The Glory is In the Self-Denial

When I think of the glory of God, I think of two things.  


First, I think of bright light like the sun. Funny that in the Transfiguration, when Jesus reveals his glory to Peter, James, and John, the Bible describes it as bright light and says that Jesus' face "shone like the sun."  (As an aside, I think the glory of God is his love in all its fullness.)


Second, I think of God's glory as being revealed in those events where his power and victory are clearly displayed, e.g., creation, the Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost, Judgment Day. I think I am correct in this, yet I know, through revelation, that the highest way God reveals his glory is through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  To my natural mind, this is strange because there is nothing glorious about the crucifixion; it is humiliation to the core.  But, it is not just humiliation to the core; it is also love to the core; and since God's glory is the fullness of his love, and since love, by its nature, is sacrificial, the greatest display of God's glory is in the sacrificial act of the crucifixion.


The fact is, I have the same glory in me that Jesus had at the Transfiguration.  It is true that this glory or love of God enables me to deny myself, to have my own little "crucifixions" throughout the day; however, it is more than that: it is in the self-denial.   As God's glory was most manifested in the death of Jesus, so it is most manifested in all the ways I die to myself.