Father's
Embrace Ministries
Blog Layout
Be a Shining One
Sep 08, 2021
Recently God has been speaking to me about shining for Him. Do others notice that we are different? Do we reflect Jesus?
For years I had heard people say that you could always tell a Christian because there was something different about their countenance. I never could see it, so I presumed I just moved in circles where everyone shone for Jesus. But then we went to a Church and suddenly it was noticeable. There was a couple there who ‘shone for Jesus’. Their countenance reflected Jesus, and that was very noticeable compared to the others in that church.
I often pray that Graham & I will shine for Jesus everywhere we go, that we will be noticeably different in our being, our personality, the way we treat people. That even if we don’t say a word verbally about Jesus, that we will ‘speak’ about Jesus through the things we do and the way we go about it.
There are, for me, two notable accounts of people shining after an encounter with God. Moses and Jesus.
Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, had an encounter with God, and came back down again. What he didn’t know was how his encounter with God made him stand out from the crowd. His face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil when he was with the people, but yet could remove it when he was with God.
Jesus also went up a mountain to meet with God. Again, it was while on the mountain meeting with God that Jesus was transfigured and the evidence of the transfiguration was that He shone. It was also during this trip up the mountain with three of the Disciples that God reaffirmed Jesus as His dearly beloved Son, who brought Him great joy.
It’s often been said that we do our best growing in the valleys of life, and that we shouldn’t hanker after mountain-top experiences with God. I do agree that the valleys of life is where we learn so much, where we do grow, where we encounter the God of healing and restoration. But I wonder if we, as those seeking after God, have become so focussed on growing in the valley that we have forgotten to be transfigured on the mountain?
We see that both Moses and Jesus had to withdraw from the crowds to meet with the Father. They both had to move away from people to be alone with God. Of all people, Jesus knew the value of retreating and withdrawing.
In this busy world we are now living in, how often do we withdraw to meet with God? Do we make it a regular practice to retreat? Do we set time aside, away from the busyness of life and people to just spend time with God? I do believe that the art of alone-time with God is becoming more and more difficult because we are becoming more and more caught up in the “To-Do” list of life that we always have an excuse (as someone once said – a reason stuffed in a lie) to not go up the mountain, spend time with God and be transfigured by Him.
And being transfigured by God will mean that we will shine – our countenance will be changed, our doing will become so God-filled, our presence will transform everywhere we go. We will shine the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. We will stand out from the crowd and share Jesus with those around us. Our words will be flavoured with love and peace and joy. We will ‘speak’ about Jesus even if we don’t say a word.
Let’s be encouraged by Scripture to make spending time with God and shining for Him just an every day part of our lives….. (All Scripture taken from The Passion Translation)
Psalm 27:4 “Here’s the one thing I crave from Yahweh,
the one thing I seek above all else:
I want to live with him every moment in his house,
beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh,
filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace.
I want to contemplate in his temple.”
Psalm 27:8 “I heard your voice in my heart say, “Come, seek my face;”
my inner being responded,
“Yahweh, I’m seeking your face with all my heart.””
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 “16 But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. 17 Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.
18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 “5 We don’t preach ourselves, but rather the lordship of Jesus Christ, for we are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said,
“Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,”
is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 5:13-16 “13 “Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others.
14 “Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? 15 And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. 16 So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.””
Romans 12:1-2 “The Transforming Power of the Gospel
12 Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”
Be blessed as you shine for Jesus
Jean
For years I had heard people say that you could always tell a Christian because there was something different about their countenance. I never could see it, so I presumed I just moved in circles where everyone shone for Jesus. But then we went to a Church and suddenly it was noticeable. There was a couple there who ‘shone for Jesus’. Their countenance reflected Jesus, and that was very noticeable compared to the others in that church.
I often pray that Graham & I will shine for Jesus everywhere we go, that we will be noticeably different in our being, our personality, the way we treat people. That even if we don’t say a word verbally about Jesus, that we will ‘speak’ about Jesus through the things we do and the way we go about it.
There are, for me, two notable accounts of people shining after an encounter with God. Moses and Jesus.
Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, had an encounter with God, and came back down again. What he didn’t know was how his encounter with God made him stand out from the crowd. His face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil when he was with the people, but yet could remove it when he was with God.
Jesus also went up a mountain to meet with God. Again, it was while on the mountain meeting with God that Jesus was transfigured and the evidence of the transfiguration was that He shone. It was also during this trip up the mountain with three of the Disciples that God reaffirmed Jesus as His dearly beloved Son, who brought Him great joy.
It’s often been said that we do our best growing in the valleys of life, and that we shouldn’t hanker after mountain-top experiences with God. I do agree that the valleys of life is where we learn so much, where we do grow, where we encounter the God of healing and restoration. But I wonder if we, as those seeking after God, have become so focussed on growing in the valley that we have forgotten to be transfigured on the mountain?
We see that both Moses and Jesus had to withdraw from the crowds to meet with the Father. They both had to move away from people to be alone with God. Of all people, Jesus knew the value of retreating and withdrawing.
In this busy world we are now living in, how often do we withdraw to meet with God? Do we make it a regular practice to retreat? Do we set time aside, away from the busyness of life and people to just spend time with God? I do believe that the art of alone-time with God is becoming more and more difficult because we are becoming more and more caught up in the “To-Do” list of life that we always have an excuse (as someone once said – a reason stuffed in a lie) to not go up the mountain, spend time with God and be transfigured by Him.
And being transfigured by God will mean that we will shine – our countenance will be changed, our doing will become so God-filled, our presence will transform everywhere we go. We will shine the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. We will stand out from the crowd and share Jesus with those around us. Our words will be flavoured with love and peace and joy. We will ‘speak’ about Jesus even if we don’t say a word.
Let’s be encouraged by Scripture to make spending time with God and shining for Him just an every day part of our lives….. (All Scripture taken from The Passion Translation)
Psalm 27:4 “Here’s the one thing I crave from Yahweh,
the one thing I seek above all else:
I want to live with him every moment in his house,
beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh,
filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace.
I want to contemplate in his temple.”
Psalm 27:8 “I heard your voice in my heart say, “Come, seek my face;”
my inner being responded,
“Yahweh, I’m seeking your face with all my heart.””
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 “16 But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. 17 Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.
18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 “5 We don’t preach ourselves, but rather the lordship of Jesus Christ, for we are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said,
“Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,”
is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 5:13-16 “13 “Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others.
14 “Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? 15 And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. 16 So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.””
Romans 12:1-2 “The Transforming Power of the Gospel
12 Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”
Be blessed as you shine for Jesus
Jean