To be a leader we must embrace a paradox. Good leaders pursue glory. Those of us who have been taught that any pursuit of glory is inherently evil must rethink the notion. “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Rom. 2: 6-7).
God created us with a built-in hunger for glory. We all pursue it. Every day. Evil comes not in the pursuit of glory, but in where we find it.
My Conversion To a Different Glory
When I became a Christian, something happened deep down inside of me. Conversion redirected my motivation. Grace ignited a desire to live for glory outside of myself. Ambivalence replaced aspiration. I went from believing apathy was “cool” to feeling a deep hunger to show my faith by my works (James 2:20–26). At one time God wasn’t even on my radar; now I wanted God to use my life to make a difference. Why? Because being “born again” means a fresh start powered by a different set of desires. Jonathan Edwards called it “a holy ardency and vigor in the actings of grace.”
My glory drive was not created at conversion. It was fired afresh with a vision for the greater glory of God. Suddenly life became less about the kind of name I could make for myself and more about the glory that would redound to the name of another–the One who embodied God’s glory.
Jesus is God’s Glory
The New Testament tells us repeatedly that Jesus Christ is the glory of God. The author of Hebrews puts it strikingly: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Paul and James call Jesus “the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1). John writes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 ESV, altered).
God’s glory—his honor, his esteem, his mind-blowing perfection, his incomprehensible value—is embodied in flesh and blood, in the person of Jesus Christ. The Savior is where God’s glory gathers.
To love the glory that comes from God means we love the person of Jesus Christ. To love Christ means we value him more than anything else. This is the defining characteristic of Christian conversion—we love the Savior and want to live for his glory. We want to follow him, obey him, trust him, and proclaim him.
This reality radically reoriented my life. No longer are my ambitions constrained by my own desires. By the life-altering work of the Holy Spirit, I’ve been made a new creation. And my aims have been changed to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God.
A Soldier For Glory
In a sermon on 2 Timothy 2:3 about being “A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus”, Spurgeon paints this picture:
The true soldier is an ambitious being. He pants for honor, seeks for glory. On the field of strife he gathers his laurels, and amidst a thousand dangers he reaps renown. The Christian is fired by higher ambitions than earthly warrior ever knew. He sees a crown that can never fade. He loves a King who best of all is worthy to be served. He has a motive within him which moves him to the noble deeds—a divine Spirit impelling him to the most self-sacrificing actions.
When we come to know Christ, we don’t stop seeking glory. His Holy Spirit so thoroughly reorders our hearts that we begin to seek the glory that comes from knowing him. It’s the only kind that matters.
Learning to seek this glory has put fresh fire in my desire and energy to lead and to serve the church of Christ. I pray that it will ignite new passions, new dreams, and increased desire in yours as well.
Onward, Christian soldier, for glory!
Today’s Tenacious Question
Take a few minutes to assess your own heart. What is stoking the flames of your ambition? Are you seeking the glory that comes from God? Has your heart been captured lately by the glory that comes from man?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the radiance of the glory of God. When I look to you, I see the Father, I behold the beauty of the triune, eternal God. May you give me fresh sights of yourself in your Word and, by so doing, so order my heart that I seek your glory above all. Amen.
