Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Joy Williams singing Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, need to live our lives so that others see Christlikeness in the way we live.
Bruce Marchiano's movie portrayal of a joyful Jesus
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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 1:9 [NLT] ... 9 You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
… God poured His anointing oil of joy into the Messiah.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 1:8-12 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God thru the author of Hebrews quotes two psalms (see Ps. 45:6-7 and Ps. 102:25-27) to show that God’s eternally enduring joy was portrayed in life of the Messiah.
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Reference Passage : … John 14:21 [NLT] … 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
… Jesus to His disciples (and us), shows that the only way to show our love to Him is to show His love to others.
Reference Passage : … Galatians 5:22-23 [NLT] … 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. …
… The characteristics of Christlikeness others should see in all who call themselves “Christians.” My
Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Glenn Packiam, relates a personal reflection of following God’s path by faith. … The ODB author wrote: If you were to play the part of Jesus in a movie, how would you approach the role? That was the challenge faced by Bruce Marchiano, who played Jesus in the 1993 Visual Bible movie Matthew. Knowing that millions of viewers would draw conclusions about Jesus based on his work, the weight of getting Christ “right” felt overwhelming. He fell to his knees in prayer and begged Jesus for—well, for Jesus.
Bruce gained insight from the first chapter of Hebrews, where the writer tells us how God the Father set the Son apart by anointing Him “with the oil of joy” (1:9).
I love the song linked above by Joy Williams; and I’m always convicted, when I hear it, by Joy’s challenge in song, … asking if others to see Christ’s likeness in the way we live. And if, like the actor Bruce Marchiano, we were charged with portraying our Lord, how would we want others to see our King Jesus? Would we want others to see Him as a depressed “sour-puss?” Or would we want others to see our lives as reflecting what the Apostle Paul described in Gal. 5:22-23, … nine characteristics which we now call “the Fruit of the Spirit,” … the character traits of Jesus which others would’ve seen when our Lord was walking the earth during those three years of His ministry.
And I think Bruce Marchiano had it right! Because when other see “love, joy, and peace,” and the other Fruit of the Spirit emanating from our lives, I know God smiles; and so will others when they see our lives reflecting a joyful Jesus. So, let me show God’s love [see John 14:21] - and His Spirit - in the way I live today; and may others smile when they see the fruit of God’s Spirit pouring out from me, … perhaps in just some laughter or a smile which I share with someone today.
How about you? … Will others see Jesus when you share a little joy with them today?
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving me Your Fruit to share joyfully with others today.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to share in smile and a little bit of joy with someone today. 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.</ span>
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