Now the car that I drive is a 2006 Nissan Sentra. A couple years ago I misjudged the distance while I was parking and broke off a piece of my front passenger side bumper. I have not had a chance or the money to get it fixed. So I have been driving around with my windshield wiper container showing. Thankfully, my lights are still working. When I have considered getting it fixed or on those rare times when I have considered getting a new car, I have thought, “No, I am content with what God has given me and it may not be super nice but it is enough”. I would feel smug in my rejection of worldly signs of success and ability to live with less!

Now, that is not to say that I have not had fantasies of living the high life. As a screenwriter, I love to dream of my name being called at the Oscars. I love to dream that I am sitting next to Ben Affleck and when my name gets called I am stunned. But he looks over at me and nudges me to go. I get up and walk up to the podium. Halle Berry is sitting in the front row to my left. As I am peering out at the crowd. What am I going to say? Who am I going to thank? Then afterwards I party-hardy at the after-party while making sure to give some good pics for the tabloids. See? I have not thought about it at all!

Then my mentor of 20 years needed me to do a favor for him. He needed me to drive his Jaguar around for a few days and take it for its emissions test. I was thinking, ‘you want me to drive your Jaguar around for a few days? No problem!’ Man, except of the fact that there was not quite enough headroom, driving that thing was sweet! You should have seen the looks I got going to get that thing gassed up. Driving around with the top down was an experience too, especially when I would pull up next to 110 year-old men in their Jags. I would laugh to myself and believe that I was actually a younger man with enough money for a sweet car like that. It was nice to have something opulent and decedent! LOL!

Well, I felt the Lord encouraging me to talk about how it feels to experience a little glory. Does God promise us a Jaguar? No. Does He promise us riches on this earth? No. Does He promise us earthly glory? Red carpets? Power and the ability to impress others? No. Do we want these things? Sure. We as human beings have wanted these things since the Garden of Eden. Satan promised them to Adam and Eve and they chose these things over trusting God.

Having this experience with the Jaguar made me think of my Youth Pastor and a talk he once gave on rewards. He said to our group, “You know, I deserve an award! I pick kids up and bring them to youth group! I take kids to the bus in the middle of the night so that they can hear about Jesus. Yet, I am a missionary and I have to buy furniture second-hand. Sometimes I spend more time with my youth group kids than I do with my own family! For all these things I deserve a nice plaque, encrusted with gold!

“But, he would add,  “my kids would play with it and drool on it. I would come home and my wife would have put it under an uneven chair or table. It would sit on the shelf of my home office and dust would dare to collect on it!” In addition, it will only be one night if he got an award for his service, one night and then it would be over. The next day it would be back to work. Soon it would be a distant memory.” He then went on to explain that our true reward comes from Heaven. He would tell us that one day, we will have our reward in Heaven and it would last forever.

Now, this may sound like Pie in the Sky reasoning, but the Bible supports this claim that we will be able to share in the Lord’s glory if are willing to wait and to put God before earthly glories. Have you heard the story of the encounter Jesus had with a rich, young ruler?

Mark 10:17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. 23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “[b]Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

I think that biggest promise that the Lord has for us is that one day all these things which we consider very important and nice will be dirty rags compared to what He has promised us.

Yes, those people who count God Himself our greatest glory are going to be satisfied. It gives me hope that one day I will walk a red carpet. It will be like a Hollywood premiere but ten times more glamourous. It will not be one night and then it is over. It will be forever, because the Lord is forever.

Following the Lord is the path to walking the red carpet. It is the path to glory forever, such glory that Hollywood could not even come close to.

Zechariah 2:5 Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the LORD. And I will be the glory inside the city!'”

——————————————————————————–W.