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For They Shall See God
What does God look like? Is He tall? Does He have hair? Are His clothes white? These are things my kids want to know. These are things that I want to know. And while we may never be able to answer such questions on this side of heaven, that doesn’t stop people from wondering.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people could see God by seeing us? That’s the way it’s supposed to be. We are to take all of the characteristics that have been revealed about our heavenly Father and make those a part of our own character. It is what Peter calls becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). We are His children; we should have a lot of our Father in us. It’s how we conform to the image of His Son.
People should see God in the way we talk. A Christian’s vocabulary is different from that of the world. Not just that we don’t use certain words that are vulgar and base or participate in humor that is inappropriate. But we include God in all our conversations. We give Him credit for our successes. We show our reliance on Him when we fail. We give thanks for the smallest of blessings. And we can’t help but tell about His salvation. For every child of God, their speech should betray them.
People should see God in the way we act. Some people plan on staying here longer than others. They have no thought of life after death, no plans for eternity, no hope of heaven. We know differently, but sometimes we’re no different. Since we’re on our way home, that ought to effect the way we make decisions. When we show more interest in things that are earthly, what does that show other people about our interest in God? We are made in His image, according to His likeness. It’s time we starting acting like it. This world is not our home, our Father’s house is. We need to show people where our true interests are.
People should see God in the way we dress. Clothing is a reflection of character. That is, what we wear on the outside says a lot about who we are on the inside. Our task here on earth is not to draw attention to ourselves but to our Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16). We are to do things to His glory, not our own. And when we are more concerned that our clothes match the latest styles and trends instead of the content of our hearts, we demonstrate to the world that we want to fit in where we don’t belong.
Some Greeks came to Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:20). All we should need to say in response is, “follow me.”
