Glory and Grace

Have you ever seen the connection between the glory of God and the grace of God? In Exodus 32 when Moses boldly asks the Lord, "Please show me Your glory", it is interesting how God answers. He says,"I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." I wonder if this is what Moses expected. Maybe he thought God would do something like roll the heavens back...but no...God speaks of His goodness, grace and mercy. Could it be that a big part of God's glory is the display of His goodness, grace and mercy?
Jesus gives us a similar connection in John 12. In verse 27 He says, "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." How would the Father's name be glorified? Again it seems as He reveals His grace and mercy. In this instance Jesus speaks of that ultimate moment of the display of mercy and grace at the cross.
Have you ever thought of God's glory in that way - that perhaps the greatest display of glory took place at the cross, where God's mercy and grace were most powerfully brought to bear on human sin? There is indeed glory in the cross!
Since this is true I think as we hunt for further displays of glory, we need to look in places of mercy and grace. Surely the story of Mary anointing Jesus with the precious ointment is one of those places. As Mary demonstrates the grace of God in her life, by lavishing this love on Christ, we see the glory of God displayed.
We also see the glory of God in the building of the church. The church is a people comprised of people saved by grace. Paul said in Ephesians 2:7f, "...so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that n o one may boast." As the world looks on at the church, as it sees a people saved by grace and living by grace, they are seeing a display of God's glory, a light in the world, which has the ability to draw them into that light to experience themselves the grace of God.
Christians - God's glory is very connected with His grace and mercy. Since that is so, may we all strive to live (of course, by His grace) to demonstrate that grace and mercy to everyone we have contact with, starting at home and moving out into our everyday worlds. That's part of what it means to live to God's glory. May He help us to do so today!