Posts Tagged: the face of God
“The Face of God”
“When did we see you?!?” (Matthew 25:37, 44)
Have you seen the face of God of late? Would you recognize God’s face if you saw it?
A friend of mine told a wonderful story in a twelve-step meeting recently. He was Catholic, but hadn’t gone to confession for a long time. He finally went to confession, a broken man. After pouring out his empty heart, he and the priest chatted a bit informally.
“Why do you do this priest thing?” my friend asked.
The priest replied, “Because it gives me the chance to see the face of God in others. And believe it or not, I see the face of God in you right now.”
So, how many times have I seen God’s face today? Well, there were the guys at the meeting today. There were those who served us at the restaurant after the meeting. There were all the driver’s I encountered. There was my sweet wife’s face. (Most definitely the face of God!) There were the people we got to meet and pray with at the turkey crusade. There were the people from a whole bunch of churches that were also seeking to serve those in need. There were the people at the exercise club, where we were signing up.
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus told a wonderful, but chilling, story about the Son of Man’s return to planet earth. He would separate the people of all the nations into two groups—the sheep and the goats. The criteria for the division were simple: Did these people (the sheep) take good care of those in need, or did they neglect (the goats) those in need?
Both the sheep and the goats asked the same question, at least up to a point. Both groups asked, “When did we see you . . .?” But then, there was a crucial split in the questions. The sheep asked, “When did we see you, and take care of your needs?”
But the goats asked, “When did we see you, and fail to take care of your needs?”
Apparently, Jesus (the Son of Man) identified with those in need so much that to care for or to neglect those in need was the same as taking care of Jesus. And they were blessed of Jesus’ Father, God (verse 34).
Why does God identify so closely with those in need? Jesus doesn’t tell us in this story. But in other teachings in both the Old and New Testaments, we are told. Apparently, God loves us so much that every person matters—especially those who don’t matter! So, the next person you see will reveal the face of God to you. How will you respond to that face? Will you see to that person’s real needs? Will you do your utmost to help meet those needs?
And, of course, the next time you look in the mirror, you will also see the face of God in a needy person. Yes, you can see the face of God in that person as well.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
- “God is in the Details” October 11, 2024“The devil is in the details.” (A general saying, often quoted by lawyers, reporters, and negotiators.) “God is in the details.” (Me, almost certainly not original.) “Luke 12:7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Jesus) God does not micromanage, but God […]
- “Grandma’s Pump” October 8, 2024When I was a little critter, I would stay at my grandma’s house for a night or two sometimes. I liked this for a lot for many reasons. One thing I liked about staying with her was that Grandma’s house was much more technologically advanced than ours was. For one thing, she had indoor water—sort […]
- “Wearing the #14 Wrong-Side-Out” October 5, 2024Pete Rose, #14, is dead. Many of the old guys with whom I play softball watched him play and appreciated him greatly. I do as well. He was one of the greatest players who ever played the game. Yes, he admitted (eventually) to betting on baseball. But many of us still regard him as one […]
- “Passing Along the Love (and a Link)” October 4, 2024Several years ago, a friend of mine put me onto a daily meditation by Richard Rohr and friends. I don’t read them all the time, but I probably should. They are good! I thought that today’s writing was especially good, and I also figured that this would be a good way to post something. I […]
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
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