God’s glory

Am I a Signpost or a Destination?

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6 NKJV

Imagine that you are headed for Niagara Falls. You can’t wait to get there, because, though you have never been there before, you have heard from others about its amazing beauty and power. Along the way you see a signpost ahead, “Niagara Falls, 30 miles.” Though, you get excited to see the sign, and grateful that your destination is close, you do not pull over, get out of your car and set up camp. No! You have not traveled to see the signpost. You want to see the real thing!

Photo by Alexander Kovalev on Pexels.com

That is a funny thought, but strange as it may sound, we who have been Christians for a while, can easily begin to think that we are the destination instead of the signpost, and we forget that our only job is to point the way to Jesus.

In today’s verse, the phrase, “The Lord is my helper,” is such a curious term that, since I didn’t understand it, I mentally filed it away under the heading, “Check back later.” It felt awkward because Jesus was certainly not under my command. I knew that He was far more than a good handyman to call when the kitchen sink springs a leak. But when I looked it up, I discovered that the Greek word here does not mean that God is our servant. Instead, it says that He is someone who shows up when I am in a fight with someone stronger than me and chases them off. But unfortunately, it is our tendency to take credit for what God has done, forgetting that we are just supposed to be the signpost. There is nothing amazing about a signpost. No one puts a parking area around a sign or builds a 5-star hotel for people to stay overnight there. As signposts we simply point to Jesus and His amazing power, love, and mercy. And He promises us that if we are faithful, one day we will do more than point the way to Him: We will arrive in Heaven, see Him face to face and worship at the feet of Jesus Christ!

Glory to God in the Highest!

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Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14 KJV

I am a big fan of the carol, “Angels We Have Heard on High.” and sometimes call it “the country Christmas carol,” because an angel showed up out in the country where shepherds were watching their sheep. But the first angel who came announcing the birth of the baby, was soon surrounded by an entire choir of angels singing, “Glory to God in the Highest!” That angel choir reminds us that Christmas is not just about Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. Christmas is about God revealing Himself in a manger. Just as the smallest candle can light the darkest room, so God’s glory shone the brightest when He came as an innocent, helpless child in the darkness of that night in the stable. Then, angels carried the message; a star led the wise men and shepherds ran to worship as God’s glory touched earth in Bethlehem.

The words of the choir of, – Angels We Have Heard on High – “Glo-ooooo-ooooo-oooooria! In excelsis Deo,” are Latin for “Glory to God in the highest. “When the message of God’s glory rings out from our hearts, though our situation may not change, we are filled with joy. If we will invite Him in, Jesus has come to be born in the very darkest places of our lives. He has come to shine God’s glory around us and to bring His good will to men. 

Angels We Have Heard on High from the French"Les Anges dans nos campagnes" Music by Wilfrid Moreau. Translated in 1842 by James Chadwick

Filled With Messages From Thee

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 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

Someone once asked, “Why do we write?” But instead of “why,” perhaps that their real question was rather, “Why should we write?” Now that is a great question, and it has a variety of good answers, because it all depends on who we intend for our audience to be. For example, if I were I to make a diary entry, my hope would be that no one but myself would ever see it. On the other hand, should I be putting together a report for a property manager on what steps would be needed to get a home ready for rental, my proper audience would grow by at least one. As Christian writers, sometimes we are tempted to think that our sole obligation is to write for God. But if we would be honest, most of us also want someone besides Jesus to read what we have put on a page. Perhaps the best answer lies within the words of the hymn Frances Havergal wrote titled, “Take My Life and Let it Be.” In her challenging lyrics, she tells us that her moments, her days, and even her hands, and feet, as well as her will and wealth are all meant to be her offering to God. As writers we would do well to notice her third verse’s ending couplet:

“Take my lips and let them be 
Filled with messages from Thee”

As Frances Havergal notes, our messages are not just for God, they should also be from Him and for others. As writers, connecting our audiences to God is our unique and urgent calling. So, let’s shed false modesty about only writing for an audience of one. Jesus hasn’t called us to write only for Him, rather to connect with as many precious people as possible to tell them of the riches of the glories of our God and King!