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Glory to Gory to Glory | Ps. James Joh | Sunday, April 26, 2026
Apr 26, 2026 · Glory to Gory to Glory
Where are you feeling the weight of life right now, and what if that very pressure is not the end of your story, but part of God’s loving work in you? Suffering is never easy, and God does not ask us to pretend it is. Yet Scripture shows us that suffering has a purpose in the hands of a faithful Father. Some pain comes simply from living in a broken world, trials like stress, waiting, sickness, grief, burnout, and family or financial strain. Other pain...Where are you feeling the weight of life right now, and what if that very pressure is not the end of your story, but part of God’s loving work in you? Suffering is never easy, and God does not ask us to pretend it is. Yet Scripture shows us that suffering has a purpose in the hands of a faithful Father. Some pain comes simply from living in a broken world, trials like stress, waiting, sickness, grief, burnout, and family or financial strain. Other pain comes because we belong to Jesus, when we are insulted or opposed for his name. Either way, the Lord meets us there, and he uses what we would never choose to shape what we could never produce on our own. Consider this picture of the “critical journey.” Many of us learn to recognize God, grow in discipleship, and become productive in serving. But then comes “the wall,” a life crisis beyond our control, often long enough to change us. At the wall, our ego and striving get stripped away, and we discover that surrender is not a nice idea, it is our only way forward. But there’s more, the wall is not the last stage. God leads us through it into a new kind of outward life, serving from peace instead of performance, and toward a life marked by deep love and humility. “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds… the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-4). “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-5). “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith… may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7). This path is ultimately Christ-shaped. Jesus himself went from glory, to suffering at the cross, to greater glory in resurrection. And he invites us into that same pattern, not to crush us, but to make us one with him. As Paul said, “I want to know Christ… and participation in his sufferings… I press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:10-14). Reflect on where you are today. Are you serving from striving, or from trust? The hope here is not that you are strong enough, but that God is trustworthy enough. He pours his love into your heart by the Holy Spirit, and that love builds a hope that will not shame you. Take a quiet moment today to surrender again. Ask Jesus to guide you through your season, to give you traction to keep walking, and to lift your eyes to the “greater glory” he is still bringing. He is with you at the wall, and he will not waste your pain.Read more
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