A message from Todd: Greetings on this Tuesday after Spring Break! Our Lenten Devotional for today comes to us from Jim Reed! Jim is a junior from Salina, Kansas, and is majoring in business and marketing. I’ve gotten to know Jim through his service as a member of The Council of Presidents, where he represents Love For Lancaster as their President. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Love For Lancaster, it is a group of TCU students united under one purpose to be relational and intentional with those who live on the streets of Lancaster by conversing and developing authentic friendships. Those of you who know Jim have undoubtedly experienced just that – someone who intentionally desires to build a relationship with you, regardless of how different or similar you might be to one another. His genuine and unconditional acceptance of everyone, along with his desire to be of service to those he comes in contact with, are two of Jim’s most obvious and endearing qualities. He embodies what it means to love God and love others, and it is for that reason that I asked him to write this devotional. I hope you’ll find his words for you today both meaningful and challenging! Blessings, Todd
March 19, 2013 By: Jim Reed
The Glory of it All
As a kid, it was fairly easy for me to understand the basics of topics such as praising God, giving thanks, and having faith. We sang about these things during church, we prayed about them before meals, and they could encapsulate nearly every politically correct Sunday school answer. Yet, this weird sounding guttural word “Glory” was always hard for me to wrap my head around, and looking back it was always a popular buzzword I used to boost my Biblical prowess even though I had no idea what it meant.
Thanks to a college education, I have a slightly better grasp on the definition of glory now and what the Bible has to say about it. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do at it with all your heart, working for the Lord, and not for men.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 goes further saying, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I believe an act of service, an act of love, and even an act of bravery is sacrificial and can be extremely glorifying. This season of Lent has reminded me personally how easy it is to be caught up in self-glorification rather than glorifying God, taking credit for God’s work, and allowing sin to tarnish our good intentions.
It is so easy to get lost in pride, to be the like the “hypocrites” publically praying to be seen as righteous (Matthew 6:5). It is so easy to forget that we are powerless, no good work could ever save us from death, and we are only saved by God’s grace (Romans 11:6, Ephesians 2:8-10). God calls us to glorify him through loving him, loving one another, and sacrificing in order to advance his kingdom. I encourage you to continue to sacrifice beyond the forty days of Lent, to remain humble in the footsteps of God’s glory, to imitate the love Jesus had the least of us, and to remember His ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Amen.
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