Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. John 21:4-7 NIV
God is responsible for all the good in our lives. The more we walk with Him, the better we become at recognizing Him in all situations.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12 NIV
God lives in us! He is involved in every aspect of our lives.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:3-4 NIV
Those who see us, need to see that light! That light is God! Let’s live in such a way that the world will see Christ in us!
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 NIV
The light of the world shines in us! We need others to see God in us, and we need to recognize God’s goodness in everything. He alone is good.
Moses was a man to whom the Lord spoke personally. He once asked God to reveal Himself, for he desperately wanted to see God.
Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:21-23 NIV
And what happened as a result?
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. Exodus 34:29-32 NIV
The others all saw God in Moses, and were afraid. Though God may not pass in front of us, causing our faces to glow, we have the privilege to come into His presence every day through prayer. The more time we spend with Him, the more we reflect Him to the world. We want others to see Christ is us just like they saw God in Moses. We all need to shine like Moses, as a result of how close we walk with Christ. As Jesus transforms our lives and we live differently, others will see Christ in us. This is most assuredly God’s desire for all of us!
We can easily be distracted and lose sight of Christ in our everyday lives.
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “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’?” John 14:8-9 NIV
Will you make it a point to recognize the hand of God in your life? Will you let others see Christ’s light shining in you?
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV
Barnabas
Special thanks to Barnabas for this guest submission.