Christian Writers Circle

Glory of Jesus Christ
by Judy Hitson

John 1:14 Amplified Bible (AMP) And the Word (Christ)became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).

Let’s wrap our hearts around this version of John 1:14. For me, it not only touches my heart but goes deep in my spirit as I consider the reality of “the only One of His kind.”In a Bible study years ago, I learned the four gospels reveal four aspects of Jesus. John reveals the deity of  Jesus Christ.

For February I wrote, “When Glory Came Down.” The angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in the field with the good news, “a Savior has been born to you.” This good news was for all the people. (see Lk.2:10) That includes you and me. The gospel of Luke reveals Jesus as a Man. Let us follow Him. Perhaps meditating on this good news, Luke 2:2-20, you will treasure up all these things in your heart like Mary.

Think of Him, “full of grace and truth,” absolutely free of deception. He is truth, there is no lie found in Him. That is glorious.

This acrostic of grace brings me understanding that captures my heart:

God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense

If you aren’t familiar with that, let it soak deep in your being, receive this grace available for you.

How does the glory of Jesus Christ effect us?

One way in my life is when I draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. I see and experience the glory of Christ, receiving mercy and grace to help in times of need. (Hebrews 4:16) God’s riches at Christ’s expense is available 24/7. That is glorious.

In closing, I share 2 Thessalonians 2:14 Amplified Bible (AMP) It was to this end that He called you through our gospel [the good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection], so that you may obtain and share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of glory, give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the true knowledge of Him. Help us impart to others the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen. (See Eph.1:17)

Glory in Suffering
by Judy Hitson

1 Peter 4:13 NASB but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

Power packed verse, we have here. First, it is difficult for those who have not tasted the suffering of Christ to even consider rejoicing at a time of suffering, it makes no sense to them. yet that is what this verse says. Perhaps we need to pause and consider the result, “at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” Think about the example of Christ who now sits on the throne of heaven until Father tells Him to return to earth. His birth, death and resurrection present three simple words with deep truths. If we receive revelation and understanding of them, we will have God sense regarding, “at the revelation of His glory to rejoice with exultation.” For example, Stephen who was martyred for his faith. He understood glory in suffering.
Acts 7:55 NASB But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

Today, we know Christians are beheaded for their faith. We are aware of global persecution and may experience personal persecution. We hear anti Christian rhetoric to silence us from speaking the name of Jesus, or pray in His name.

According to God’s word, let us now contemplate before the Lord our own understanding of glory in suffering. Let us ask ourselves the following questions:

Have I tasted death for anyone? I Corinthians 15:31
Do I deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Jesus? Luke 9:23
Have I been crucified with Christ? Do I live in my body by faith in the Son of God? Galatians 2:20
Do I want to know Him, the power of His resurrection and fellowship of His suffering? Philippians 3:10
Am I willing to follow in His steps? 1 Peter 2:20-25

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are simple and You are deep. Grant me personal revelation and understanding of glory in suffering, in my life to full maturity. Lead me in Your ways to persevere to the end, willing to share in Your sufferings for the sake of others. That through me, they might know You and be embraced by Your unconditional love and life in Your Spirit. Amen.

Crown Him As King
by Kathleen Shore

Like a broken record stuck on one phrase of a song, repeating it over and over, I continued to hear the whisper of my spirit to Holy Spirit saying,
“Let my life crown you as King. Let my life crown you.”

I finally began to repeat it, even singing it aloud in agreement because it would not leave me. As I heard the words out of my mouth, there came a realization that Holy Spirit was awakening me to join the hosts of heaven in voicing, “We crown you King!”

Two weeks passed with this phrase ringing in my ears, all the while a deep well was being dug inside of me. Thirsty to be filled I began to ponder,

How do I crown Him with my life?

Soon after, Father answered me in my sleep and showed me things of my life that crown Him…that bring Him pleasure, things that are a pleasing sacrifice lifted up to Him from my little vessel of His presence.

To add to my amazement, not one of these things were any of my ‘doings’.
All of them were the Christ-likeness produced out of my ‘being’ that rose up like resurrection life, as death to self took place in me again and again through surrender to my Lord.

There were quiet internal places of choosing Him over my attitude, my thoughts, my emotions, my opinions, and my judgments. There were external places of choosing my Prince of Peace over what the enemy was stirring up around me. It was His pleasure in my choosing to ‘abide’…to ‘be still and know’…to follow Him behind the veil that was torn from top to bottom by the Way of the cross and drink from the intimacy with Him instead of living in the chains of my circumstances.

We crown Him King with our lives as we willfully reach for His likeness as our identity instead of the counterfeit of earthly gain. Here, the capacity of our vessel is widened for more of Him. It is also here that the glory of God overlays us, simple earthen wear, with His glory-gold and HIS heart is satisfied. He is our proud Abba Father, lifting us up for all to see the glory due His name.

Take time to wait upon the Lord and let Him build you up with the revelation of how your life crowns Him – as your King. May our desire be, to satisfy the longing of His heart. My life, your life, ‘rested’ down upon Him, overlaid with gold…crowning Him King!

You are beautiful in His sight. Now let us live with God’s eye view.

Glory in God’s Plan
by Brenda D. Flowers

Have you ever contemplated how God’s glory is embodied in His Word and His Word is alive?

The Bible begins with God speaking creation into being. God had a perfect plan and his words brought forth life.

Before He made mankind, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Gen. 1:26, NKJV)  In verse 31, God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Adam and Eve were living in the glory of God’s presence in the beautiful garden planted by the LORD. God gave mankind the opportunity to eat of all the trees except one.

There were two trees in the middle of the garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The first man was given the freedom to choose to eat from the tree of life.

The serpent (satan), however, was cunning and knew the power of words. He twisted the words of God to deceive the first woman. In turn, the first man responded with a sinful choice. Man chose not to speak forth truth and he followed woman’s persuasion to eat of the forbidden tree.

Notice, in Genesis 3, how the LORD God spoke to man and woman, sharing the consequences of the first sinful choice.

It is interesting that God also set forth a guard to protect the tree of life.

Yet, even then, God was setting into motion His glorious plan for restoring mankind to an intimate relationship with Him and to a place of glory. Here are the words God spoke to the serpent (satan):

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.

These words gave the first man and woman hope.

Each book of the Old Testament points to God’s plan. Reviewing in depth Isaiah 52 and 53, one, who is sincerely searching, can see clearly the portrayal of the person who would be the perfect lamb to take away the sins of the world.

When Jesus came to earth and fulfilled the words proclaimed by this prophet, God’s perfect plan was completed.

God sent His Son purposefully! John, the beloved disciple of Jesus who heard Jesus speak while on earth and from heaven, revealed the magnificence of God’s plan.

Jesus is the One who leads the way to the tree of life and to our glorious reunion.

Ponder with me now, how Jesus, in His holy resurrected body, is in the glorious presence of Father God. By fulfilling God’s will for His life, Jesus has brought God the glory He deserves.

The Word is alive! His intercession goes forth.

Now it’s our turn.

Crown of Glory
by Judy Hitson

Hebrews 2: 9 NASB
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels,
namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor,
so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

1 Peter 5:4 NASB
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Regard the crown of glory, first for Jesus and second for us. We can understand glory in Christ’s suffering and blessings for those who sacrifice worldly living for the sake of Christ. The world tells us to look out for #1, ourselves. The word of God tells us to know Jesus Christ as first love. Meditate and receive deeper understanding from Hebrews 2 and 1 Peter 5.

Consider the profound impact of Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus was born of God to a virgin to die that we might live through Him. He became like us that we might become like Him by His Spirit who gives life.

Warren W. Wiersbe writes in The Bible Exposition Commentary* on Hebrews about the superiority of Jesus Christ over angels and His Deity. He writes, “His humanity enabled Him to regain man’s lost dominion,” Heb.2:5-9, quotation from Ps.8:4-6.

From The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Dallas Seminary Faculty, another confirmation, “Jesus became a man in order to die, Heb.2:9.” The Incarnation is key to understand the preeminence of Jesus Christ, crowned with glory because of His death.

Let us discern the reward of a crown of glory, choosing to fully follow Christ in Spirit, truth and His love. He is worthy of all our love, allegiance and worship.

The hymn, “Crown Him with Many Crowns” came to mind. It can be found on You Tube. The video with music and lyrics can revive our soul in Christ.

Revelation and understanding in the Spirit is available for us as we spend time with our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ in His presence, His word, in prayer and fellowship. He opens the eyes of our understanding as we relinquish our ways for His.

In 1 Peter 5, elders are exhorted to serve God voluntarily. Not by self righteousness and self effort as an exercise of religious activity, but sacrificially through an intimate love relationship with Jesus Christ, empowered by His Spirit.

Paul wrote in Phil.4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and my crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.  Like Paul, we can see the eternal reward of those we lead to Christ, those we disciple in Christ as our crown.

Do you cherish those you bring to Christ as your crown?

Will you say no to earthly desires for the sake of Christ Jesus?

Warren Wiersbe wrote*, “We lead by serving, and we serve by suffering. This is the way Jesus did it, and this is the only way that truly glorified Him.” (on I Peter 5:4)

Prayer: Lord, I ask deeper revelation and understanding on the crown of glory. Help me walk in light of it by Your Spirit. In Your name Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Who’s Hiding? Who’s Seeking?
by Brenda D. Flowers

One night, my two oldest grandsons, ages five and four, begged me to read to them under the sheet of my bed. They love to cuddle under our pretend tent.

I showed them the bag of library books and let each one choose a book. Tavis chose the book Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek by Eileen Christelow.When I saw the book he chose, I felt a nudging by Holy Spirit, reminding me of a blog post I wrote earlier that day entitled “Hide and Seek.” I forgot I checked out a children’s book about this common game.

In the Bible, when do we read about the first Hide and Seek “game”?

Curious, I began reading at the beginning of Genesis. As I read each verse, word by word, I discovered many new truths. The most important was realizing how intimate the LORD God was with the first man, communicating daily with him.

God prepared a beautiful place for man and woman to live, work, create and grow in relationship. As long as man followed God’s will for his life, there was no shame or hiding.

When I arrived at Genesis 3:8-9, I found the words of the first “game” of Hide-and-Seek:

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

Why did all-knowing God ask this question?

Could it have been because He wanted to see how the first man and woman would respond?

I realized God was giving them an opportunity to run to Him, to be honest about their wrong choices, and to seek His forgiveness. Instead, they responded to God by casting blame rather than accepting responsibility. (A temptation we all face daily.)

If God isn’t a loving God, as many people claim today, I believe He wouldn’t have looked for a response from Adam and Eve. He could have removed His presence from mankind for eternity but He didn’t. Or He could have destroyed mankind forever. Instead, God created a plan of restoration. The rest of the Bible is His redemption story.

In our hiding places today, we are asked the same question Adam and Eve heard so long ago, “Where are you?”

The challenge question is, “Are we wanting to be found?”

I love the promise in God’s Word that He loves us so much and still wants to provide for our every need, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6: 33, NKJV)

We read these important words in John 7:18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He (Jesus) who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

When we play the daily game of Hide-and-Seek, we can choose to seek Jesus and His righteousness. As we trust Jesus, the fulfillment of our Heavenly Father’s redemption plan, we receive His glorious presence, no longer having to remain alone in a life of sin and shame.

Jesus’ righteousness covers us and we can joyfully cuddle within our Heavenly Father’s sweet presence. We find Him when we realize we were always found.

Glory in His Presence
by Judy Hitson

Jude 1:24 NASB Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

Isaiah 3:8 NASB For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD,
To rebel against His glorious presence.

A stark contrast is apparent in these verses regarding glory in God’s presence, to stand in it or rebel against it. When I found these Scripture passages and read them together, it shook me to the core. As a fresh revelation from the Lord, it stunned me to see the contrast and choice for mankind. May it be so to your heart as well.

Consider the greatness of God. He is able to keep us from stumbling and make us stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy. Think about that.

Now ask:

Do I know God and experience the glory of His presence in my life?
Do I practice His presence?
Am I filled with joy and strength to follow Him?

When we come to know the Lord and experience His presence, we discover fullness of joy, promised in His word, Ps. 16:11. We learn our need to rely on Him, not ourselves. Like Moses, we may pray for the presence of God and to see His glory, Ex.33:13-22.

Otherwise, like Jerusalem and Judah, we might rebel against God’s glorious presence by stumbling or fall because our speech and our actions are against the LORD.

This brings to mind the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. God is in control. He gives us a choice. We can rely on Him and be blessed in His glorious presence or rebel against it by speaking and acting against Him.

In my understanding, glory, in relation to the presence of God, is  to honor and respect Him, give Him credit for all He has done for us. May we be captured by glory in His presence and not lured by earthly attractions. He is worthy of our attention and our affection. He is God. He is love. Let us bask in the glory of His presence.

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, renew and revive us to experience glory in the presence of God and give glory to Jesus Christ with our lives. Amen.

Glory in His Temple
by Judy Hitson

Psalm 29:9 NASB The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

What does that mean, “in His temple everything says, “Glory?”

This Psalm and these passages had me wondering: 2 Chronicles 5:11-14 NASB The subtitle, The Glory of God Fills the Temple; Ezekiel 43:1-12 NASB Vision of the Glory of God Filling the Temple.

As I sought the Lord to understand His temple from Old Testament verses, a New Testament passage kept coming to mind:
I Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

     Do you sense the glory to which God is referring?

No longer do I think of a building when reading about God’s temple in the Old Testament. Rather, I believe the Spirit reveals a parallel for us to understand the meaning of glory in His temple, in reference to our body.

Victory in areas of our lives give glory to God and encourage us. Yet in our humanness, we perceive areas of needed change. As Christians may we experience God’s glory in our body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

In my life, I want to have good physical and spiritual health, eat foods needful for my body, soul and spirit. Feeding on God’s word is a delight to my soul and spirit. Yet lust for unhealthy foods can be a struggle for me. While praying about this matter, God spoke a word to me that pierced my heart with conviction and a longing for transformation. I heard, “You are to eat what is needful for your body, not what you want. You are to eat healthy whole food rather than processed junk food. It is better for your body as a temple of My Holy Spirit. Go do this in remembrance of Me.”

Only by the Spirit of God can I obey and honor Him according to His word to me. May I surrender all and yield to His will for my life.

Prayer: Lord transform us to glorify God in our body as a temple of Your Holy Spirit that everything says, “Glory.” Amen.

The Heavens Declare God’s Glory
By Brenda D. Flowers

A few weeks ago, my husband of thirty-eight years and I had the road trip of a lifetime, driving over two thousand miles across the United States. We began our journey in our home state of Tennessee and ended our trip on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, near Los Angeles, California.

We took a full week, purposing to visit key sites along the way. Our daughter, Catherine, who is moving from New York to California, joined us for the last four days of our drive, flying to meet us in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

One of the highlights of our trip together was visiting The Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona. We arrived at this national park close to dusk, but we were determined not to miss it after driving all day through barren semi-desert countryside.

Our goal was to see the large deposits of petrified wood and the highly eroded colorful badlands of the Painted Desert. The subtle colors of the sedimentary rocks and the shiny patterns of the fossilized trees were intriguing, but what captured our attention that evening was the sky as the sun was setting…

Words and photos cannot capture the magnificence of the beauty of the horizon we viewed for almost an hour that night! The colors of the sky were captivating. There was obviously rain in the distance and it literally appeared that God was taking his fingers and painting the sky, or using a mighty brush to add depth of hues. We all were in awe of bright reds, oranges, yellows and designs we saw in that ever changing sky.

When I meditate on the splendor of that sunset, I cannot help but agree with David when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”  It was like God wanted to show us, but especially our artistic daughter, what a creative God He is. It would be difficult to doubt God as creator when viewing such a magnificent site.

The Bible is full of messages regarding God’s creative work. Starting in Genesis, we see these words, And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1: 3-4 (NIV)

David, who spent many days and evenings outside alone with God, viewed  the changes of the sky and the light of the sun. Under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, David wrote the first six verses of Psalm 19 to announce that God’s creation shows His glory:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

     In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. Psalm 19: 1-6 (NIV)

Why is it people are drawn to take pictures of sunrises and sunsets? Go to any Facebook feed, and scroll down. It won’t be long before you’ll see a post of one of these glorious scenes. What is meaningful to us humans about looking up and out at the horizon?

I know over my lifetime, I have loved to watch sunsets over the hills of Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains and at the shores of the Gulf or the Pacific Ocean. But never have I observed a sunset where I could see color of endless skyway for 360 degrees like the sunset we saw in the magnificent western sky of America only a few weeks ago. I am still trying to embrace the full message of what God was telling me that night.

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for your deep love for us that you allow us to see a glimmer of your creativity in sunrises and sunsets. Thank you for touching the hearts of skeptics through the beauty of nature’s skies. Please may they be led to You and the truth of Your love by the beauty and intricacies of Your creation.

Share:  Let’s have some fun. Please comment regarding special sunrises or sunsets you have seen in your lifetime. Together, let’s join our praise by giving God the glory for all of His magnificent creation. God is good!

You may go to my author website to see some photos of my trip:  http://www.brendaflowers.com

Glory of God’s Kingdom
by Judy Hitson

Psalm 145:13 NASB Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Thy dominion endures throughout all generations.

Be comforted with this word and think on the following aspects of God’s kingdom from  Ps.145:11-13 the glory, God’s power, God’s mighty acts, majesty, everlasting, endures all generations.

God’s kingdom never ends. He has supreme authority in every generation. While kingdoms on earth rise and fall, God’s kingdom lasts forever. May He reveal the glory of His kingdom with personal significance for our lives.

Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well, Matt.6:33 NCV. That verse was one of the first promptings of the Spirit in my life after I was born again. Unless we are born again, we cannot see the kingdom of God, John 3:3. But when we have new life in Christ by the Spirit, we see what God wants for us. He impressed me to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. At that time I was seeking earthly things. God pursues us with His love, grace and mercy. Then we see His divine purity in holy array, knowing it is worth our time to pursue Him and understand His Kingdom.

God’s kingdom is now and in future fulfillment. For example:
Luke 17:21 NASB nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”  Matt.25:34 NASB “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

We read in Scripture about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. Observe in the following verses that these phrases are synonymous:  Matt.5:3 NASB “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Luke 6:20 NASB And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

There is much to learn about the glory of God’s kingdom. Pray we gain understanding by the Spirit to know and do our part in advancing it.

 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.
‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is
the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]   Matthew 6:9-13 NASB