Glory!--A Message from our International Director

Why am I here? With over 6 billion people on the planet why one more.. why me? Discovering the answer to that question is the single most important thing you will ever accomplish in your life. If you figure it out it will reshape all of your thinking and literally transform you as a person. Unfortunately, I can flat out tell you that our churches are full of people who are still clueless when it comes to this grand question. I can say this because for a good amount of time I was one of the clueless ones and frankly those around me were clueless too. I just didn’t get the concept of GLORY. Honestly, when I heard the word, I thought of angels kind of floating around God and some really loud organ music.. and oh yeah robes, lots and lots of robes.

Those thoughts really weren’t the ones God wanted dancing in my head when I thought of the word GLORY. Let me share with you an awesome verse and then unlock this powerful word. In John 17:4 Jesus declares to the Father, “I have brought you GLORY on earth, completing all that you have called me to do!” The word GLORY literally means “to make heavy”. We have probably all heard the expression, “Don’t make light of what I am saying” To give God GLORY means to make Him, His Word, His Plans, and His Commands heavy. GLORY means to make much of God.. to make much of what He says and what He values. To put tremendous weight on the things that are significant to God.

Is there anything in this world more significant to God more than a precious child? When the disciples were arguing over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom, Jesus quietly put a child on his knee and said, “Unless you become like this little child you won’t even see the Kingdom of God ” How starling that must have been for these disciples to hear. At that time in society children were looked on as little more than property. God was saying if you want to fulfill the purpose of your existence, to bring me GLORY, you have to make heavy my values. And now He was effectively communicating to the disciples the incredible value He places on Children. You bring God GLORY by looking at children differently.. you begin to see them as God sees them. You make much of Children!

I’m going to tell you right now that this completely went against their culture, their education, their experience.. it went against everything they knew. And much of what brings God GLORY goes against the drumbeat of our culture today. We attend church on Sunday but on Monday we exercise OUR values for business, relationships, etc. God is calling us to a higher way of living. A way that doesn’t naturally come to us.. the GLORY way!

So here is Jesus shortly after his horrific death and amazing resurrection, getting ready to leave earth and in his final moments he prays to the Father, “I have brought you GLORY on earth, completing all you have called me to do.” Jesus is saying, “God.. I made you heavy. I didn’t take your plans and commands lightly. I made much of your Word and I fulfilled it! I think one of the coolest lines in all of the Bible is when Jesus proceeds to say, “I completed all that you called me to do” ..That is how Jesus made much of God. He completed all that God had called HIM to do. Notice that Jesus DIDN’T do everything. Jesus didn’t save everyone, He didn’t feed everyone, and He didn’t heal everyone. In fact, Jesus tells the disciples that they will do even greater works than He did! Jesus brought GLORY to the Father by doing no less and no more than what God had called Him to do.

This is wonderful! Bring God GLORY by simply completing what He has specifically called you to do. Okay, I’m going to say it.. God doesn’t call everyone to adopt. Yeah, that’s true.. God doesn’t call everyone to adopt! He may not even call most to adopt. And if God isn’t calling you to adopt don’t ever let a preacher, a friend, an International Director at Lifeline, or anyone else put you on a guilt trip to do so. I know families that have adopted children out of guilt and the result isn’t pretty.. it cheats your family and it cheats a precious child. We don’t have to look any further than the tragic story plastered all over the news this week about the woman from Tennessee who recently abandoned her adopted seven year old child (sending him back to Russia on a plane with a note in his hand) to know that everyone is not called to adopt. Unfortunately, such sad situations always give adoption a bad name, and in this specific case, tragically closes an entire country to adoption.

Before I wrap this blog post, I want to challenge you with you something you are called to do. Each and everyone of us is called to care for orphans.(James 1:22-27) This call is repeated throughout the Old and New Testament. Somehow or someway you and I have to be engaged in orphan care. This is the very heart of God.. you cannot bring Him GLORY and ignore this call. Jesus could not have been more clear, “As you have done it to the least of these you have done it to me” There is no more "least" than an unloved, unknown, uncared for orphan!

Friends, 50 years from now our time on earth will be past. What we choose to do is significant. God has called and created us for the sole purpose of bringing GLORY to Him. Let’s do it! Let’s make His call to the orphan our call.. His passion our passion! Please check out our website at lifelineadoption.org or call our office and allow us the joy of sharing how you can partner together with thousands of other families to touch the lives of precious orphaned children close to the heart of God. I promise.. you will never regret an investment you make in the least of these!

Dave Wood
International Director