Glorying in the Lord

There is absolutely nothing we can do in our own strength i.e. in the flesh, to please God.

Romans 8v8

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

God never intended that we would struggle to please Him or serve Him in our own strength.

We please God, when we put our trust in Him alone and rely on the Holy Spirit to be our life and strength .

Hebrews 11v6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him

We must walk with God on the basis of faith and by looking to Him to be in us, what we can never be in or of ourselves.

Philippians 3v3

For we are the circumcision (true children of God whose hearts have been circumcised), which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

All to often, we as believers become confident in ourselves. Maybe in the knowledge we have accumulated, our own sense of spirituality or holiness or in our own strength.

It is all too easy to fall into that trap. Having begun in the Spirit we depend and rely on the flesh - our own strength and self righteousness – to be perfected and please God. Galatians 3v3

Nothing pleases God more than coming to Him in total helplessness, having no confidence in our own ability or strength and depending solely on His imputed and imparted righteousness and His resurrection power and life.

Philippians 3v3 says who rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

The Greek word for rejoice means to boast, glory (exult) proudly.

We are to boast and glory in Jesus as our life and source alone. We are to exult proudly the Saviour and Lover of our souls and have absolutely no confidence in our own ability to please God or any sense of our own piety or holiness.

As the words of the hymns say;

Nothing in my hand I bring simply to thy cross I cling.

And again

My hope is built on nothing else than Jesus love and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand.

1 Corinthians 1v29-31

29That no flesh should glory in his presence.

30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

To rely on ourselves is an affront to God. To boast or glory in ourselves or anything other than Christ is unacceptable to God.

Jesus and Him alone is our :

1.      Wisdom

2.      Righteousness

3.      Sanctification

4.      Redemption

Yet so often the modern day church relies on the wisdom of man and preaches a gospel of self effort.

We are totally and absolutely incapable of bringing glory to God outside of Christ Jesus being our only source. He must be our life, righteousness, sanctification, wisdom and redemption

This is what Jesus teaches us in John 15 when he uses the analogy of the vine and the branches.

He says that He is the vine and we are the branches. Just as it is impossible for the branch to bear fruit of itself, He says that we cannot bear fruit unless we abide in Him.

v5

For without me you can do nothing.

The branch is lifeless and incapable of bearing fruit, if it is not connected to the trunk of the tree.

The branch has no life in itself. It’s life must come from the source of life – the trunk – in order for it to be fruitful.

In v8 Jesus says that the Father is glorified only when we are fruitful.

Consequently, we can’t bring glory to God in our own strength.

It is only as we abide and are dependent on the life of Christ, that we will be fruitful and bring glory to His name.

2 Corinthians 4v7

7¶But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Jeremiah 9v23&24

23¶Thus says the LORD:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

24But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

This is why God chooses those who are failures and despised. The weak and flawed.

1 Corinthians 1v26

26¶For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

Only those who know how feeble and utterly contemptible they are in their own nature, can truly bring glory to Him because they realise that without Him they can do absolutely nothing.

It’s when we lose sight of this and become cocky and self confident that we slip up. After all pride comes before a fall.

We must walk humbly, in a spirit of lowliness and recognising our deep need of the Holy Spirit.

Only in the spirit of humility and helplessness can we truly know the empowerment and enablement that the Holy Spirit imparts to those who will rely totally and absolutely on Him.

My prayer today, is that I will walk in a constant state of dependence, and that I will be humble enough to realise in these days and those that lie ahead, that it is only as I look on to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, that  He will enable me to overcome the spirit of this age and bring glory to His name.

We are so prone to wander. Pride is always lurking. By God’s grace we must be on our guard.

By thanks be to God who causes us to triumph through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank God, that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4v6 & I Peter 5v6.

But He gives more grace

2 Corinthians 12v9

9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power Christ may rest upon me.

A Prayer

Thank you Lord for your abundant grace and gift of righteousness. Help us as your people, to walk in humility towards you and one another. Forgive us for our pride and self reliance. Help us Lord in these days. Be merciful to us and enable us to do what we can never do of ourselves. Align us with your eternal purposes and connect us in unity so that we might be the Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation that you have called us to be. Help us to, in honour prefer one another. Remove from us all competitiveness and envy. Cause us to be built together and compacted so that we will minister to one another with each joint supplying according to the effectual working in every part of your Body. Raise up the five fold ministry in this day to equip the saints so that we may all operate in the callings that you have for us. Build your true church Lord and bring glory to your Almighty name. Be glorified in the heavens and let your glory fill the earth. Amen.