Photo credit: Lisa Stager (Sunset over Bud lake 2010)
Imagine my surprise as I opened this blog and was reminded of the subject of my last post on here entitled: 'The Power Of Our Words'
Why the surprise?
God has been speaking pretty clearly to me as of late. The subject seems to be mostly about talking, you know..using words.
Well, sometimes I use too many words, Ha Ha!
This past week has proven to be quite difficult for me as I have developed several canker sores inside my mouth. We don't really know what causes mouth sores, and according to my doctor it is not any of the medications that I'm on. She examined my mouth and did discover that I do have a B1 (complex) vitamin deficiency as is evidenced by cracks and sores at the corners of my mouth. She could not conclude that this was in any way related to the canker sores inside my mouth though.
So it has been very difficult to speak. I would rather remain silent than to suffer the consequences of trying to talk too much.
I believe that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes however, I do forget this.
Again, I was reminded of Job in the Bible..and I could relate (to a point) because of my own health battles these last few years..God is not to blame for our suffering in this life, but there are good reasons that God might allow this suffering. I used to believe that we were never really meant to fully understand why this is. Now I believe that it is during these times of hardship that God speaks to us on a deeper level..IF we choose to listen to Him.
When you cannot speak without severe pain you are forced to choose carefully what you say..You are also forced to listen more. This is hard to do for some of us.
Being more silent has also allowed me to think more, and suffering with more pain prompted me to ask the question "Why am I suffering so? What is God trying to teach me through this time?"
I am starting to feel a lot better today as I write this, but I do not want to forget what I am learning..I don't want this lesson to slip away as I become more comfortable and ease back into my old habit of talking too much and missing the point of carefully listening to what God and others are really saying to me..especially to what God is saying.
The words keep coming to the surface: 'GLORIFY' and 'PRAISE'. Specifically, the question: "What/whom do you glorify and what/whom do you praise?"
In thinking this over, I realize that we may think we have understanding of what these words mean..but..Do we really?
Lets start with the dictionary meanings of the word 'GLORIFY':
2: to light up brilliantly
Chandeliers glorified the entire room.
3a: to represent as glorious : extola song glorifying romantic love
b: to cause to be or seem to be better than the actual condition
the new position is just a glorified version of the old stockroom job
4: to give glory to (as in worship)
Okay, so here we see how we can glorify other things besides God. and I believe the point that was included here in 3b is worth taking a closer look at especially in relation to the next definition (4).
To do this I am going to reference This site which I highly recommend and trust.
Begin excerpt..
First, to glorify means to shine, to demonstrate and to manifest the divine. (Exodus 16:7; 24:16) In other words, glory represents the Lord’s presence.
Throughout Biblical history, God manifested Himself in the Shekinah
Glory and He was shown forth in the Pillar of cloud and fire that
traveled with God’s people and that rested on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 24:15-18)
That glory also filled the tabernacle in the wilderness. Listen to Exodus 40:34-35: “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” Often the Shekinah Glory would come at the hour of sacrifice. (See Leviticus 9:6, 23.)
Solomon’s temple was another anointed place where God’s glory permanently dwelt. (See 1 Kings 8:11; 2 Chronicles 7:1-3)
His glory could be seen emanating from the temple for miles around.
Also, God’s glory could be seen through some of the Old Testament
prophets’ visions (Ezekiel 1:28; Isaiah 40:4-5), through Stephen in the New Testament (Acts 7:55), and through storms and other displays of God’s character. (Psalms 19:1-6; 57:11; 96:3; Isaiah 2:10) And, God’s glory is something we will all see when Christ returns. (1 Peter 2:12)
The second aspect of the word glory means to reflect, to show forth,
to demonstrate and to express the image of an object or person that it
may be seen by all. It means to add something to someone’s character that it, in itself, does not have. In the New Testament doxazo can mean to signify, extol and ascribe honor to. (John 11:4; 12:16, 23; 13:31; Matthew 5:16; 9:8; 15:31; Romans 15:6, 9; Galatians 1:24; 1 Peter 4:16) It is most often used of an external manifestation. According
to the Bible, to glorify God means to bring Christ’s innate glory or
radiance to light, to manifest it or to reflect it. (John 17:1)
Glory, then, seems to be the vehicle that conveys and reveals the true presence of God. In Scripture, glory
means possession of the character, beauty and majesty that belong to
the Lord. It means an exact representation of His being. It means
reflecting His presence, His essence, His Life and His Name. Thus, to glorify God is to manifest all that God is. It’s showing forth His Self and not our own. (John 14:13; 16:14) It’s His glory brought to light in us. (John 11:4; 17:1, 5)
End excerpt
In light of these verses and with understanding to the biblical meaning of the word 'GLORIFY", I now ask you once again: What/Whom do you glorify?
Now, remember the definition (part 3b) at the beginning of this essay?
b: to cause to be or seem to be better than the actual condition ie:the new position is just a glorified version of the old stockroom job
This causes me to conclude that anyone or anything that we glorify other than God Himself is never worthy of such glory as our God!
Therefore, we show our love and respect for Him through our words, our actions, and our PRAISE.
So, what is the lesson I'm learning here through these last few days of suffering in silence?
I believe God wants me to stop glorifying people or things that are not worthy of my praise. This is something different from simply appreciating someone and giving them due credit for achievements or something they may have done to bless me or someone else..I am talking about the way we tend to give undo credit to, or give other people (or ourselves) too much importance..we worship them instead of worshiping the One who endowed them with whatever attributes they may possess. This also applies to objects in our lives..that can easily become idols to us. Again, I would like to remind you of this definition:
3a:to represent as glorious (I think this should say misrepresent): extol..
b: to cause to be or seem to be better than the actual condition
Maybe if instead of glorifying and praising ourselves or another individual, we started to give credit to our Creator..it would redirect the focus onto God and off of whatever idols we may have set up in our hearts and minds..which are our internal altars.
