Glory of God!!

On Thursday I had the opportunity of leading the morning devotion. The text for the devotion was Psalm 19.

As we come together and begin our day in the glorious presences of God, please take a moment and center yourself on the Glory of God by reflecting on the following question as the music (How Great Is Our God) play softy: How have you experienced the glory of God?

Psalm 19 calls us to reflect on the glory of God. The first dimension of our reflection is God's Creation which is affirmed in the first six verses. As we sit in this place do not limit yourself to the physical cosmos of God's creation. God’s footprint was in the minds of all the people that made this trip possible—this includes but not limited to: the faculty and staff of Louisville Seminary, travel agents, tour guides, package handlers, flight
attendants, pilots, hotel workers, porter and we cannot forget about the countless individuals who made a financial contribution to make this travel seminar possible. We give thanks, honor, and glory to God for those individuals.

We have seen the Glory of God at the sites we have visited: Caesarea Maritima, Megiddo, Akko, Zippori, Nazareth, and the Church of the Annunciation. These sites have provided us with glimpses of the Glory of God; as we tote around our cameras to take a small snapshots of God's creation.

This Psalm also affirms that the glory of God is revealed in and throughout scripture. We are currently in a land where many canons of scriptures exist; each God claiming they have the Word of God. Let us show due diligence to honor and respect their canon. For our Jewish brothers and sisters it is the Old Testament. For Christians it is the Old and New Testaments; while our Muslim brothers and sisters read from the Koran. Verses 7-11 are true of any canon of scripture. All scripture is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, righteous, more precious than gold, and sweeter than honey.

Finally, this text affirms the glory of God is revealed in the lives of humanity. When we turn from sin and when our hidden sins are revealed to us, our lives will reflect the glory of God.

As you go through the day reflect on my question and share the answer(s) with someone. God let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.