Growing in Love Until the Day I Die: The Glory! (Warning: Lengthy)

I was in the middle of a meeting with one of my supervisors about the activities of the college activities board when as we were talking about a possibility of movies to show on campus he once again mention a favorite of his, Seven Days in Utopia. It's a movie about a golfer who loses it while competing, so bad to the part that his caddie, which is also his father just leaves. The movie show his progression from handling his weaknesses and turning them into strengths. However at the end of the movie he goes to shoot his last putt which could land him the championship. The movie doesn't show it, and ends with a deep, thoughtful statement. The producers put a website on the screen right after that to take people to a site where the answer of whether he made the putt or not is answered.

My supervisor had told me that ending many times, but I never looked it up. Being right beside I actually decided to change that. At the main page was the video that answered this question of mine, but what I got from that video was more than just a satisfying answer, but an insight into the topic of glory.

How they answered the question was interesting. The producer himself read the first chapter of the sequel of the book, which inspired the movie. The character was contemplating glory, and how it too much for one man to carry, how it is impossible for one man to carry, and yet people thrive just to put someone on this pedestal so they can give glory to someone or something.

Then it all clicked (And I love it when it does that, it so makes my day).

Philippians 4:14 "For man nothing is possible, but with God all things are possible."

Which means!! (Insert dramatic hand gestures)

With God it is possible for Him glory is nothing for Him. He is able to hold it, all of it, and not drop it, so to speak.

When His chosen people had escaped Egypt, they went to camp at the base of a mountain while the fellow that lead them out traveled up a mountain to receive new instruction from God which would launch the rest of the world into a new moral era. But while he was gone they had nothing to do, no famous people to talk about, no famous author to discuss his latest novel, no famous football player to discuss his role as an athlete and a Christian, no famous speaker or worship team from California to play their songs or preach their messages. They were hungry to glorify, to worship, to praise, however you want to say it!

And so they made a golden cow.

But not even that hunk of metal could hold the power of glory that humans possess, and we do hold a mysterious power in glorifying.

It is even hard to resist the affect that glory brings on a person. If someone who leads and performs well is admired then the glory can lead to pride, and this can even happen in a Christian setting.

Recognition of someone that lives their life and their career out for God is not a bad thing at all, it is not my intention to disregard someone's status in the social media for being known to proclaim the name of Christ. In fact I admire those who fight that struggle to stay invisible while they give the glory to God to hold. That is a mighty feat to do, which is what I'm realizing and is why I'm writing this today.

The danger I see and fear is when we who are not in their spot lift these well known artists of ministry (and even worse, those well-known artists who art not giving the name of God its just position) higher recognition than Jesus.

Francis Chan began his sermon with the same topic at Catalyst in the year of 2012. Michael Gungor performed excellently before Mr. Chan spoke, and he asked by applause how well they think they performed. He then said 'how about giving Jesus some praise too?'. Immediately after that he dropped the hammer and replied, 'Do you know what you just did? You just put Michael Gungor and Jesus on the same level'. You could have heard a pin drop in an arena of 13,000 leaders. His point that he made was that when it comes to those who receive the credit for lifting God and Jesus who they give the glory MUST (not should) must be in two total separate categories.

And that truth I want to echo in this blog. Next time we're talking about these wonderful people (yes we, because I fall short of this as well) let us not forget, or at least let us remember who put them here, who gave them their talent, and who gave them the opportunity to be up on that stage, or on that shelf.\

So lets try to not give our power of glory to these people who cannot handle it. It is our of their realm of possibilities to hold such a strength that when they crumble due to its immense strength we not cast judgment on them for something that we did. After all they are just like, they bleed, breath thrive, and struggle just like we who are buying their discs and are right in front of the stage. Let us instead turn the glory to God who can bear this terribly awesome power. You never know what might happen when God received the glory for what He did. He may continue to make new and powerful sermons and even greater worship albums. I may be as so crazy as to say and believe that the blind may see, the lame walk, and the dead even rise! Maybe even your dear friends and family may come to know Him who is so famous because you make Him famous. He doesn't need us to make Himself famous but He gave us governance over this world when He made us. Therefore we govern who we make famous, so let's govern it right.