4Angelz
02-27-2007, 12:24 PM
A little boy pulled out his crayons and sheet of paper one afternoon. Resting his hand on his chin, he thought for a few minutes, then picked up a crayon and began sketching.
Noticing his intentness as he worked, his mother asked, "What are you drawing?"
"A picture of God," he replied without looking up.
His mother smiled. "But honey, no one knows what God looks like."
The boy put down his crayon and rubbed his hands together, still staring at his handiwork.
"Well," he replied, "they will when I finish."
We smile at that little story. On one hand, we can understand the mother's point of view. John 1:18 tells us that no one has seen God at any time. God Himself told Moses, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (Exodus 33:20)
Nobody knows what He looks like.
Yet even though none of us has ever looked God in the face, all of us desire to know something about Him, don't we? We drive up into the mountains, awed by the power displayed in His majestic creation. We sit by the seashore at twilight or early in the morning and listen for His voice in the roar of the waves.
We long to see God and somehow know Him.
Our heart longs for intimacy.
But even though Scripture reminds us that no one can look on the face of God at any time, that same verse goes on to declare that God's only Son, Jesus Christ, has made Him known.
To a bewildered Philip, Jesus replied, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?" John (14:9-10)
Through His life and words and deeds, the Nazarene sketched an unerring illustration of His Father. He drew a picture so that we would have a clear idea of just who our Father in heaven really is.
No man has seen God at any time. Yes, that's true. Yet John tells us that the day will come when "we shall see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2). Not in the reflected glory of a burning bush or pillar of cloud, but face to face. Until that time, however, God has already provided a revelation of Himself. Jesus Christ is that perfect expression of the Father. There should be no confusion, no questions. Our curiosity about God can be satisfied in Jesus.
You and I today are very much like that little boy with his crayons. Through our words and deeds, our everyday conversations, and our attitudes and actions, we are sketching an illustration for all to see. Our lives should be a portrayal, a rendering, a picture of what God looks like.
If we remain intent on living for Him, people will approach us and ask what we're doing. They'll be curious. Looking over our shoulders. Maybe even asking questions. Hopefully, they'll see a beautiful image in us ~ a clearer picture of just who God really is and what He's like.
No, He's not finished with us yet. But Paul assures us that as we fix our gaze on the Lord Jesus, we will resemble Him more and more with each passing day. "We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory," he writes, "are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (2 Corinthians 3:eighteen).
So let's pick up our crayons and get to work? We've got a job to do. We've got to show a despairing, cynical world what God really looks like.
And if they don't know before, maybe they'll know when we're finished...or, rather, when He's finished.
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden"
Prayer: Lord Jesus, strip away everything from my life that keeps Your life from shining through me in all its radiance and beauty. Help me to see all of my life ~ the happy and the sad, the full and the lean, the joyful and the painful, the peaceful and the perplexing ~ as a moment-by-moment opportunity to let this lost and broken world see You. Accomplish it by the overflowing power of Your mighty Spirit. In Your strong name, Amen.
Excerpt from 31 Days Toward Intimacy with God by Joni Eareckson Tada
Noticing his intentness as he worked, his mother asked, "What are you drawing?"
"A picture of God," he replied without looking up.
His mother smiled. "But honey, no one knows what God looks like."
The boy put down his crayon and rubbed his hands together, still staring at his handiwork.
"Well," he replied, "they will when I finish."
We smile at that little story. On one hand, we can understand the mother's point of view. John 1:18 tells us that no one has seen God at any time. God Himself told Moses, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (Exodus 33:20)
Nobody knows what He looks like.
Yet even though none of us has ever looked God in the face, all of us desire to know something about Him, don't we? We drive up into the mountains, awed by the power displayed in His majestic creation. We sit by the seashore at twilight or early in the morning and listen for His voice in the roar of the waves.
We long to see God and somehow know Him.
Our heart longs for intimacy.
But even though Scripture reminds us that no one can look on the face of God at any time, that same verse goes on to declare that God's only Son, Jesus Christ, has made Him known.
To a bewildered Philip, Jesus replied, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?" John (14:9-10)
Through His life and words and deeds, the Nazarene sketched an unerring illustration of His Father. He drew a picture so that we would have a clear idea of just who our Father in heaven really is.
No man has seen God at any time. Yes, that's true. Yet John tells us that the day will come when "we shall see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2). Not in the reflected glory of a burning bush or pillar of cloud, but face to face. Until that time, however, God has already provided a revelation of Himself. Jesus Christ is that perfect expression of the Father. There should be no confusion, no questions. Our curiosity about God can be satisfied in Jesus.
You and I today are very much like that little boy with his crayons. Through our words and deeds, our everyday conversations, and our attitudes and actions, we are sketching an illustration for all to see. Our lives should be a portrayal, a rendering, a picture of what God looks like.
If we remain intent on living for Him, people will approach us and ask what we're doing. They'll be curious. Looking over our shoulders. Maybe even asking questions. Hopefully, they'll see a beautiful image in us ~ a clearer picture of just who God really is and what He's like.
No, He's not finished with us yet. But Paul assures us that as we fix our gaze on the Lord Jesus, we will resemble Him more and more with each passing day. "We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory," he writes, "are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (2 Corinthians 3:eighteen).
So let's pick up our crayons and get to work? We've got a job to do. We've got to show a despairing, cynical world what God really looks like.
And if they don't know before, maybe they'll know when we're finished...or, rather, when He's finished.
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden"
Prayer: Lord Jesus, strip away everything from my life that keeps Your life from shining through me in all its radiance and beauty. Help me to see all of my life ~ the happy and the sad, the full and the lean, the joyful and the painful, the peaceful and the perplexing ~ as a moment-by-moment opportunity to let this lost and broken world see You. Accomplish it by the overflowing power of Your mighty Spirit. In Your strong name, Amen.
Excerpt from 31 Days Toward Intimacy with God by Joni Eareckson Tada