God's Glory: Lesson 2 | Day 4

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55

Have you ever been the target of lies, gossip, or slander because you’re a Christ-follower? Have you ever been hurt because of your faith? If you have, don’t be too surprised. It’s a hard reality, but as someone who is identified with Christ, you will often walk through tough times. Friends will make fun of you, enemies will hurt you, and people will walk away from you because of your faith.

That’s kind of depressing isn’t it? But, that’s not the end.
In the Book of Acts, Stephen received more than slander, lies, and gossip for his faith. He was stoned to death for it. But take a look at the verse again. Notice what is said about Stephen as the crowd was stoning him to death. You see, in our most challenging times, God always promises to draw close when we are persecuted for our faith. It is then we get to see and experience God’s glory.

Let’s remind ourselves of what God’s glory is like: “Glory” describes the immense weight, or worthiness of God’s character, combined with the honor, splendor, and awe due Him because of who He is.

We can be sure that when we face trials of many kinds that God will draw near and reveal His glory to us.