“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20 NLT)
More than any of God’s creation, man(kind) should give the clearest picture of who He is, yet, on many levels, we instead cloud His presence most. But why? We so quickly and easily mistake God’s glory for our own. We see our own “beauty,” revel in all of our capabilities, marvel at how our mind works, rejoice in all of our accomplishments, rarely, if ever, stopping to realize all of those things are “pictures” of our magnificent Creator.
None of those things are earned or deserved but are gifts from our benevolent Father who loves us and wants nothing but the best for us. When God poured Himself into the human form of His only Son, Jesus, His desire was to have Jesus give visibility to who God, the Father, is and what His plans for mankind are.
Jesus perfectly fulfilled His Father’s commands and painted for us a perfect picture of the beauty, majesty, glory, and magnificence of His heavenly Father. But what did we do? We crucified Him! We set Him aside, the only Son of God. God Himself poured into human flesh, but we couldn’t see it and we murdered Him.
Of course, death couldn’t hold Him, so, he bolted from the grave to give us a second chance, a second look at the face of God in human flesh. But why? What’s the lesson? What was/is He seeking to teach us? That He, the eternal, living God, not only dwelt in the human Jesus, He longs to live in and through us. But why?
To put His glory and majesty on display! To what end? The same end that He had in mind when He sent Jesus! So, the whole world would know Him, love Him, serve Him, find their hope, satisfaction, and true treasure in Him – just as Jesus did/does! But how?
By modeling the perfect example Jesus set for us when He indwelt human flesh. To allow God’s heart to beat in Him; to allow God’s thoughts, God’s desires, God’s plans, God’s will, to be carried out in absolute submission and in obedience to God’s perfect will. “But that’s impossible!” some may think. But it’s not!
It’s just as possible for us as it was for Jesus if we’ll do what Jesus did. So, what did He do? He traded His will for God’s; He saturated His heart and mind with God’s Words; He focused on walking in harmony with the accomplishment of God’s purposes ahead of His own; ultimately, giving His life as a ransom for us so we might recognize the privilege we have to follow in His steps.
And some may respond: “That’s all well and good, but God hasn’t called me to be a martyr!” “Well, yeh, He kinda has.”
Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer said when God calls a man, “He bids him come and die.”
I love what C.S. Lewis wrote: “Don’t shine so that others can see. Shine so that through you, others can see HIM.” Every day we live we’re putting someone’s life on display – ours or His. My goal and desire is to let the light of Jesus shine more brightly in and through my life with every breathe. How about you? Who’s life are you putting on display?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 