Glory

Colossians 1:27 "...Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Glory is Paul's one-word summary of all that heaven holds for the believer. Glory is our destination and our destiny, the end of our wandering, the end of strife, turmoil, suffering, sin, and death. It is the inheritance of the saints, the treasure stored up, the peace beyond understanding, and the restoration of all things to their intended perfection. And we shall be there. We shall enjoy it forever. We shall mine the depths of heavenly happiness for all eternity, and yet never exhaust its riches, discovering new treasures every day.

And so important is it to God that we receive all this, that we arrive at our destination, that He sent His only Son to the cross--keep this in mind--for us. This was "the joy set before him." (Hebrews 12:2) Ask yourself, what was the joy that Jesus endured such agony to gain? What was this joy that He was reaching for even as they nailed him to the beams? Was it only that He would soon be returning to His Father? No, not only that. The joy that He kept in view was the reality that, by means of the Cross, we would also one day be there with Him in glory. That was the purpose of His suffering. That was the reason. That's what made it endurable. The most wonderful statement in the Bible is that which Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross beside Him: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

With every lash of the whip, every torturous clang of hammer on nail, every cruel taunt and pang of thirst, He kept that joy before Him. For them, we might imagine Him saying. For us the terrible status quo of a fallen creation was there and then forever transformed. For us a new possibility, a new destiny, was made available. For us! Glory!