Psalm 115:1 ~ “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory,”

Of course that’s true. Always true. Always.

Which is why I was so struck reading John 17:22 when Jesus prays, “I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one:”

God gave us His glory? Why would He do that?

One reason is in the second half of the verse, “…that they may be one as We are one”

How does God giving us His glory bring unity and peace – oneness with others? Look at the meaning of ‘glory.’ Strong’s defines glory as:

• majesty – a thing belonging to God
• the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity
• a most glorious condition, most exalted state
• magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace
• opinion, judgement, view: in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory

This is how He sees us. Because this is what He has given us in Christ. The majesty belonging to Jesus – His dignity, excellence, glorious condition – is now ours as well.

And if God now sees us through the lens of this glory, it begs two questions:

How do we see ourselves?

How do we see others?

Imagine if we saw:

• excellence instead of failure
• dignity instead of disgrace
• majesty instead of insignificance

What if we saw ourselves and others through this lens – a person belonging to God, made in His image, chosen, forgiven, perfected – those whom God raised up with Christ, and seated with Him in the heavenly realms?

If we choose to see others as God sees them, how can there be anything other than unity?

And if we chose to see ourselves as God sees us, just imagine what that would produce in our lives.

To God be the glory forever and ever!!