September 10
September 10
We were created to live not for our own glory, but for the glory of the one who made us.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing about it. I think it is the war of wars. It will either complicate and destroy your life or bless you with lasting peace and satisfaction of heart. It is the thing that attracts and shapes the life of every human being in some way. What am I talking about? Glory. God designed us to be oriented toward glory. That’s why all of us love glorious, awe-inspiring things. A beautiful sunset over the ocean. A great painting or piece of music. A delicious meal. An exciting sports event. All of us are glory gazers.
God intentionally placed us in a glory-filled world. Every day of your life is a glory display, as you are surrounded by the physical glories that God has created. But every created glory is a sign pointing us to the glory of the Creator of all of this glory. His glory alone has the power to fill and satisfy our hearts. Yet we all, in some way, look to created things to satisfy our hearts—but they never do, because they were not made for that purpose. Your marriage isn’t meant to satisfy your glory longing. Neither is your job, bank account, children, or possessions.
The most dangerous God-glory replacement is the glory of self. Nothing is more seductive, attractive, deceptive, or tempting than self-glory. The glory of success, power, acclaim, and control in some way seduces us all. The danger of self-glory is a focus in the book of Daniel, and the human example of that danger is Nebuchadnezzar. This Babylonian king is obsessed with his own power and glory. Even after hearing God’s patient and gracious warning, Nebuchadnezzar stands on his balcony overlooking his kingdom and says, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30). What a clear and outrageous statement of self-glory. While the words are still in the king’s mouth, God reduces him to a groveling beast.
Why does the book of Daniel slow down and focus on Nebuchadnezzar’s obsession with self-glory? The answer is clear. This story is in the Bible because God loves us. It has been recorded and preserved as a warning for us. But there is more. The story is about more than Nebuchadnezzar; it’s about Jesus. He humbled himself and became an obedient servant, even to death, so that we may be liberated from our bondage to ourselves and live in the freedom of a pursuit of a greater glory. The self-exaltation of Nebuchadnezzar cries out for the humiliation of the Son. His humiliation is our liberation. His death is our doorway to life. In him we find the power we need to fight the seduction of self-glory and to live as those shaped by the heart-satisfying glory of God.