As we enter Passion Week, how are you preparing to observe Christ’s death and resurrection? This second devotion calls provides us with a challenge to go deeper in experiencing Christ’s glory:

IN WORD –Where is God glorified? Is it in our stylish appearance on Sunday mornings? Our impressive displays of talent and skill? Our ability to influence others? Maybe sometimes, but most of us know that’s not where the God of glory dwells. Despite His majestic splendor, He’s much more humble than that. Ours is a God who, during His incarnation, dwelt in a feeding trough at birth and rode a donkey at the height of His popularity. The exalted Lord Jesus has never really appeared “exalted” to our worldly eyes.
Why is that? He could certainly impress us all the time with parted seas and with blazing fires by night. He could clearly fill a temple with His awesome presence. Why did the Everlasting Father clothe Himself as a Suffering Servant?
Because glory is about His character, not about His appearance. And character shows up best when circumstances are worst. It’s the same with us. Nobody really judges us by the way we appear at our best; they size us up when we’re under a burden. The contrast between light and darkness shows up when we’re one and our environment is the other. So it is with God.
Many think the glory of God is reflected in great cathedrals, and perhaps it is. But it is also reflected in the slums of third-world megacities and the mental hospitals of postwar generations. The cathedrals allow observers to praise man’s ingenuity; the slums and wards are so dreadful that any evidence of God in them is clear. No one has trouble finding light when all else is dark.
IN DEED – Don’t strive for the glory of God by reaching for the heights. Seek it by plunging into the depths. That’s what Jesus did, leaving eternal majesties for the corrupt environment of earth, and oh, how God was glorified. That’s the direction in which He calls us as well. Go down. Show His love to broken sinners; proclaim His mercy in trash-filled streets; and shine your light in dark ghettoes. Jesus dove deep for us. He calls us to dive deep for Him. “If Christ were here, He would help them, and so must I.” – Toyohiko Kagawa (on his mission to Kobe’s slum dwellers) (in “Heaven on Earth” by Chris Tiegreen)

It’s easy to just sit in a pew for a Good Friday or Easter service. It’s a whole other level to follow Jesus and carry His Cross. If you have time, maybe consider helping out at Union Gospel Mission, the Bread of Life Mission, visit the Kin On Nursing Home, or other humanitarian ministry this coming week – or shortly after Easter. You may find your passion for Christ deepens as you experience His passion for humanity. May the Holy Spirit deepen your understanding of Jesus’ love and have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam