The Daily Word of Righteousness

Exalting the Lord Alone

And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isaiah 2:17)

The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. In what day? In the day when we surrender our self-will and self-seeking to God and permit the Father and the Son to sit on the throne of our life.

Salvation occurs in three stages: basic salvation, being filled with the Spirit of God, and entering union with the Father through Christ. It is the third stage that is the goal of redemption.

God will not give His glory to another. To receive the Glory of God we must become one with Him.

As we enter the third stage of salvation, union with the Father through Christ, we understand the meaning of "the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." Gone is our desire to exalt ourselves, our ambition, our lust for preeminence. In its place is a quiet rest in God.

The Lord Jesus is our example. He did not grasp His relationship to the Father. He was a lowly, humble man. He was at home among the poor. Always in every situation He gave the glory to God. He was at rest in the Father, totally free from the need to exalt Himself.

Every member of the Servant of the Lord must permit the Spirit of God to deal with him or her until the desired state of oneness with Christ and God is attained. As long as we are seeking our own glory we make all sorts of blunders in our relationships with God and people. But when the Lord alone is exalted we are fruitful.

The world is not waiting for you or me. The world is waiting for God. Jesus Christ came to bring God to people. Now He is the Vine and from the Vine are growing branches. On the branches are being formed the fruit of righteousness and praise. When the nations behold our oneness in God, and the resulting fruit, they will believe that God has sent Jesus Christ.

We would so much like for the world to believe in Christ. Jesus said the world will believe when we are one in Him and the Father.

The Lord appoints some to preach the Gospel to mankind. But of more importance is the witness given by the members of the churches. When the world sees Jesus in us they will believe.

Throughout Church history the workers have proclaimed the Gospel. Much good has been done. But the testimony of the churches themselves has not been as godly as one could wish.

We would like the glory of God for ourselves and for others. But God will not give His glory to another. It is only as we are one with Him, as the Lord Jesus is, that God is free to share His glory with us. (from The Stature of the Fullness of Christ)