Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Joy Williams singing … Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing the penetrating question of whether others see Jesus in the way we choose to live our lives.
=============
Highlight Verse[s]: John 12:20-21 [NLT] … 20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.”
… Many who don’t know Jesus desire to see Him and experience His grace.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: John 12:12-26 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… Some gentiles came to Phillip seeking to see Jesus after he entered Jerusalem in His last days.
=============
Reference Passage : … John 14:16-17 [NLT] … 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[a] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
… Jesus has sent His Spirit to reside in the hearts fo all born-again Christians so that we can be His witness and allow others to see Him in us (see also Acts 1:8)
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …
… Any/all with God’s Spirit in us can - and should - reflect the newness and Christlikeness into a world who needs to see Him.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, refers to a Christian being celebrated in death for having reflected Christlikeness from her life into others. The ODB author wrote: As I looked down at the pulpit where I was sharing prayers at a funeral, I glimpsed a brass plaque bearing words from John 12:21: “Sir, we would see Jesus” (kjv). Yes, I thought, how fitting to consider how we saw Jesus in the woman we were celebrating with tears and smiles. Although she faced challenges and disappointments in her life, she never gave up her faith in Christ. And because God’s Spirit lived in her, we could see Jesus.
Fairly often I end up asking the question sung by Joy Williams in the linked song; and perhaps others reading here desire, as do I, to look into the mirror, and, like the little kitten in the photo, desiring to see the image of the Lion of Judah, … the image of King Jesus, … and the image of Christlikeness which others can see reflected into a world where so many desperately need to see our Lord.
That’s why the Greeks in the highlight passage came to Phillip, one of Jesus’ Disciples, asking to see Jesus (see John 12:20-21). But Phillip was not yet able to reflect the Savior to those men … because, unlike those of us who’ve received God’s Spirit, Phillip was not yet able to reflect Christlikeness in a clear and reflective image.
But, … we, … those of us who know Christ as Lord/Savior, … are new in Him [see 2Cor. 3:18 and 5:17] with God’s Spirit filling us with the reflection of Christlikeness for others to see our Lord. Our challenge as Christians is whether we are adequately able, thru our complete surrender to Christ, to become His light for others to see His love/grace in the way we live.
And that’s why today’s linked song is so penetrating … at least for yours truly. Perhaps others reading here also need to hear the song and reflect on its question.
=============
My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You … for giving me Your Spirit transforming me into Your image, King Jesus.
=============
My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Give me Your enabling grace to be able to shine Your images for others to see You in/thru me. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment