"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord gives grace and glory."
Psalm 84:11
A man was sharing the gospel with a friend. He asked him, "If God asked you why He should let you in His heaven, what would your answer be?" The friend replied, "I would tell Him that I've tried to live a good life." The man asked him, "If you have to live a good life to go to heaven, how good must that be?" His friend didn't have an answer. Then, the man said to him, "According to the Bible, all have sinned. Our sins separate us from God. Only the grace of God in Christ can save us." That day his friend saw his need to commit his life to Christ for the forgiveness of all his sins.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The glory of God is the presence of God. We see the glory of God in the person of Christ Jesus. He is the glory of God (John 1:14). Grace reveals the glory of God to us through Christ. We experience the presence of God in our lives through the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). Believers have the promise of life everlasting in the glory of God.
The sun is used as an illustration for God's glory. After the night has ended, the sun rises to give us light. So it is in our lives. We live in the darkness of our sin and unbelief, until by God's grace, the sun of His glory arises in our lives that we may walk in the light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). He brings us into the reality of God's presence, as He delivers us out of the darkness of our night. The Lord gives us grace and glory.
Prayer: God, we rejoice that You brought us out of the darkness of sin and unbelief, into the glory of Your presence, through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.
