Grasping for glory (self glory — the wrong kind of glory)

Grasping for glory (self glory — the wrong kind of glory)

Summer Series 2022

When we make the thing — whatever that thing is — greater than the King.

Making a big deal about the thing and instead of the King.

Symbols are no substitute for living and loving the person or message they represent. Crosses are pretty but they're only a symbol. And anyone can have a cross in their yard or in front of their church or hang them on their walls at home or even around their neck... but not just anyone can love and live for Jesus. That takes someone who's been transformed by Him and His redeeming grace. It's one thing to wear a cross but it's another thing to deny ourselves and take up our crosses (God's mission and assignment) and follow after
Him (Jesus), who gave His life for ours.

In our Summer Series we find that Israel thought if they could get the ark of the covenant (a symbol) to the battlefield, they would surely win the war. But symbols can never replace the presence of the person they represent. They're like shadows... they are powerless. They quickly found out... that their diligent efforts and shouts of hope and confidence in a symbol only leads to misery and defeat. They took matters in their own hands and acted on something that God NEVER established. And we are told that it is God who ESTABLISHES the steps of His champions of truth and grace (Psalm 37:23). Israel went out on a limb of faith, but the problem with they're faith and their limb was that God wasn't in the tree or on the ground to catch them when they failed.

God does NOT value independent initiative. Let me repeat that: God does not value independent initiative (Proverbs 3:5-6). If He ain't behind i