“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3 NLT)
Who in your life bears the radiance of Jesus most effectively? Who, when you are in their presence, most reminds you of how you picture Jesus, of being in His presence? Who, upon the thought or mention of their name, almost automatically puts you in the presence of the Lord?
There have been and are people like that in my life and, I pray, in yours. The Lord blessed me with godly uncles and aunts, grandparents, Pastors and friends who exuded and exude the presence of Jesus in their countenance and behavior. That’s what I want in my life. How about you? But how? How can we radiate the presence and power of the Risen Christ in and through our life? And here’s the short answer – we can’t! Only the presence of Jesus can radiate the presence of Jesus. So, what am I saying?
Every born-again believer is filled with the Spirit of God or they’re not born again. How do I know that? Because Paul spells it out in Romans 8:9: “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.)”
Then why are not ALL born-again believers radiant for the Lord? My sense is they are on some level, but too often we let our personal emotions rise above the radiance of our Savior. We allow anger, frustration, worry, or other negative emotions crowd out the joy of the Lord in any given moment, but why? Sin!
If “the joy of the Lord is your strength,” as Nehemiah 8:10 clearly states, then what is preventing us from being strong in radiating the joy of Jesus in our families and among our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and everyone else with whom we have contact? Could it be our pride, or other selfish ambition that prefers others notice US more than Jesus? Perhaps, but another explanation is we don’t want to be perceived as some kind of “Jesus freak!” Someone who is so obsessed with Jesus we can’t be related to as a normal human being.
Herein lies the problem with that problem – Jesus wasn’t a “freak” and He was the most relatable human being to ever live. To bear the radiance of Jesus is to be contagious, drawing people to us, not pushing them away. It’s not a life that “preaches” Christ in a negative, pushy, arrogant, or condescending way, but lovingly accepts others where they are, and expectantly points them to a loving Savior who can help them become more than they ever dreamed they could.
When I was a small boy my Uncle Ed would hold me on his lap and exclaim to everyone in the room what a good boy I was. I was NOT a good boy, but I aspired to be after spending time with my Uncle Ed. Are people aspiring to be like Jesus because they spend time with me or you? That’s certainly our prayer! To allow the Holy Spirit to radiate His presence in and through us should be the aspiration of every believer, but here’s the kicker – we can’t force it, we can only lay ourselves before the Lord and allow it to happen. Radiance grows out of submission to the Spirit. We don’t MAKE it happen; we ALLOW it to happen!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 