Reflecting God's Glory

How many of you enjoy the Children's Address during the Sunday church service not only for what it can teach your children but for what you learn from it yourself? If you look this way you'll see my hand waving high. I do. The simple explanations and practical demonstrations seem to help to cement even difficult theological concepts in my aged brain in a way that not even the best adult books and sermons can. Don't know what that says about me - that I'm simple perhaps? That I'm not a deep thinker? That I'm childish? Probably all three...

I've recently been reading Discovering Jesus in Genesis by Susan Hunt and her son Richie Hunt with Jemimah during our morning devotions, and I was particularly struck by this simple example of what it means to reflect God's glory.

The story takes place when young Cassie and Caleb and their mum and dad are having evening devotions after dinner:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

"Hey, you two," laughed their dad, "let's talk about this. Do you know what it means to glorify God?"

"Sort of," said Cassie. "But I don't know how to explain it."

"Let me see if I can help you," Dad offered. "God's glory is the beauty and goodness of His character. We glorify Him when we reflect His character. Do you know what reflect means?"

Caleb scratched his head. "We've been studying about the moon reflecting the light from the sun. Is that the same thing?"

"Bingo!" said his dad. "That's the perfect example. How much light does the moon have?"

"None," said Caleb. "The light we see is the reflection of the sun's light bouncing off the moon."

"Exactly. Now, my young astronomer, why do we sometimes see a full moon and sometimes just a little sliver of the moon?"

Caleb could hardly wait to answer. He loved books about the solar system, and he loved to talk about it. "It all depends on the position of the moon as it travels around the earth," he explained. "The position of the moon determines how much of it reflects sunlight to earth."

"So," asked his dad, "what does all of this teach us about reflecting the light of God's glory?"

"I think I understand," Caleb said, intrigued. "We are like the moon. We have no light of our own. And I guess we have to be in the right position to reflect God's glory."

Cassie stared at her brother in wonder. "That's so cool," she said.

Their dad wanted to be sure they understood. "You see," he explained, "when we are in a right relationship with the Lord Jesus, we will reflect His glory. We will be more and more like Him. We will show His goodness. What do you think moves us away from the right position to reflect His glory?"

"I'm not sure," answered Cassie, "but I'll bet it's sin."

"Bingo again!" said their dad. "So when we sin, we must quickly ask God to forgive us so that we get back in the right position to reflect His glory. And remember, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says that we are to glorify God in everything we do. In our work and in our play, in how we worship God and in how we treat others, in what we think and what we say--in all of life we are to glorify God."

Discovering Jesus in Genesis, by Susan Hunt and Richie Hunt Chapter 10, page 55-56.

Big Truths for Little Kids