From Glory to Glory; Vessel to Vessle

-





2 Corinthians 3:18 

   "And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from (one degree of) glory to (even more) glory, which comes from the Lord, (Who is the Spirit)." (Amplified Bible)


Wow! This sounds so exciting, doesn't it!  To be constantly changed by the Lord from one level of glory to another! You might say- I want this!  But hold on a minute. Not so fast. These levels don't just change automatically. If you read on into the next chapter, you will see that there is a process. There is no price for salvation. Period. It is that free gift from God through Christ's redemptive work and power on the cross and His resurrection. But, after that- there is a life to be lived for the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:8-18 talks about all the things that life entails: hard-pressed on every side- but not crushed. Perplexed but not in despair. It goes on: persecuted but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. And the list goes on. Now, you may never have been persecuted, or abandoned- but surely- if you have lived for any length of time- you have encountered troubles and trials: sickness, sorrow, grief, financial woes, family crises, etc. But, when we allow God to be in charge of our lives, then the things that we are faced with are only a means to the end. God uses these trials and hard times to mature us, to develop us, to develop our gifts and talents. If we were to be left in a life of ease: no problems, no trials, then we would never be proven, we would never grow, mature or be closer to the Lord.

He is the Author and Perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End- even of our lives. He is the one Who has birthed that mustard seed of faith within us and He is the One- Whom- if we allow Him, to bring that to full maturity.

Just as wine is allowed to be proven, to mature- we must go through many conflicts and struggles in our lives. In ancient times, wine was placed inside of a vessel and from time to time, the winemaker, would decide to pour it into another vessel, to purge it of the lees, the dregs, the sediment that would settle to the bottom of the vessel. He pours the wine from vessel to vessel ( Jeremiah 48: 11-12) to rid it of its impurities. He does this repeatedly until the desired aroma, flavor and character is to the winemakers satisfaction.

God does this to us, His children, to perfect us, mature us, and bring us into another level of glory. From glory to glory. It doesn't happen overnight. We have a whole life ahead of us to allow God to bring us into that place of perfection- maturity- to just the right place where our aroma, character and flavor- will be pleasing and satisfying to Him.

So, the next time you are facing a battle, a struggle, a test or trial- remember- if you have fully submitted your life to God and are allowing Him to be in full charge of your life- consider this time to be a time of being poured from one vessel to another, leaving the dregs- the bitterness, the works of flesh- and being purged and purified- so that you will offer up to Him a sweet aroma. (2 Corinthians 2:15). We become that sweet fragrance to Christ.

Glory to glory. Vessel to vessel. Being poured out. Look for the Master's Hand in each and every situation that you find yourself in. Lean on Him during trials and hard times. He will bring you out to the other side. And then one day, there will come a final emptying of our vessel. We will be poured out of this vessel into our eternal one- into the Presence of God! We will shed this earthly tabernacle and enter into His presence. There will be no more sediment to deal with - because we will be in the Presence of God.

Don't lose hope! Don't give up or give in to your circumstances. Look to Jesus Who is able to bring you on through. He is your victory! Stay in the Word, stay before the Lord in prayer and attitude. Lean hard on Him at all times, and He will see you through - from glory to glory!

 

To listen to the entire message, :"From Vessel to Vessel"- visit the link below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AIJ-n6VUmw

 

~Donna


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let Earth Receive Her King!

-
Image
  I love this time of year and I especially love the old Christmas carols. One of my favorites is “Joy to The World”. The words are so relevant to today. If you really look at the verses of many of the old carols, you get the whole picture of why Jesus came to earth as a baby. Many of them take you from the prophecies of old up to the age of glory when Christ shall rule and reign on this earth. One of the verses in “Joy to the World” says- “Let earth receive her King.” When Jesus walked on this earth many thought that He was going to set up His earthly kingdom at that time. In fact, most of His disciples and the Pharisees thought that He would .(See Luke 17: 20-24 ) But His kingdom was and is not of this world ( John 18:36 ). I was just reminded of this recently when I recalled the words of this song. We must let earth—receive Him as King- our “earth” meaning our lives. We are earthly- but we receive His spirit when we come to Him and allow Him to fill us with His Spirit. Sad
Read more

Extravagant Devotion Series ~ Introduction

-
Image
Scripture reference John 12:1-8; Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9 I saw this phrase “extravagant devotion” in one my study Bibles as it was describing Mary’s devotion for Christ.   It set me thinking and searching about my own devotion to God and what it was in Mary to have this phrase attributed to her. So, I began to do a little digging and praying. The Webster Dictionary defines “extravagant” as: "exceeding the limit of reason or necessity, lacking in moderation, balance and restraint, extremely or excessively elaborate and spending much more than necessary." There are a lot of moderate, balanced and restrained Christians in the Church today.   But God is seeking those a little “off balanced” with a lifestyle of giving “more than necessary” in their worship and devotion.   He is looking for those who display and live a life of “extravagant devotion” to Him.   This isn’t a fleshly display that we often see in churches and meetings today.   I personally
Read more

Embrace Expectancy

-
Image
 "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him". Psalm 62:5     Back in December I had  been sensing a hovering of God’s Spirit over me, a nearness- just like a whisp of air that comes into a room. I try to stay open to what He is up to. I felt a quivering, a stirring deep within my spirit. In prayer, I sensed that something was being birthed in my spirit. Last year it was the Women’s meetings. I have no idea at this point what it is this time. I feel new life, a new anointing, a fresh vision coming.  It has been said that when women first sense that they are pregnant, carrying new life inside of them, that they will feel a quivering, a fluttering, like birds’ wings fluttering. That is how I was feeling. Before the end of the year I  purchased a new planner for my desk. I usually start filling it up with appointments, birthdays, etc. But I felt to do something I had never done before. I had Keith and me lay hands on it and dedicate the new year to
Read more