"Who (Jesus) being the brightness of his (Father's) glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power," Hebrews 1:3 KJV (parentheses added for clarity)
Jesus revealed the brightness of God's glory by the very acts He performed while on Earth. Each sign and wonder attested to the glorious kindness and benevolence of our Heavenly Father. One of the greatest joys of my life is seeing the sick made whole, and the broken heart mended. Who wouldn't want to see more miracle glory demonstrated in his or her life? Glory grows in our lives, incrementally, with attention to two things. (1) Glory is a result of outward obedience, and (2) inward conformity to the heart and mind of God.
Jesus taught us how to grow in glory and grace by becoming the "express image" of Father's person. Check out the following commentary from Barnes' Notes on Hebrews 1:3.
And the express image - The word used here - χαρακτὴρ charaktēr - likewise occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is that from which our word "character" is derived. It properly means a "engraving-tool;" and then something "engraved" or "stamped" - "a character" - as a letter, mark, sign. The image stamped on coins, seals, wax, expresses the idea: and the sense here is, that if God be represented under the idea of a substance, or being, then Christ is the exact resemblance of that - as an image is of the stamp or die. The resemblance between a stamp and the figure which is impressed is exact; and so is the resemblance between the Redeemer and God.
The chisel was applied to Jesus every time He obeyed the will of God. With every sacrifice, every prayer, the skillful hand of the Spirit fashioned the likeness of God in the man, Christ. By the time Jesus' earthly commission was fulfilled, He had proven that He was the exact representation of the Father in every deed, word, attitude and thought.
The secret to demonstrating glory and miraculous power, is allowing the Holy Spirit to sculpt us. With every act of obedience and inner surrender, we give the Spirit of God license to carve more of His resemblance into our character. More obedience... more surrender... more glory. Have we surrendered to the process of the engraver? Do we resemble Him enough for Heaven to back the currency of our lives?
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