the same image from one degree of glory to another”
(2 Cor 3:18 (ESV))

There is, in computer programming jargon, the following phrase “WYSIWYG,” pronounced “whiziwhig.”  It is an acronym for the term, “What You See is What You Get.”  I use a website program in WYSIWYG.  Rather than having to learn the website programing code HTML, I can simply place objects, pictures, text and links onto a page, and the program converts what I’ve done into the appropriate code, and it gets posted online exactly as I designed it (usually).  WYSIWYG is a great help, I figure knowing Biblical Greek and Hebrew and a few words in broken Spanish is all the language  training I need.

There is a Biblical truth that lies at the heart of the idea of WYSIWYG.  We might call it WYWIWIB – What You Worship is What You Become.  Think about this with me for a minute.

That which is most important to you, that which is at the center of your life, that which you worship (whether you call it worship or not), will shape and define who and what you become. 

If the most important thing in your life is finding financial security, wealth, and the accumulation of power, that will shape the decisions you make, the goals you set, and the way your treat others.  Your essential question in every situation will be along the lines of, “How does this benefit me; what can I can from this relationship?”

If you believe that the greatest truth in this life is found in the teachings of science, and particularly, evolutionary science, that will shape the decisions you make and how you treat those around you.  If we are all here by chance, and only the strongest survive and thrive, then compassion for the weak is only a luxury, self-preservation is the greatest good, and, since there is no afterlife (since there is no God who created life) all that matters in life is what you experience here and now.

But if we believe that we are created by a holy, sovereign, and gracious God, that too will shape who and what we become.  If we believe that there is a God at the center of the universe, a God who is the foundation of all life, then that God will also be the center of our lives, the foundation of our ethic and our experience.  Hughes Oliphant Old, dean of the Institute for Worship at Erskine College, once wrote “Those who worship the holy God become through that worship holy themselves.  When we worship, having our minds enlightened by the Spirit, our lives cleansed by the Spirit, our wills moved by the Spirit, and our hearts warmed by the Spirit, then our worship is transformed from being a mere human work into being a divine work.”  Worship is the workshop where we are transformed into the image of God.

I think this is at the heart of what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Who are you becoming?  Are you growing in the likeness of Christ, being transformed into his image, maturing in the work of the Spirit?  Or are you becoming more and more like the world around you, blending in with the tone and temper of the fallen world?  Answering this question will begin to show you who or what is at the heart of your worship.

May you become more like Him who has made you!

SDG

Wasted by Glory

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“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Habakkuk 2:14 ESV

I know there’s always the danger of coming home from a conference and feeling dissatisfied with life and work.  You go away for a couple of days, free from the stress and busyness of the everyday life, and is drudgery having to get back into the same old routine again.  You struggle to implement the great ideas you picked up, and no one else shares your enthusiasm.  You can’t go back to the mountain top, and eventually the passion dies.  I’ve been through this before, I recognize it for what it is, and I know to avoid it.

However, what I’m experiencing this week is something completely different.  Last week I attended the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference.  Speaking at the conference on prayer were such authors as Joel Beeke, Mark Dever, Francis Chan, and John Piper.  1700 pastors were led in uplifting worship by a fantastic band.  Yes, I came home with some great ideas, a few more books to fill the shelves, and a renewed sense of commitment in prayer. 

In a few months, the remarkable things that were said may be forgotten.  I may get bogged down and forget my resolve.  I may have to walk away from the mountain top and live among the maddening crowds.  But there is something that I will never lose.

In a unique way, this conference allowed me, through the reading of scripture and “prayerful prayer” to, for a brief moment, have a taste of the all-surpassing glory of God.  For just a moment, I saw myself for who I truly am – a sinner in need of grace, distracted by so many things from the greatness and glory of God, chasing after so many lesser loves rather than resting in the wonderful love of my blessed redeemer – and I saw God glorified and lifted up – full of grace and truth, redeeming and restoring all whom He calls to Himself, sanctifying and preserving His church. 

I have been wasted by glory, I cannot be the same. 

I will work twice as hard to in some way communicate the glory of God in my messages, but I know that even in my greatest eloquence I will always fall short.

I have committed to renewed prayer, but now find myself waiting in silence, recalling God’s words of scripture, allowing Him to speak to my heart and mind.

I cannot read through Scripture without stopping in amazement at how God’s goodness and glory jump off of every page.

The gadgets and stuff that I once daydreamed about seem silly to me now.

I still find beauty in the world around me, joy in the love of family and friends, but my heart is consumed with a passion that lies elsewhere.

Food doesn’t even taste as good, now that I have “tasted” the goodness of God.

I have been wasted to the world by the glory of God.

And yet, I find a renewed appreciation for the blessings God has provided, a renewed love for my wife and kids, and a greater compassion for the church and for those in need.

Because the world no longer holds the answer for me, because my eyes are fixed on Christ, the author and finisher of my faith, perhaps now I am of more use to God and benefit to the world.

May my life reflect the glory of the Lord, that all may know His greatness and love.

SDG