Stories of Glory:: Living in the Light

By Jackie Towns

Stories of Glory: Living in the Light is a forty-day saturation of Scripture designed to help you focus on your faith journey as you live and grow in and through Jesus Christ. Each day, you will be stretched to look within by pondering questions and evaluating your actions and attitudes toward life circumstances and the challenges therein. During the study, take time to think, reason, and question your thoughts and responses to the situations you face. Seek wisdom as you mediate on the suggested passages from the Word of God and commit to demonstrate your beliefs in a better life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781644683088

Book preview

Journey with Christ Saturated in Scripture

Have you ever gone on a journey with Christ through the Scripture? Who is Christ truly in your heart, in your mind, deep in your soul? Do you fully understand what it means to walk with the Messiah, the One and only Lord Almighty?

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength. (Eph 1:17–19 NET)

And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:9–11 NET)

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, who is and was and who is to come! (Rev 1:8, 22:13). He is Immanuel (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23) and the Great I Am (John 8:58). He alone is the Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6), our Mediator (1 Tim 2:5) and the Truth that will set us free (John 8:32). He is the Light of the world (John 8:12), the true Bread of Life (John 6:35), and the Risen Lord (1 Cor 15:3–4). He is the Word, the Creator God, and in Him is life (John 1:1–4).

He is the Gate, the Door, and the Good Shepherd (John 10:9, 11). He is the true Vine (John 15:1) and the Resurrection and Life (John 11:25). He is the Lion of Judah, Root of David (Rev 5:5), and the Branch of Jesse (Isa 11:1). He is the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and Savior who is the Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). He is the righteous Branch of David and the LORD our Righteousness (Jer 33:15–16). He is the Son of Man and the Son of the living God (Matt 16:13, 16). He is Wisdom from God, our Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption (1 Cor 1:30). He is our Hope (1 Tim 1:1), Peace (Eph 2:14), and the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). He is the Rock (1 Cor 10:4), the Chief Cornerstone (Ps 118:22; 1 Pet 2:6–8), and our Great High Priest (Heb 4:14).

He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). He is our Advocate, the Righteous One, and the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:1–2). He is called Faithful and True and the Word of God (Rev 19:11, 13). He’s the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! (Rev 19:16). He is our Teacher and Lord (John 13:13), the Bright Morning Star (Rev 22:16). He is our all and all, our hallelujah! So let us continue to journey onward, praying diligently for more wisdom and revelation that we may grow in our faith and develop a powerful personal relationship with Jesus Christ our LORD.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ who was to come.

And the angel [Gabriel] said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (Luke 1:30–35 ESV)

Christ Jesus,

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NKJV)

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor. (Isa 61:1–2; Luke 4:18–19)

John heard in prison about the deeds Christ had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question: Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? Jesus answered them, "Go tell John what you hear and see: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. (Matt 11:2–5; cf. Isa 35:5–6 NET)

Praise be to God!

Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:5–11 NASB)

Christ Jesus lived to show us the way, He died for our sins, and He rose on the third day "because of our justification. (Rom 4:25 NASB)

On the first day of the week…the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them… Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Then they remembered his words. (Luke 24:1–8)

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (1 Cor 15:3–8 NASB)

Christ Jesus alone is worthy. In the garden the plan of redemption was set in place:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. (Gen 3:15 NASB)

You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests unto our God; and we shall reign on the earth… Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! … "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power, forever and ever! (Rev 5:9–13 MEV)

Let’s dig into the Scripture, meditate on the Word, and pray that we will grow deeper in our understanding of Jesus our Messiah, the lover of our soul.

It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches…The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let everyone who hears say, Come. And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift…The one who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. (Rev 22:16–21 NRSV)

To God be the glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Amen!

Created in the Image of God—in Christ Jesus—Created for Purpose

Have you ever stopped for a moment to ponder the significance of us being created in the image and likeness of God and that He has created each one of us for a unique purpose in His redemptive plan? We have a purpose, and He has gifted us with all the spiritual blessings and abilities to accomplish what He intended for us to do. We are part of God’s plan! Each one of us has significance in God’s story! How beautiful is that! Praise be to God! Now, let us dig into Scripture, meditate on His Word, and pray for a greater understanding so we can fully embrace our life and purpose in Christ Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:1–4)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col 1:15–17 NASB)

Then God said,

Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. (Gen 1:26–28 NRSV)

In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. (Gen 5:1–2 NKJV)

We are created in the image and likeness of God, and each one of us has been ordained for a special time here on earth.

You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Ps 139:13–16)

Our days are numbered, and it is "in Him we live and move and have our being…We are his offspring’’ (Acts 17:28).

We are created in Christ Jesus for a very unique purpose.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you were born I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jer 1:5 MEV)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Eph 2:10 NASB)

We are created for a significant purpose in God’s redemptive plan, and He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ to enable us to accomplish our purpose through Christ Jesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:3–12 ESV)

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness. (Rom 12:1–8 HCSB)

We are the body of Christ, and He has gifted us with the manifestation of the Spirit in skills and abilities to accomplish what He has created us to do for the benefit and unity of the body.

With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things. (1 Cor 12:1–11 NET)

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift…The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. (Eph 4:1–13 NRSV)

Praise be to God! What an awesome God we serve! We are created in His image and likeness, ordained for a significant purpose in a specific time, and gifted with every spiritual blessing to fulfill His will for our lives. Meditate on His Word and embrace every precious moment He’s gifted you with here on earth. May you invest your time wisely in Christ to be all He’s created you to be. Live your life in and through the sweetness of the glorious presence of Christ Jesus.

To God be the glory! Amen.

Miracles Come with Believing—Do You Believe?

When events in the Bible are incomprehensible to your reasoning mind, do you believe? Do you believe in miracles? When you read or hear the miraculous stories from the Word of God, do you believe they really happened? When you cannot intellectually process through the miracles, do you resolve all the unanswered questions with That was then, and this is now?

If so, then why does Jesus declare, Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12)? Have you ever pondered that verse of Scripture? Do you believe that by believing in Jesus Christ, you can do even greater things than He did? Do our lives demonstrate our belief in Jesus Christ?

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Matt 11:2–5)

Jesus proclaims:

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:18–20)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col 1:26–27)

Do we genuinely believe that as believers, Christ lives in us? Do our lives demonstrate that the life we now live in the body is in and through Christ within?

Jesus proclaims, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26). Do we believe that the Father has sent us another advocate to help you [us] and be with you [us] forever—the Spirit of truth (John 14:16–17)? Paul explains:

You [we] also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13–14)

Let us listen to Paul’s words to the Romans:

Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.