Hebrews 12:2 ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’

DAILY READING  Acts 18; Judges 9; Job 38

The deepest gold mine in the world is Mponeng, a gold mine in South Africa’s Gauteng province. From the ground level, it extends over 4 kilometres below the surface of the earth. The trip from the surface to the bottom of the mine takes over an hour. Yet, every day, 4,000 workers descend into the mine through elevators—or cages. These triple-decked cages fit 120 people at a time. Though the first 1.6-mile shaft takes only 6 minutes to descend, a second shaft takes workers deeper down, and the last part is only accessible by foot or vehicle. Because temperatures increase the closer we get to the earth’s core, underground in the mine it is so hot that ice has to be pumped down to cool the tunnels. To keep the hot temperatures from becoming deadly, ice mixed with salt is pumped down from the surface; huge fans then blow air over the ice, forming a controlled cold-air system within the mine. This means that many tunnels can be kept at an almost bearable temperature. However, without this, the gold mine would quickly become a deathtrap as many of the miners would die from the heat.

Obviously, this process of digging for gold  requires a lot of sacrifice, yet  amazingly people daily  pay the price, because of how precious gold is deemed. The truth is that anything of value has a cost. And the question for us this year is; how much do we value God’s glory and what price are we willing to pay for it?

God’s glory is not found on the surface, or in the realm of the flesh. We must go deeper into the realm of the spirit to find it. The truth is that anyone who wants to encounter glory must be willing to die to the flesh. That is the essence of what God told Moses in Exodus 33:20,. ‘You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!’ Therefore if it is our desire to see His glory then we must be willing to pay the price. There is no star without a scar. And behind every glory there is a story. If our desire is to encounter God’s glory this year, then we must be willing to make the sacrifice of going the extra mile, taking the extra steps and paying the extra price to encounter His glory. Whatever does not cost us anything, is not a sacrifice. David said in 2 Samuel 24:24 ‘Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.’

And part of the price we pay to encounter God’s glory is going deeper in our quest for God. We must be willing to go deeper in our prayer life, in our worship, in our study of God’s Word, in fasting and in sacrificial giving.

Hebrews 12:1-2 lets us know that Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. He didn’t enjoy it. He endured the inconveniences of the cross, the beatings and the pains, so that we can be partakers of His glory.

Therefore to gain access into the realm of glory, and to actualize the prophesy of this year, we must be willing to pay the price. And just as Jesus did, when it’s time to sacrifice, we must ignore the present and look to the future, knowing that the cost is never greater than the glory and the benefits of sacrifice always outweigh its cost.  

 PRAYER Lord Please enable me to pay whatever price is required of me to see Your glory this year. Grant me the grace to go the extra mile in fasting, praying and study of Your Word. Surely this year will be a most glorious one for me in Jesus Name.

quote 

When you apply The Word of God, it will work for you, anywhere and anytime- WORDBITE 222.