❤️ First Love Weekly #28: To Him Be the Glory

This is Daniel’s prayer after God revealed to him the meaning of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s mysterious dream so that he and his friends can avoid death.

Soon after, the king asks Daniel whether he is able to interpret the dream, to which he responds, “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Dan. 2:28). After Daniel shares the message he received, the king “[falls] prostrate before Daniel and [pays] him honor” (Dan. 2:46) and proclaims, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings” (Dan. 2:47).

Reflecting on this story, I am reminded of the following verse by John: “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). In converse order, the verse can also be read this way: “I must become less; He must become greater.”

And the Lord revealed the following to me:

If we strive and do things on our own accord and discover success, we may feel transient senses of happiness and pride. However, we as humans are incapable of finding eternal joy from our own derivatives— as a result, self-seeking successes only beget the desire for more and eventually become a poisonous well of greed. And greed has a tendency to rob all forms of joy, leaving no room for gratification and peace. Not only that, self-driven successes often instigate jealousy in others and propel them to stretch themselves and strive, ultimately giving birth to a vicious cycle that takes on a life of its own.

Contrary to this, when we seek God and pursue Him with all we have, He takes care of our concerns (Matt. 6:33) and creates room for us to bear the fruits of the Spirit. By doing so, we naturally begin witnessing His love and mercy to those around us. People notice those who carry the presence of God; when they do, we are given opportunities to give glory to the Almighty God— instead of ourselves. What happens when we do this? We not only become less so that He can be greater, but we also open the door for people to see Him instead of our flawed selves and allow the Spirit to work in their hearts to also experience the everlasting goodness of Christ.

When we become great, it leads us and others to death. When God becomes great, it leads everyone to life. I believe this is why God and Jesus both warn us time and time again to put our pride aside and humble ourselves before Him.

Today, I encourage you, my beloved brothers and sisters, to seek God and lay everything that is on your heart and minds at the feet of Jesus Christ.

Are you worried about your health, relationships, work, finances, and a hundred other things? Let Jesus know, and simply give him a chance to work it out with you.

When God first created mankind, He blessed us and intended for us to be fruitful, to increase in number, to fill the earth, and to subdue it (Gen. 1:28). Yet, tragically, too many of us have let the concerns of this world lead us astray from the unique purpose God intended for us. Jesus warned us of this too in the Parable of the Sower.

The world expects us to sprint and be more productive and responsive by the day, but the One above all is calling on us to slow down and walk with Him. All those who are weary and burdened, this is a calling for us to approach Jesus together.

Jesus promises us rest we so desperately need (Matt. 11:28) for a purpose greater than our selfish desires combined.

With love,
Jae

“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:3-5)