Reflecting God — Small Stories of a Big God

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT

I don’t have any original ideas. I really don’t. I trail around on the coat skirts of much smarter people. But they are pretty smart people so I really don’t mind clinging on.

I am in the nose-bleed section, cheering my heart out. They can’t hear me. That’s okay. They give me wonderful things to think about all day long. I thank God for these incredible, gifted people who write profound truths, sing beautiful words with a glorious melody or speak out with a fighter’s stance and rhinoceros skin.

“Go!” I whisper to them. “Go, and don’t let them knock you down!” And I say a prayer of gratitude that they are brave enough, bold enough to stand up and shout it out.

And you know what? It encourages me. It makes me wonder if my words need to be spoken out loud. Should I go ahead and say it, sing it, write it, type it out and press ‘send’?

We are scaredy-cats, we who sit in the cheap seats. We aren’t worthy to speak, are we?

God tells us we are.

God tells us we reflect His image. We are not worthy because we are the vessels – but because of the Spirit that we contain.

Don’t you know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit? If you have said ‘yes’ to God’s invitation, then His Spirit lives within you.

We reflect the glory of the One whose image we bear.

I am reminded of Moses, coming down from the mountain, face aglow from being in the presence of God.* It wasn’t wonderful. It was terrifying. The people around him asked him to cover his face until the glowing light in his face faded.

This is the fascinating amazing terrifying nature of God; He reflects who He is in us. It un-nerves us. It should. It is Holy Ground. And we are not worthy. We are broken earthly vessels trying to control God’s beauty and light. And we will most certainly get it wrong.

Humans have gotten it wrong lots of times… but that doesn’t seem to deter God. This history of the possibility of getting it wrong is apparently the way God works. Moses got it wrong. David got it wrong. Peter got it wrong and so did Paul. But even wrong and diluted and covered with a thin veil, it is still God’s glory shining through.

So I have to ask myself this question: Who am I to limit God? Who am I to cover His light because it scares me?

Maybe I need to stand up, here in the nose-bleed section. Even though my voice is soft and my words are borrowed, maybe God still wants His light to shine out into the darkness– through me.

Question: How do you limit God? Is He asking you to do something that scares you? What would it look like for you to trust Him? To be obedient?

*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… When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. Exodus 33:29,30,33 NIV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHz0w-HG4iU

All Sons & Daughters - Great Are You Lord

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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