DAY 3 — GOD HAS A FACE
DAY 3 — GOD HAS A FACE
READ Colossians 1:15, 19–20
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” — Colossians 1:15
DEVOTIONAL
For generations, God's people worshiped a God they could not see.
Moses once asked to see God's glory. Yet God told him that no human could see His face and live.
God was present.
God spoke.
God moved.
But He remained unseen.
Then Paul writes an astonishing sentence:
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
The God nobody could see now had a face.
Jesus.
That means whenever you've wondered, “What is God actually like?” you have somewhere to look.
Look at Jesus.
Watch who He touches.
Watch who He welcomes.
Watch who He eats with.
Notice what makes Him angry.
Notice what breaks His heart.
Watch how He responds to the rejected, the religious, the broken, the powerful and the forgotten.
And ultimately, look at the cross.
Paul says that God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Jesus and that through Jesus, God reconciled everything to Himself.
Think about that.
The hands that hold creation together are the hands that were stretched out and nailed to a cross.
The One who created humanity entered His creation.
The people He made rejected Him.
And He willingly gave Himself for them.
Then three days later, He walked out of the grave.
That's what God is like.
Powerful enough to create everything.
Humble enough to enter what He created.
Loving enough to give Himself to rescue it.
Maybe your picture of God has been shaped by disappointment, religious experiences, other people's opinions or assumptions you've carried for years.
Go back to Jesus.
Don't merely study facts about Him.
Watch Him.
Because when you see Jesus clearly, you're seeing the heart of God.
REFLECT
PRAY
Jesus, show me what God is really like. Strip away the assumptions and distorted pictures I've collected over the years. Help me see Your compassion, holiness, authority, mercy and love. Let knowing You change the way I understand God. Amen.
TODAY'S STEP
Read one chapter from the Gospel of Mark today.
Don't rush to analyze it.
Simply watch Jesus.
Ask: “What does this show me about God?”
READ Colossians 1:15, 19–20
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” — Colossians 1:15
DEVOTIONAL
For generations, God's people worshiped a God they could not see.
Moses once asked to see God's glory. Yet God told him that no human could see His face and live.
God was present.
God spoke.
God moved.
But He remained unseen.
Then Paul writes an astonishing sentence:
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
The God nobody could see now had a face.
Jesus.
That means whenever you've wondered, “What is God actually like?” you have somewhere to look.
Look at Jesus.
Watch who He touches.
Watch who He welcomes.
Watch who He eats with.
Notice what makes Him angry.
Notice what breaks His heart.
Watch how He responds to the rejected, the religious, the broken, the powerful and the forgotten.
And ultimately, look at the cross.
Paul says that God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Jesus and that through Jesus, God reconciled everything to Himself.
Think about that.
The hands that hold creation together are the hands that were stretched out and nailed to a cross.
The One who created humanity entered His creation.
The people He made rejected Him.
And He willingly gave Himself for them.
Then three days later, He walked out of the grave.
That's what God is like.
Powerful enough to create everything.
Humble enough to enter what He created.
Loving enough to give Himself to rescue it.
Maybe your picture of God has been shaped by disappointment, religious experiences, other people's opinions or assumptions you've carried for years.
Go back to Jesus.
Don't merely study facts about Him.
Watch Him.
Because when you see Jesus clearly, you're seeing the heart of God.
REFLECT
- When you picture God, what characteristics immediately come to mind?
- Have your experiences with people or churches shaped your view of God more than Jesus has?
- What do Jesus' actions toward broken and hurting people reveal about God's heart?
PRAY
Jesus, show me what God is really like. Strip away the assumptions and distorted pictures I've collected over the years. Help me see Your compassion, holiness, authority, mercy and love. Let knowing You change the way I understand God. Amen.
TODAY'S STEP
Read one chapter from the Gospel of Mark today.
Don't rush to analyze it.
Simply watch Jesus.
Ask: “What does this show me about God?”
Posted in Daily Devotional