Week 31 “Filled with Glory”
Today’s Text: Ezekiel 43-48
Key Text: Ezekiel 43:1
“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”
In this wonderful vision we see the dramatic effect of God’s glory upon the temple – something which had been missing from the temple.
Look again at the dramatic imagery:
- His voice was like the roar of rushing waters
- The land was radiant
- The Spirit lifted him up
- Glory filled the temple
Do we experience something anywhere near that dramatic in our own “temple” experience? Sadly, many do not.
I understand that not all gatherings of God’s people can be “mountain top” experiences. In fact, when we try to force such an experience, it often falls flat.
On the other hand, we should always remember that when we describe God as “powerful” or “awesome” or “awe inspiring” we aren’t just throwing around fancy words for effect.
God is all of those things – powerful, righteous, holy, and awesome. His glory can – and should – fill our worship experience.
Perhaps it comes down to this.
We must never take God’s glory for granted.
We must never thing we are in control of bringing it into our midst.
“The Spirit blows where it will…”
When it comes – we should simply give thanks for the experience.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
View all of Paul Simrell's posts.
IGW3 - In God's Word, In God's Will, In God's Work 