Category Archives: Glory

Bible, Eternity, Glorify, Glory, Heaven, Life, Scripture

LIVE TO GOD

ROMANS 6:10

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”

It’s funny how your life changes from season to season. I’m talking about seasons of life. When I was younger and single, I lived for Carl. All I thought about was doing what was good for me. I wasn’t a horrible person, but my priority was ME. When I got married and had children all that changed. Now, my priority was to my family. I worked to provide for them. I lived to protect them, to teach my children and hopefully live a life worth imitating in the eyes of God. Priorities shift, don’t they?

Jesus’s priorities never shifted. Before He came to earth, He lived to give glory to God. As a man on earth, He lived a life that pointed every to God. And now that He is in heaven, He still lives to point everything to His Father. Talking about consistency! Paul tells us in today’s verse, “the life that He lives (meaning now in heaven at the righthand side of the Father), He lives to God.” He points us all to the glory of the Father.

APPLICATION

Barnes has a wonderful explanation of Jesus’ life now and what that means for us as Christ’s followers. “He seeks to promote his glory. The argument of Paul is this: Christians by their profession are united to him. They are bound to imitate him. As he now lives only to advance the glory of God; as all his mighty power, now that he is raised from the dead, and elevated to his throne in heaven, is exerted to promote his glory; so should their powers, being raised from the death of sin, be exerted to promote the glory of God.”

Do you measure your plans and decisions against that metric? Are you seeking to give glory to the Father? It is so easy to make our plans and decisions and then ask the Father to bless them. Instead, we should be going to the Father first and ask Him what His plans are. Do you recall Jeremiah 29:11? “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

Before you make a list of New Year’s resolutions, consult the Lord. He may change your path drastically. He may point you toward someone you need to disciple. But whatever you do, be like Jesus and point it all to God. Give Him the glory for all He does in and through you.

Father God, You have ordained my days and given me a path to follow. I want to stay close by Your side each and every day.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Bible, Glory, Gospel, Salvation, Scripture, Sin

THE ROMAN ROAD BEGINS

ROMANS 3:23

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Today’s verse is often quoted as part of the “Roman Road.” The following verses in Romans walks someone through the steps to receive their salvation in Christ:

  1. Romans 3:23 is the first step. One must recognize they are a sinner. This is today’s verse.
  2. The next step is Romans 6:23 which shows us the “wages of sin is death,” but God’s gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
  3. The third step is shown in Romans 5:8. It tells us God demonstrates His love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
  4. Fourth is Romans 10:9-10. I mentioned these verses in yesterday’s blog. They tell us “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
  5. And finally we see a promise in Romans 10:13. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  

APPLICATION

I think the application is pretty clear in today’s verse. We have to admit that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Otherwise, we will drive blindly off the cliff of eternity into the pit of hell. In 1 Timothy 6:9, Paul is addressing the danger of sinful behaviors, especially greed. But this verse fits here today. “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction.” The Greek word for “plunge” is used one other time in Luke 5:7 when the disciples boats began to sink due to the large catch of fish. What a great picture of our verse today. Sin causes us to sink deeper and deeper.

But thanks be to God, we have an answer to this seemingly hopeless situation. God sent His Son Jesus to die to redeem us back to Himself. We “fall short” of God’s glory. We “fall short” of salvation on our own. The Greek word there is hustereos. The Topical Lexicon says this about the that word. “In the narrative arc of Scripture, human lack becomes the canvas upon which God paints redemption. Where hustereos surfaces, grace is poised to abound.” His grace is sufficient for us. Praise the Lord.

Are you falling short of God’s glory? Then stop trying and trust Him. He has already paid for the penalty of sin in your life. He can give you the freedom from sin you so desperately crave. Follow that Roman Road to salvation, if you haven’t already. If you have, share it with someone today.

Father God, thank You for redeeming me when I fell so short of Your glory.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Bible, Blessing, Glory, Honor, Peace, Reward, Scripture

THE PAYOFF

ROMANS 2:10

“but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

As a parent and grandparent, I have loved blessing my children and grandchildren. When my children were young, my wife and I would praise them and do special things on their birthday. I have a 13 month grandson who gets all sorts of hugs and kisses from us for every little thing he does (of course). I can’t wait until he can truly understand the concept of rewards and blessings. I want him to know that his actions can determine the response he receives in positive ways.

Oh, what a contrast today’s verse is with yesterday’s verse. Instead of tribulations and distress for doing evil, we who do good will receive glory, honor and peace. Wow! Who doesn’t want that? All it takes is for us to get those awesome things is to “do good.” Now, wait a minute, Paul. Is that really all it involves? We need to break down those two words to get a picture of what Paul is saying because he is not negating the saving power of Christ in this.

APPLICATION

The word “do” is really a present participle in the middle voice. Okay Carl, you just lost me. Well, hang on. It may read better as “who is continually doing of their own choice.” It’s not a one-time event in this person’s life. It’s their lifestyle. They seek to honor God by doing what He says when He says and how He says. It’s not their plan. It’s His. Isn’t that what Jesus did? John 5:19 says, “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.’”

Then there’s the word “good.” That’s the Greek word agathós which “originates from God and is empowered by Him in their life, through faith.” (HELPS Word studies) We see this talked about all through Scripture. Jesus told us a good tree only bears good fruit. It cannot bear bad fruit (Matthew 7:17-18). We are filled with the Holy Spirit as followers of Christ. He enables all that is good in us.

So, you have a choice. You can choose evil things and receive tribulations and distress, or you can choose to do good and receive glory, honor and peace. I’m on the second train, folks. Is it always easy to do what is good? No! Why? Our flesh gets in the way. Only by yielding to Him every second of every day can you continually do what is good. Go and to do that and receive glory, honor and peace.

O Lord, You are so gracious to bestow glory, honor and peace on me for simply obeying You. It is a joy to obey.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Bible, Decisions, Glory, Image, Scripture, Wisdom

BAD DEAL

ROMANS 1:23

“and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.”

Have you ever made a bad deal, one you wish later you had never done? I sure have. I’ve sold trucks I wish I had kept. I gotten rid of tools that I needed later. Most of those decisions were made by me without seeking the advice of anyone. It is so important to weigh out important decisions before making them. We have to look at the long term implications, don’t we?

Well, these individuals which Paul is referring to in today’s verse had made a terrible deal. They “exchanged” God’s glory for a manmade idol. The Greek word translated as “exchanged” is allassó. Look how the Topical Lexicon describes it. “Strong’s embraces the idea of an exchange or change—sometimes glorious, sometimes disastrous—depending on the context in which the verb appears. Across its six New Testament occurrences the term frames two great biblical polarities: (1) the fatal trade of God’s glory for idols and (2) the gracious transformation of people, customs and even the created order under the hand of God.” Let’s take a look at and another use for allassó.

APPLICATION

Probably one of the most quoted and utilized passages using allassó is found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. “51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (On a funny note, I’ve seen the last part of verse 51 hanging in a lot of church nurseries, lol) 

Change is not a bad thing if it’s done right. We will be changed one day into a glorious image which will be with the Lord forever. That’s a lot different than giving up that glory of God for an idol, isn’t it? If we give up what God has given us, we are on the wrong side of that deal. Now, I am not saying a true believer and follower of Christ can “unsave” themselves. They didn’t save themselves to begin with. But we can make horrible decisions that mar our testimony and injure our walk. Bad deals.

None of us have arrived, have we? We can all still continue to make good changes to become more like Christ. We can change behaviors that may lead us into sin. We can change friends who are not good influences. Change may mean making some hard decisions. Make sure any change you make is God-centered.

Lord, today help me make the changes I need to make to be more like Your Son, Jesus.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Bible, Boasting, Glory, Jesus, Pride, Rejoicing, Scripture

TAKE PRIDE IN JESUS

PHILIPPIANS 3:3

“for we are the true  circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh,”

I recently got a notification on my phone that I would have an IOS update (operating system). I normally look at what the latest update is supposed to do. Low and behold, one of the updates was for a new wallpaper theme for my phone, you know, those themed backgrounds. But this was one I was not interested in receiving. It was for Pride Month, a celebration of alternative lifestyles that I cannot condone. I will not be using that update.

Paul tells us clearly what we should take pride in – Christ Jesus. He tells the Philippian church that as followers of Christ we are the “true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus.” He goes on to say we “put no confidence in the flesh.” I don’t know how you could say it better than that. Jeremy Camp has a song I listen to a lot that has a line that says, “Holy Fire, burn away my desire, for anything that is not of You and that is of me, I want more of You and less of me.” That is Paul’s desire for you and me today.

APPLICATION

Taking pride in the right thing is a good thing. We often equate pride with being stuck up or arrogant. The quite opposite is true when we take pride in Jesus. The Greek word used here for “take pride” can also be translated “rejoice, boast, glory.” We see all of those in various translations of this verse. The word is used 38 times in the New Testament. But get this – it is used 26 times in 1 and 2 Corinthians. If I was a betting man, I would guess that church had a pride issue. Some were boasting in themselves or the wrong things. Paul kept pointing them back to boasting in the right thing – God alone.

You should really read 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 to get a full picture of the danger of pride in ourselves. Paul says it best in verse 17 there when he says, “But THE ONE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.” Paul may have had Jeremiah 9:23-24 in his thoughts as he penned this. Those verses say this, “23 This is what the LORD says: ‘Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”

So, let me ask you today – what are you taking pride in? Your wisdom, your might, your riches, yourself? As Jeremy Camp said, “I want more of You and less of me.” I choose today to rejoice, to boast, to glory in Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior. He and He alone is worthy of all our praise. Take pride in Him.

I glory in Jesus today, O Lord, and give Him all praise for what He has done for me.

Standard
Bible, Christ, Christ's Return, Glory, Revelation, Scripture

REVEALED IN GLORY

COLOSSIANS 3:4

“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

I was taking a drive with some friends recently in Jamaica which took us through a mountain pass. As we reached the other side of the mountain, we came around a curve to reveal the ocean and beaches on the north shore. It was breathtaking. This view had been hidden until we made that last little turn. Then the scene exploded with various shades of blue in the water and the white sand of the beach. It was truly glorious.

Paul tells us today that Christ will be revealed one day in His fullness. The Greek word for “revealed” is phaneróō. It means to reveal or uncover something that had been previously hidden. Paul uses this word twice in this verse. Christ will be revealed at some point when He returns to take us home. But we also will be revealed with Him in glory at that same time. This verb is in the Passive voice which means it will be done to us. Christ will “reveal” us in His glory. What a promise!

APPLICATION

In Mark 16 we see Jesus appear after His resurrection. Verse 12 says, “Now after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. Then in verse 14a we read, “Later He appeared to the eleven disciples themselves as they were reclining at the table;” Wouldn’t that have been marvelous to be a part of?

How does God reveal Himself today? Well, I believe what I beheld the other day on that road was a glimpse of His glory in creation. I see Him in the innocence of my seven month old grandson. I saw Him in the faces of men worshipping the other night. God is revealing Himself all around you. But you have to be looking.

I like how the Apostle John put it in 1 John 4:9. “By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.” One day we will be revealed with Him in glory. We will be part of His heavenly cohort when He makes that final appearing on earth as Judge and King. Get ready!

Lord, You are promising so many incredible things. I cannot wait to experience glory with Jesus. 

Standard
Bible, Filled, Glory, Hope, Scripture

CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY

COLOSSIANS 1:27

“to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 

I attended the memorial service of a dear saint of God last night. She is experiencing the glory in which she had hoped for decades. She died five days shy of 100 years old and had been a believer for several decades. In her last days, she longed for two things – to see her beloved husband of 63 years who preceded her to glory by ten years and to see her Savior. Her hope is fulfilled now.

This passage is a favorite of mine. Just read it. If you are not a Jewish believer in Christ, you fall into that category of the Gentiles. Paul says, “God willed to make known…the glory” to us. What a huge blessing! What a gift! You and I have this hope of glory because of Jesus. He is in you. He is in me. He reveals to His glory to us by living in us through the Holy Spirit.

APPLICATION

I can’t begin to describe this “hope of glory” better than Albert Barnes does. “This was the great truth which so animated the heart and fired the zeal of the apostle Paul. The wonderful announcement had burst on his mind like a flood of day, that the offer of salvation was not to be confined, as he had once supposed, to the Jewish people, but that all men were now placed on a level; that they had a common Saviour; that the same heaven was now opened for all, and that there were none so degraded and vile that they might not have the offer of life as well as others.”

Isn’t that great? Why do we hope in this glory? Because God promises it. He always delivers. There is no question about this hope. It is not a baseless hope. Through the centuries God has proven Himself faithful, and the culmination of that hope is Jesus. We place our hope in Him and Him alone.

But let me go back to that phrase “Christ in you.” Do you realize tha the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, indwells you as a believer? You are filled! You have all the Spirit. You simply have to allow Him to work. Get your flesh out of the way. Let Jesus through the Spirit live and work in you today.

Father God, I hope in You because I know You are faithful to fulfill all Your promises.

Standard
Bible, Blessing, Calling, Family, Glory, Humility, Scripture, Service, Uncategorized

NAMESAKE

EPHESIANS 3:15

“from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,”

My daughter and son-in-law gave me such a blessing a few weeks ago when our grandson was born. What was an even bigger blessing is they decided to name him Lucas Carl. He has my name. Why does that bless me? Well, I carry both of my grandfathers’ names – Carl Spence and Clarence William Willis. It’s kind of like carrying on the family name, in a way. Of course, my grandson has his dad’s last name (unless I can get him to change it, lol). Bearing someone’s name is an honor and privilege.

In today’s verse, Paul says all believers have their Father’s name. Now, he didn’t mean we all have to change our name to Jehovah. That would be kind of silly. What he meant was we are now all in the same family. We represent the Father. We are protected by the Father. This applies to all believers, alive or in heaven. We are all one big family.

APPLICATION

What does that mean for us? Well, first of all, it means we need to love each other. In John 13:34, Jesus tells us, “‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.’” How are you loving your fellow believer? Are you arguing about the color of the carpet in the sanctuary? How silly! We’re family.

Family means a lot of different things to people. Those who grew up in dysfunctional families can really struggle with the concept of family. They don’t understand that you can disagree and still love each other. Do you really think the disciples always got along? In Mark 10, we have a great story that I think illustrates this point. Remember when John and James asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left in glory? Read the following and see what happened.

John 10:41-45 says, “41 Hearing this, the other ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.’”

So, love each other and serve each other. That’s what family does!

Thank You, Lord, for making me part of Your family.

Standard
Appearance, Bible, Blameless, Glory, Justified, Modeling, Obedience, Restoration, Scripture, Witnessing

HIS WORKMANSHIP

EPHESIANS 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

There is no deep definition of the Greek word for “workmanship.” It simply means a thing made, a product. But just look at the product. I have mentioned before how much of a craftsman my dad was. He could look at a picture of something and then build it. I can still see his workmanship in our homeplace. He built that house in the late 50’s. It’s hard to believe that house is almost 70 years old. But my dad’s workmanship still shows.

Paul points out that God made us, fashioned us “in Christ Jesus for good works.” Albert Barnes says this about us being God’s workmanship. “There cannot be conceived to be a stronger expression to denote the agency of God in the conversion of people, or the fact that salvation is wholly of grace.” Because of God’s workmanship in us, we are able to carry out this work of grace into other people’s lives.

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “workmanship” is only used one other time in the New Testament. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Just as the world should be able to see God in creation, they should be able to see Him in us, as believers in Christ.

Is His workmanship visible in your life? Do others see Jesus in you? That’s a hard question. You can’t just put Jesus on like a suit or a dress for Sunday and go to church smiling and singing hallelujah. God’s workmanship should be visible to others 24/7. When you stop to get gas and the guy behind you keeps honking his horn, let His workmanship be seen. When your order at the restaurant is wrong, let His workmanship be seen.

God’s works are perfect, right? That means His workmanship in you is perfect. We have no right to mess that up with our excuses. I am NOT pointing fingers. I am as guilty as the next guy of falling short of showing God’s workmanship. I want to be a showcase of His glory. Don’t you?

I am amazed that You would consider me worthy to be touched by Your hands.

Standard
Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Glory, Grace, Love, Power, Riches, Scripture

BOUNDLESS RICHES

EPHESIANS 2:7

“so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” 

I am sure you have heard stories about rich people and their luxurious lifestyles. It’s on television all the time. Names like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are usually among the top 10 richest. But who was the richest person ever? Mansa Musa (1280-1337)! They say his wealth was incomprehensible. Ever heard of him? I hadn’t either which goes to show you money isn’t the answer to everything.

Aren’t you glad Paul wasn’t talking about monetary riches in today’s verse? God promises us “boundless riches of His grace.” The Greek word used for “boundless” is huperballó. It’s only used five times in the New Testament, three times in Ephesians (1:9; here, and 3:19) and two times in 2 Corinthians (3:10 and 9:14). I want us to look at what Paul uses this word to describe.

APPLICATION

In 2 Corinthians 3:10, Paul uses huperballó to describe God’s glory. “…because of the glory that surpasses it.” Later in the same letter, Paul uses the word to describe God’s grace. 9:14 says, “while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.” So, we have God’s glory that is surpassing and God’s grace which is surpassing.

Then in Ephesians, we saw back in 1:19 “and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Then the last time Paul uses huperballó is in this letter to the Ephesians in chapter 3 and verse 19. “and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.” That means in Ephesians, Paul uses that word to describe God’s great power, His great love through Christ and the riches of His grace.

Paul really liked that word, didn’t he? Through the Holy Spirit, he penned those words so long ago which still ring true in our ears. God’s surpassing glory, surpassing grace, surpassing riches of His grace, surpassing greatness of His power and His surpassing love. Wow! God’s riches are truly surpassing. Are you an heir to all of this? If you are a believer in Jesus, you are the richest person in the world!

Thank You, Lord, for the surpassing riches of Your grace towards me.

Standard