To this end we always pray for you…
So that the Name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you [may be glorified] in Him.
(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
Here we come to the most extraordinary feature of this prayer. Paul says, to put it plainly, that he wants the Thessalonian Christians to be glorified!
Paul prays for Christians to be glorified. He prays for Jesus to be glorified first, of course. And our glory is connected to His glory. But he does actually pray for the congregation at Thessalonica to be glorified!
What does it mean for a Christian to be glorified?
It would mean the same sort of thing it meant for Jesus to be glorified. It means that there is a real and genuine glory, from God, present within us. It’s not just the glory we’ll someday discover when we get to glory and are glorified. (“What we will be has not yet appeared,” 1John 3:2)
Paul is talking about the glory of God that is in our lives right now.
This isn’t beautification; it’s glorification. The glory of God does not dress up ugly people, bedazzling us with glitter and glue.
The glory of God is within us—both by God’s image created into us, and by God’s Spirit poured upon us. And the glory of God emerges from us—who we most-truly are becomes more and more evident, and more and more clear.
That we are Christ’s.
And therefore we may be glorified. Our character will increasingly be valued. Our personality will be more appreciated. People will know who we are. People will want us around.
Part of Paul’s prayer is “so that” that happens.
Jesus wants His church, His people, glorified.
See also: “How can you believe when… you do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:45) And, “Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son that the Son may glorify You… The glory that You have given me I have given to them.” (John 17:1, 22)
Jesus wants us to be glorified because we are glorified in Him.
Jesus has attached His glory to our glory. And our glory is attached to His glory.
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2Th 1:11)
As Jesus makes us worthy of God’s calling, we look more and more interesting and appealing to the hopeless, lost, despairing sinners of the world.
As Jesus fulfills our resolves for good, we look more and more valuable and useful to our communities and the intractable divisions and insoluble problems they face.
As Jesus fulfills our works of faith, we look more and more like a collection of sincere, important, holy, people who all strangely attribute this to Jesus.
We become… glorious. And Jesus is glorified. And we are glorified. And Jesus is. And we are. And Jesus is...
Isn’t this wonderful?
We serve a wonderful God. A God who works wonders. A God who works in wonderful ways.
Let’s ask Him, together, to make us glorious. I want you to be a more-glorious you. You want me to be a more-glorious me. We want Fellowship Bible Church to be its-most-glorious self. All so that Christ is glorified in all.
Let’s ask the Lord to make us worthy, to fulfill our resolves and every good work. To glorify the Name of our Lord, Jesus.
“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… So let your light shine that people may see you and give glory to our Heavenly Father.” (Mat 5:14-16)
So may it be. So we pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
