Receive the privilege and honor to glorify Christ

Hebrews 5:5-6 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”; just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” In these verses, the author began the comparison of Jesus to the high priest. Just like the high priest didn’t take the honor of the office to himself but received it from God when he was born into the priesthood, Jesus became a high priest also by birth and God’s appointment. God declared through David in Ps. 2:7, on the day He was brought forth (that’s the idea of begotten) that Jesus was His Son. Also in Ps. 110:4, through David, God swore that Jesus would be appointed a priest forever in the same way Melchizedek was appointed by God, which he explained that later in Heb. 7. The point was that Jesus was appointed by God to be His priest to act on behalf of His people. In this verse, we see that the author understood honor and glory to synonymous. Jesus didn’t glorify Himself by taking the position of high priest, rather God glorified Him by appointing Him to the esteemed office. What encouragement to live to love with Jesus can we derive from this verse? First, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has been glorified by the Father. We are identified with Him! We have confidence before God because we have been brought to God by Him. If God has glorified Him by appointing Him as our savior and high priest, then we know that God is for us. He won’t shut us out when we need help. We don’t have to overcome any reluctance on His part as we make our requests for grace to help in time of need. He wants us in His presence. He wants to help us. He desires to glorify His Son as He intercedes for us. Second, if Jesus did not glorify Himself, and He lives in us, then we won’t seek to glorify ourselves. I like the definition of humility that says, “Humility is recognizing that everything I have has come from God.” What do we have that we haven’t received from Him? asked the apostle Paul of the Corinthians. As we live to love with Jesus, we don’t boast in it. We have been honored by God to have the opportunity to glorify Jesus, through whom we have the wonderful privilege of loving in His name. So let us stand boldly before God when we need grace to trust and love Him as well as love whoever He places in our lives. May we recognize the privilege it is to love in His name, and glorify Jesus by enjoying all of the benefits given to us by God in Him.