Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, February 9, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
As a culture, we in the U.S. are pretty obsessed with personal glory. It’s not enough that we have a decent job, family, enough money to live on, etc. (Though a whole lot of us don’t have these things at all.) We need to be recognized. Remembered. Immortalized. We have to write the great American novel or be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or win an Oscar. It originates out of a fear of our own mortality and is exploited by corporations offering a whole host of get-rich-and-famous-quick products and services. We worship celebrities and professional athletes and spend our time wishing we could have what they have. And if, by some miracle, we actually achieve that level of personal glory, we are often left wondering, “Is this it?”
How can we believe in Jesus if we believe in Kim Kardashian? How can we do what God calls us to do if we are obsessed with the things we want to do? How can we have the humility to turn to God for all things if what matters to us is notoriety? Jesus says we can’t. Period. Glory is from God alone, and glory belongs to God alone. When we give up our need for personal glory and turn over our fear of mortality to God, we are set free to be what God wants us to be. And no matter how simple it is, it’s far more glorious than anything we could have wished.
What is my definition of an ideal life? Do I think it’s aligned with what God wants for me?