Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Look Into Jesus’ Mirror, and See How He Sees You!



 He sees you…as a person of value!  So, when He calls you, sing!
      Luke 1:46-55:  When the angel tells Mary of the Baby to be born to her, she sings!    She sings of how God remembers the humble, how blessed she truly is, how the lowly are lifted up, and how He remembers to be merciful to His people.  Praise is our way of acknowledging not only the Lord's goodness, but by verbalizing our gratitude, we are doubly blessed.
     Matthew 18:24:  Mary is, upon this news, faced with a devastating consequence:  her husband wants to quietly put her away.  The angel then comforts Joseph, knowing his heart, and his need to be reassured.  I am sure the song in Joseph's heart recovered, even though he still had a hard road to follow. 
     John 19:25-7:  When Jesus is dying on the cross, He directs the apostle John’s attention to Mary--she is now to be his mother--and Mary’s attention to John--he is now to be her son.  Jesus does not abandon us, and even at the darkest moments of our lives, He is still making provision for us.

He sees you as beautiful, even when the world sees only ashes…
     Luke 7:36-50:  This woman’s love for Jesus and her tears have never been forgotten.  The people around her disdained her…but Jesus commended her, and held her up as a woman of faith.  The sweet fragrance of the oil forever imprinted her in the hearts of the people who witnessed her kindness.  Every time they smelled that fragrance, they could reflect on Jesus' kind words, His sacrificial death and her kindness, even in the midst of scorn.

He sees your deepest needs, even if others have failed you!
      Luke 8:42-8:  The woman, because of her issuance of blood for  twelve years, was “ceremonially unclean”--meaning not only had the doctors failed her, the society disdained her.  But Jesus wanted to her to know, and those around her as well, that her act of faith healed her…physically, to be sure, but spiritually as well!  He commends her faith, for her simple act of reaching out and touching Him meant she knew Who He was and she acted accordingly.  Why do we acknowledge who He is, and then not act on it?

He wants us to focus on Him, even if it means questioning Him…
He will gently instruct us!
      Luke 10: 38-42:  Jesus wanted Martha to focus on Him, while He was at her home, so that she could learn this important lesson.  She didn't know it at the time, but keeping her eyes on Jesus would carry her and her sister, Mary, through a terrible time: the upcoming death of their brother Lazarus.
     John 11:17-44:  Lazarus then does indeed die.  Mary, the very one who had earlier sat at Jesus’ feet in adoration, now questions Jesus.  Even if we are in strong fellowship with Him, we still question Him.  Not only did He answer her, He showed her Who He was:  the very One Who will return Lazarus from the dead but then He Himself will rise. 
    Sometimes we need an explanation from God…but mostly, we need a revelation of WHO He is:  the Way, the Truth, the Life!  When you are hurting, don't ask "Why?"  Even if you receive the answer, the loss and the pain are still there.  Ask for God to show you the "How":  How to endure and keep praising Him, even in the midst of your pain.

He knows you even if it’s in a lonely spot, and you feel like an outcast…
He’s waiting for you!
      John 4:7-30:  This woman went to the well, in the heat of the day, by herself…and Who was there to help her discover who she was?  Jesus let her know that her sin was not just causing her to be rejected by society (going to get water in the heat of the day and being alone was a sure sign of her rejection) but her sin was keeping her from entering into fellowship with God.  He offered her water for her soul--her desire for intimacy had driven her from the very One Who could truly meet her need.
  
He sees our world--even if it is small--and He gives us significance!
      Luke 21:1-4:  The widow, giving all she had,  did not go unnoticed by Jesus.  He celebrated her generosity and faith, even if no on else did.  God sees those moments of love and sacrifice, and cherishes them. 

He greatly desires to calm those accusing voices, and to restore us to follow Him!
      Luke 8:1-3:  Mary Magdalene was a woman out of whom seven demons were driven… and she was one of His supporters and followers.  He replaced the voice of accusation with the Voice of affirmation.  Who are you listening to?   Ask Him to silence those voices that would drown out His voice that tells us of His love for us.

He is willing to give us more than we ask for…when we ask for crumbs,
He is willing to give Himself--the true Bread of life!
     Matthew 15:21-8:  This woman knew that she was not one of the chosen ones, yet she showed a humble but persistent faith by asking Jesus.  He meet her at her true need:  showing her that a faith in Him was what she desired.  She was willing to accept crumbs...but Jesus gives all of Himself to satisfy our hunger.  How then can we believe the lie that we are worthless?

He is there, even when no one is there for us--whether in our deepest pain, or in our greatest joy--and He is always seeking to roll away the stone!
      Luke 24:1-12:  Jesus emerged from the womb to be held by a woman, and He emerged from the tomb to be beheld by women--the “the least of these” in His culture.  This was a culture that demanded that the testimony of two women was equal to that of one man.  Notice that God in His infinite attention to detail made sure that there were multiple women going to the tomb that day.  He showed Himself to these women, and He stills shows Himself to us…for in Him, there is “neither male nor female…” (Gal. 3:28)  
     He are His children and He wants all of us to seek and find Him.  The stone is rolled away from the tomb...are we willing to look inside and trust what we see?

He is still answering prayer, and yes, sometimes we are surrounded by those who are dismissive of us, but…just keep listening to Jesus…
 Acts 12:5 & 12-17:  While prayer was being lifted for Peter’s release, guess who answered the door when a knock was heard?  Who gave the report of his release?  A young woman.  Who was then snubbed by the report?  The very same.  Yet…who was blessed by trusting what she had heard?  
   He doesn't dismiss us and even if we feel that we are "the least of these," He is there, wanting our hearts to hide in Him.  The old hymn puts it well:  "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
                                     Even through the clouds, His light comes through. 









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