Glimpses

Exodus 33:18 (NET) - And Moses said, “Show me your glory.”

Moses wanted to see God.

But God warned Moses that no one could see His face and live.

So, God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him.

Moses did not see God’s face.

Instead, God allowed him just a glimpse as He passed by.

Moses was not the only one who wished to see God.

The followers of Jesus also wanted to see Him.

This was especially true of Philip.

Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father.

The response Philip received was not what he expected.

John 14:8-9 (NET) - Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

By knowing Jesus, we know God.

But the relationship we now have with God was affirmed by the Father.

This occurred the very moment Jesus died on the cross.

Matthew 27:50-51 (NET) - Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split apart.

This was a beautiful gesture on the part of God.

The temple curtain was a barrier.

It was a barrier that separated a sinful mankind from the most holy God.

God removed the barrier that separated us from Him the very moment Jesus died,

Just like Moses and Philip, many people today wish to see God.

Yet God gives glimpses of Himself not only in the miraculous but in the day-to-day.

Perhaps we are too preoccupied to notice.

One thing is certain.

As Christians we place our faith in Jesus.

When others see Jesus at work in our lives, they can capture glimpses of Him.

In doing so, they also capture glimpses of God.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 26, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, April 2, 2021

 

True Repentance

Judges 10:15 (NET) - But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today!”

It has been said that confession is good for the soul.

But it is more than that.

Repentance is scriptural.

It is important that we confess to God the ways in which we have fallen short.

But if God is omniscient, are we really revealing to Him anything new?

Doesn’t God know the ways in which we have fallen short?

Certainly, He does!

So why repent?

First, we admit to ourselves that we have sinned.

We are no longer able to rationalize or justify our actions and words.

Second, we express our sorrow and regret for them.

But repentance does not end there.

True repentance goes beyond this.

It requires one more thing.

It means turning back to God and changing our behavior.

It means changing our actions and words in the future to those He expects from us.

It means changing the way we live.

Thus, we are better able to love both God and our neighbor.

Luke 15:7 (NET) - I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.

Confession may be good for the soul.

True repentance draws us closer to God.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 12, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, March 19, 2021