"Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"
Simple Prayer: Show me your glory.
Read for Context (What does it say? Read 3x): Luke 14:13-35
Read for Insight (What does it mean?):
His Relentless Love: What is glory? It is the revelation of a person's character and nature their deepest identity. When Jesus is glorified, his deepest identity is revealed.
Jesus uttered the previous seven phrases to help us connect his suffering to his identity. In this story, he is reiterating the lesson to give his life as a ransom, he had to suffer and die. This reveals his true deepest identity. He is a God of relentless love who will go to the most desperate lengths to pay the debt of sin and liberate humanity from the curse of death. He had to die in order to demonstrate the supremacy of the resurrection. He delivered not only an escape from sin but the power to live a victorious life. He ascended to heaven to provide the hope of eternal life.
Jesus has now entered his glory! He is infinitely powerful but chooses to be known as a God of relentless love.
Our Response: Jesus chose the Church to be the embodiment of his identity. It is through his people that the world sees the heart of the Suffering Servant, the power of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life (that starts right now)! Each of us carries the privilege of reflecting Christ's glory by expressing his relentless love right here, right now!
Read for Application (How should I respond?)
Say/write a short prayer of commitment. In a journal or in the comments below.
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