God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 1: 1 - 4 NKJV
Have you ever seen God? Been witness to His appearance? We're told through scripture that no one has ever seen God {John 1:18}. The writer of the book of Hebrews also tells us that in times past, that God has spoken to our fathers before us {Hebrews 1:1}. However, I'm more worried about today. Where is it today that we can see our heavenly Father? Yes, we have plenty of illustrations which portray God as a white haired, stern looking elderly man. But is this the real true image of God? Awhile ago I purchased a children's illustrated bible, just to see how close it came to the original I carry. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when this kids bible sugar coated many of the events in the scriptures. As I said, even the illustrations of God were of a elderly man. Unfortunately, this is the image of the Lord that has carried over through thousands of years. Where did it come from? I mean, if no one has ever seen God, then who provided the description for this artists rendition? Well, we did. That is, man did. I believe that this image of the Lord was incorporated some time ago in order to give a image to God. What would your image of God be if you were Moses? Yes, a burning bush, or a cloud of fire perhaps. This is just how the Lord chose to reveal Himself to Moses at the time. But what about me? I want to see God too. I want to put a face to He who provides for me. Well, perhaps there is such an image of God for us to grab onto. In fact, we may have already seen God and never even have known it. The apostle Paul reveals to us in the book of Galatians the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 2:20}. Think about it, every time you look in the mirror you are seeing God. How can that be? Simple, from the beginning we were created in His very image {Genesis 1:27}. From the beginning, we were created in the image of God. It is God who breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}. Is it that much of a stretch that Paul would proclaim that Christ Jesus lives in us? Remember, it was Jesus who proclaimed that if we have seen Him we have seen the Father as well {John 14:9}.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5: 20 NKJV
Have you ever felt the need to put a face to the Lord? To have that concrete evidence where you know who it is that you're talking to? If so, then realizing the truth of Christ in us might be a difficult pill to swallow for you. For me, Jesus in me was revealed through a dear friend of mine who continues to remain nameless even while in captivity in Hawaii. Yet, despite my knowing His truth, I still looked for that image of Him to grab onto. Now, my illustrated bible has plenty of the commonly accepted illustrations of Jesus, but I know that's not authentic. Jesus...is me. Now, if God chose to speak to our fathers before us, will He not reveal Himself to us as well? Absolutely. As I was contemplating this writing, another question entered my head which might very well be a future topic. How far will God go to be glorified and/or known by His people? This might just give us a insight into why the Lord revealed Himself to our fathers before us. Why did God reveal Himself to Moses? To Abraham? Yes, we all know how the history played out, but why did the Lord choose to reveal Himself to these men? Could it be that, besides working through them, that God desired to be known personally by His children? Could it be that the Lord desired to interact with them? If we believe in the one true nature of God being love, then we must also entertain the idea that God desires to be known by His creation. When we look at the life of Adam and Eve in the garden, we see a life of daily interaction with the Lord. After they took of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden {Genesis 3:8}. Could it be that God desires to experience that personal relationship with us as well? As the events of each day unfold, think of the question of what will God do to be known by His creation?
~Scott~
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