the glory of God in the face of Christ

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

I love these verses. They're packed with goodness. First, I love the reminder that "what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." I feel like most of the time I'm proclaiming myself, whether it's through blatant statements of selfishness or just through settle ways of gaining attention. The natural result of proclaiming Christ as Lord is, as Paul notes, to become a servant for the sake of Jesus. Humility, in a word. Second, I love the concept that God - the very God who said "Let there be light" - uses His creative power to illuminate our hearts. Finally, the way Paul describes this light is incredible. What is this light? It is knowledge. Knowledge of what? The glory of God. What is this glory and where can we find it? In the face of Jesus Christ. But wait, who is this Jesus? Well, according to Hebrews 1:3, Jesus "is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power." And, paradoxically, Jesus is also the sacrificial lamb. Indeed, "for our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Okay, so we can look at Jesus - the Son of God who upholds the universe and also died for our sins - to see and understand even just a bit of the glory of God. And it is this knowledge of the sacrificed Savior that shines in our hearts by the creative power of God.

How can we help but proclaim such an awesome truth?

I wanted to post the third verse of Charles Wesley's "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." I just discovered it; I don't think I've ever sang it:

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

Peace,
Sam