Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. (Acts 10:4 NIV)

Schedules, pressing needs, high priorities, tiring tasks and pressures seem to so effectively prohibit the pursuit of God or commitment to service in His kingdom. How often is the reason given for a missed opportunity for service or participation a problem with fitting it in with other more important job and family related events? There is, however, a certain type of person the Father is looking to use for a great purpose, and this person is not the one who has completely cleared their schedule of any other encumbering conflicts. It’s not the one who finally has all the kids out of the house and is free from the need to work or volunteer in the community. God seems to be very interested in utilizing someone who already has enough going on in their life, but has somehow chosen to raise the priority of their God, not just on the Sabbath, but on every day of the week.

Here was a man involved in the military, who had several friends and family members, and who surely was already seemingly overextended in his Daytimer activities throughout the day. For him, though, God had risen in his passion and priority above everything else to not just be someone who was barely fit into his busy schedule, but rather the One around whom everything else was scheduled. Possibly his involvement in the military gave him an advantage in this, but implementing a lifestyle of prayer and giving was seemingly driven by an intense reverence and love for God that was more than just obligation. This was the heart and this was the person already busy, already occupied, but precisely through whom there would be a great demonstration of God’s love and compassion to those outside of the Jewish culture. He would receive the Holy Spirit and be an example through the ages of a purpose in Christ that had not been known before. He had come to be the Savior of the world and everyone in it, not just the Chosen of Israel.

With a coming year bringing focus to schedules and the planning of goals and pursuits, there is an opportunity for the One who truly is our life to be the One around whom all other events are planned. The Father is continually looking for those through whom He will show HImself strong and they will be those ones already occupied with significance, yet convinced enough of God’s significance to plan times of prayer and service first. There is a world in need of change and there are so many carrying that change in their hearts who will surely be given the opportunity and direction for involvement in this change. It will require, though, a track record and verification of His lordship in a life that proves this continually and consistently, even when other things are pressing.

2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (ASV)

So often the very thing that is part of and essential to the solution is seen as a detractor or reason to disbelieve. Rather than embracing it, there is an offense to it and ultimately rejection of the very thing that could have brought deliverance and safety.

Not only did Noah get to work on the seemingly endless ‘arc project’, but he was constantly taunted by those who saw each passing day as further reason to disbelieve. For him, though, there was great appreciation for each moment of the 120 years it took to build it. Rather than getting frustrated with how long it was taking and doubting, he understood the magnitude of the project and how necessary was every day in the construction process. Without the length of time, there would be no salvation for him and his family.

When Jacob set his heart on acquiring Rachel, every day of the seven years he worked to get her was well worth the promised reward. Then, when tricked and required to work an additional 7 years, he continued to value whatever it would take to have Rachel as his wife. If he would have given in to doubt that he would ever be with her, each passing day would have just been an added agitation, but for him it was seen as bringing him that much closer to his prize. Every day of hard work became a reason to be encouraged and glad rather than depressed and overwhelmed with doubt. By valuing the very thing that was bringing him nearer to his heart’s passion, he allowed it to fulfill its function and produce the treasure of life.

The greatest things in life often have the longest wait and the hardest work that precede their acquisition. It would be so wonderful to become a real doctor or lawyer by just filling in a form online, but if you really want to help someone and bring answers to needy people it will require at least 8 years of difficult formal study along with ongoing education for life. The musician and the athlete, no matter how talented will have to endure long years of study and practice, each day of which is essential to the level of excellence that will make them a success. Those few who embrace this process rather than let it become a reason to doubt are the very ones who will know the fulfillment of their heart’s desire.

There may be taunting voices that are heard as the sun rises on another day that is part of the acquiring process. They may be reminding you that here again is reason to doubt the validity of the prize, that surely if it were coming it would have already arrived. How tragic it would have been for mankind, though, if Noah would have given up the day before the first rain drop, and Jacob’s impatience could have altered the very lineage of Jesus, the Messiah. Their appreciation of the process brought salvation not only to them, but to countless others who would benefit from their persistence. Keeping the eye on the prize through whatever it will take to obtain it will disable the power of the voices and bring salvation ever nearer with the passing of each treasured moment.

Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

3 Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.
Matt 18:3-5 (GW)

With the house full of Christmas décor and lights, and while food was being prepared for our family Christmas Eve gathering, another Christmas movie was playing on the television. It was the second in ‘The Santa Clause’ series; you know the one where the new Santa is required to find a Mrs. Santa Clause in order to continue in his role.  He goes with a beautiful young woman to this party of very boring, skeptical, and older people and transforms the whole nature of the party by giving special gifts to each one of the guests. Toys that each one of them had wished for as children were magically presented after all these years and in receiving them it was as if those children from so many years ago were joyfully awakened.  The solemn crowd was turned into a true party with all these old ‘children’ playing with toys and games that turned skepticism and doubt into belief and joy. Specifically for the particularly doubting young woman he was seeking to woo, Santa had a baby doll that was exactly the one she had wished for as a child. In receiving this magical gift, her heart was returned to the state of her childhood and opened up to eventually receive the love of its giver.  Yeah! Christmas could go on with the proper Santa in place with his new mate.

While the true reason for the season is being denied recognition in more and more locations around the country there is an observance of why He came in the giving of gifts. Every gift may not produce the desired effect, but you can tell the ones that do. These are the ones that quickly absorb the recipient, with attention displaced completely from other gifts and relationships to focus with heightened excitement and pulse rate on the thing that is obviously transforming them to the state of – maybe – a child? The book, Ipod, PSP, computer, instrument, clothing, etc. that awakens the child within (no matter the age without) is the gift that touches the place where brightness lives, joy is displayed, and hope is given validation and support in believing. So much of what takes place in the heart to displace hope and believing takes place in the child realm where things desired may have been denied or postponed indefinitely.

The true reason for Jesus’ coming as the special gift to each of us from our heavenly Father was so much more than to introduce religious décor and displays that might cause offense in some. Those things might be a means of celebration expression, but a much more significant expression is the desired result and actual purpose intended by the Giver. It is only when the Father’s gift awakens the child within to a displacing and exclusive focus that real hope and real joy and real faith will be given place and true Christmas celebration expression. Like those children in large bodies at the Christmas party in the movie, there is a transformation coming for each of those that let Jesus be the fulfillment of a heart’s wish and the removal of disappointments and faith-killers. He will satisfy when He becomes the gift that receives exclusive focus in the heart that is ever childlike in its expectation and continually gratified in its reception of Him.

May there be a setting aside of all other gifts for the One each child within is truly hoping to awaken to. May He bring renewed hope and strengthening joy.

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

They see the big fire truck rushing down the street with the loud siren, the flashing lights, and the air of importance and adventure as all other vehicles pull over to allow him to pass. They want to be a fireman.

They hear the bands playing and the announcers giving their ‘expert’ analysis. They see the powerful bodies making incredible moves on instant replay to the thunderous response of the raucous fans. They want to be an athlete.

In movies and documentaries, they watch men landing on the moon, walking in space and travelling at amazing speeds in cool looking spacecraft. They want to be an astronaut.

While those days of glory can be more than just a dream, there is so much that comes before them. There is so much more that must be enjoyed before those uniforms can be worn, the victories won and the accomplishments made. The sights and sounds of those that are living the dream are but evidence that they have first delighted themselves in and sought after the prerequisites of their position. With a passion for the drills, exercises, and studies, they have daily been consumed and gratified by the means that would take them to that glory filled end.

There is an image of abundance, success, victory, and fulfillment in purpose and passion that is portrayed in the life that is promised in Christ. For those who have ever actually lived this dream, though, it has just been evidence of their passion first of all for the Giver of that life. It has been their overwhelming desire and drive to do all His word has declared and obey His heart in service that has led them to the place of visible triumph and success. Instead of pursuing the evidence itself, their pursuit was for the Source of all life, the Dreamweaver, and the One who will add all things the heart could ever desire to the person who will but seek Him / delight in Him first of all.

Romans 2:7 KJV
(7) To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Patience is a funny thing. It’s not something that you necessarily just have or don’t have, because it really depends upon the activity for which it is needed. It lives or dies based upon care and passion.

My experience with video games is miniscule compared with that of my children, and especially that of my two sons. The first video game I can remember was the pong game where you would move this little virtual paddle up and down to meet a moving dot or ball. It didn’t take a great deal of skill, but we did find ourselves playing it for what my parents probably thought were long periods of time. I then played the Donky Kong game with the tumbling barrels for a while when I was traveling with my sister and her family, sometimes staying up till all hours of the night trying to get that crazy monkey through the highest level. This pretty much makes up the bulk of my gaming experience, though we did get a game for our oldest son when he was quite young, thinking that we would get to learn it ourselves. Before I could really get any learning time on it, though, Haydn had already taken possession of it, quickly surpassing my best efforts. It was an immediate passion for him and he became quite skillful at a variety of games, playing them for however many hours it took to master the highest levels. Many times I attempted playing, but most of the time it quickly became something for which I had very little patience. I just couldn’t seem to care about it or desire its mastery enough to devote the time needed to learn all the lever motions and game specific commands. Though I enjoy being with my sons, I just do not have the patience for the games- usually just end up falling asleep while watching them play.

So, my sons have this ability (patience) to spend countless hours battling a virtual enemy while I can’t even make it through the first phase. They, on the other hand, have no patience for the thing that has occupied the bulk of my skill acquisition- classical guitar playing. When I first started learning, every lesson or piece my teacher would give me to practice would become an obsession for me. I would practice it carefully, measure by measure until it was mastered and then proceed to something beyond what he had given me. The passion I had for producing music with this beautiful instrument was something for which time and difficulty were only part of the process, something for which I definitely had the patience. I would eventually learn more involved and intricate pieces that would require extended periods of time to memorize, but its required patience really wasn’t an issue for me; it was my passion. I eventually discovered, however, that I could not force my sons to expend the same effort and discipline into the guitar as I did. Their patience was active for the games, not the guitar, while mine was visa versa.

Patience is also a requirement that goes right along with experiencing the life of abundance and blessing that is ours in Christ. There will be a need for continuing in well doing or walking in righteousness, something that for some might be like my gaming patience or my sons’ guitar practicing patience. Where the doing isn’t well, though, and the walk isn’t righteous, there is but a need for patience and the passion that drives and motivates it. It might be possible to inspire this passion through motivational stories and talks of promised blessing, but the real patience enabling passion that will inspire continuance through the hardest game and the most difficult piece is Jesus Himself. Acquired in times of worship of and fellowship with Him this passion and desire to please Him will transform any prolonged well doing into a privileged time in serving Him- an act of worship. For the one who has discovered the adventure and exhilaration of life in Christ, patience is a non-issue, just a part of the honored process.

James 1:2-4 KJV
(2) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
(3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
(4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Philippians 1:11 KJV
(11)  Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Matthew 5:6 KJV
(6)  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

If you watched these past Olympics for any period of time at all, you saw something about Michael Phelps, the great American swimmer. Even when other events were broadcast, there was usually a little news ticker either in the corner or on the bottom that kept you up to date on his next swimming event and his latest movements. Something else you might have heard about Michael from several different sources was how much food he consumes every day. Here is the list as it was reported:

-For breakfast: three fried egg sandwiches, with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, fried onions and mayonnaise, followed by three chocolate-chip pancakes; a five-egg omelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast and a bowl of grits (a maize-based porridge), washed down with two cups of coffee.

-For lunch: half a kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread smothered with mayonnaise, washed down by energy drinks.

-For dinner: Another half-kilogram of pasta, perhaps with a carbonara sauce, followed by a large pizza and more energy drinks.

-That combination may not sound very healthy, and at a staggering 10,000 calories, would feed five average men for a day. (BBC)

After hearing this report and then looking his fat-free body standing next to the pool there are a few things that might be considered- the activity to which he is so faithful is requiring and getting a tremendous amount of fuel; to back off from the consumption would eliminate the possibility of success; that he better make some adjustments to his intake if he ever slows down on his swimming; he is enjoying food right now more than he ever will after his intense training agenda ends; he doesn’t ever skip a meal or forget to eat.

It’s interesting that the scriptures refer to the fruits of righteousness as something like food; that they will fill up and result in blessing for the one who consumes them. Like Michael meals, though, they have their greatest fulfillment and enjoyment as they are the requirement of a particularly intense regimen of pursuing God and His kingdom. It’s not possible to get very far with God skipping a meal here or there, and there is inversely a decrease of appetite for righteousness when the passionate pursuit of Him lessens. There is a purpose for being right in God that goes way beyond just enjoying a personal banquet. Partaking of the righteousness that is provided for us as a meal in Christ gives us the energy and power for the activity of righteousness, while living in love and vigorously seeking and acting out who we’ve been made to be in Christ causes those meals to be so much more greatly savored and enjoyed.

Getting in the pool today, making waves, splashing and keeping at it till the other end is reached will bring on this great appetite for a meal much larger than just a breakfast taco or bagel. What’s so great about sitting down at God’s table is that it’s one of those family style servings where you just keep piling on as much as you’re hungry for. May that hunger be a strong one brought on by intense activity that is faithful, obedient kingdom pursuit.

John 6:35 KJV
(35)  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Mark 4:20 ASV
(20)  And those are they that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.

There is something precious about the soil that is ready to bear fruit. It has been prepared long before the seed is placed inside of it. It’s of the right density, moisture content, and chemical nature that make it an ideal place for productive life to take place. Where once it might have been rocky and hard, the caring hands of its gardener have removed dense and unreceptive rocks and debris. The right amount of moisture has been applied so that it can be opened by the plow without being stuck to it.   It has been broken and treated with nourishing chemicals that not only make it a healthy environment for the desired results, but also inhibit the sprouting of undesirable weeds and thorns. And then, open and vulnerable to whatever might come its way, the seed that has been designed and purposed by the farmer is placed beneath it, hidden first so that its glory may be revealed later. The birds and harmful insects and weeds are refused from stealing and destroying the seed’s life and potential by the watchful eye, tender hand and prohibitive presence of the farmer.

Though there will be a wonderful production of life-giving fruit that will bring sustenance and financial rewards, it will always be the result of the soil’s condition above the seed’s content or volume. Safely making it all the way to harvest time will have everything to do with direct exposure to the loving care of the farmer each and every day. Even one day of exposure to harmful creatures, elements, or dryness can diminish the rate of growth and final results. Only where the farmer has been given continual access and uninterrupted privileges will the soil’s condition be kept in fruit-producing condition.

I’m glad there is a loving Farmer with a whole plan of production for the soil of our lives. He is the most experienced and equipped care-giver and with Him we can be certain the harvest will be a great one. Through hardness, drought, attempted robbery, counterfeit and distracting conditions exposure to His touch and presence will preserve, protect and nourish through maturity and fulfilling effectiveness. By allowing Him full access to the field of our heart, we’ll not have to try to somehow care for our own soil’s condition; it will be tended by the Master’s touch. We’ll not even have to somehow attempt to make sure the right type or amount of seed is within us either. He will bring with Him the words of life that will produce in us according to His plan and His purpose. Ours may not be the same produce as some other field, but as long as our Father is the passion, the means and the care of our soil, its fruit will be exactly as it should be. Under His ministrations it will remain soft, broken, nourished, moist, pure, and more than receptive to the productive power of the seed He’ll place there.

At whatever season our soil is in, there is a purpose for it this day in the hands of our Father. May He have unhindered and uninterrupted access to every moment of its vulnerability, and may it be ready and receptive to whatever He might place beneath it. And, may those precious seeds that have already gone into it be given all they need to grow and mature under His watchful care.

Psalms 132:8-9 KJV
(8)  Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
(9)  Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

Growing up in the Behrman household there was always a sense of confidence that if something were wrong with anything around the house, Dad was not only more than able to fix it, but he most definitely would make certain it was remedied. It was something that I probably never realized or appreciated all that much then, but now, as a home owner, I look back longingly to that time when living with Dad meant having everything maintained and functioning. Every little drippy faucet and burned out light bulb would not remain in its state of ill repair for long- as long as he was around.

Even in the present day there is an added blessing to each of our homes every time Dad and Mom come to visit me or my siblings. It will not just be a wonderful time sitting around the table or the fireplace talking; Dad will most probably notice that broken board or hole in the sheetrock, and before their visit comes to an end, make it appear that there had never been a problem. Wherever Dad goes there is a mending that’s going to take place. There is a problem that’s going to get solved. Though he and Mom come to just hang out and find fulfillment in seeing their grand kids, they bring with them an attitude that insists on making our home a better place before they’re done.

God has prepared in us this place that is uniquely capable of bringing Him pleasure and rest. He longs for the fellowship that comes from just hanging out with His children and experiencing the joy that was set before Jesus so long ago. Although this is something that you would think He could just claim and occupy on His own, He insists on waiting for our invitation, for our welcome sign and invitation. He doesn’t just barge in the front door without ringing the bell, although He is on the front step continually knocking and desiring to come in.

Once our Father is actually welcomed in to abide in our hearts, though, He does so much more than just pull up a chair and watch Andy Griffith with us. Wherever He goes it isn’t just a presence that leaves things as they were when He arrived. As long as He’s in the house, things are being continually remedied, repaired and restored to their original capability and potential. Where our clothing revealed where we’d been- maybe a bit soiled from the substance of sin and failure, He provides us with the pure and impeccable clothing of righteousness. We’re able to go places we could have never gone in our old duds, and where the air may have been thick with oppression and fear, the atmosphere is transformed to that of joy and peace. When He’s allowed heart entrance our Father brings with Him the ark of His power, the demonstration of His ability to completely renovate the place and give it the protection and provision it needs so very much.

As each day dawns and as our hearts are exposed to and filled with the elements of earth living, there is ever a knocking at the door, even for the seasoned God residence. He is continually dependent upon the welcome  invitation, but given the reception as His presence is our choice, He comes in with an ability to not just notice everything that wrong or broken, but repair, refinish, and make everything right in the home of our heart. Although it is His face we seek and His glory that is our passion, with Him always comes the force of His mending ability and the enabling of our abode to realize our full potential and purpose. Things will never be as they were when He arrived. Those things that may have never even been noticed and as they just grew to be a part of the home’s ‘character’ will be removed leaving this wonderful perfection of His hand’s doing.

I love it when Mom and Dad are able to make it. I know it will be incredible just being with them, but as we’re being so gratified by their faces and words, there will be changes taking place as Dad grabs his tools and gets with it. So, the face of our Father is such a passionate pursuit and just sitting down to eat the bread of His word and drink from His water of life brings fulfillment in itself. There will, though, ever be something else going on in our hearts as the Father’s tools are working their magic and bringing brightness and rightness to the place of His rest.

Psa 14:1  <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Hearts talk and what they have to say is of such greater significance than the mere babblings of any mouth. What they declare and define for the life they possess is central to any good that life might produce, and before anything having to do with wisdom can come from the efforts of a person, the heart will have to have spoken one specific thing with clarity and conviction- “There is a God”. But, this cannot just be an acknowledgement of common truth; this is a statement that can only be spoken from an experience, from actually having been there with God. It’s one of those “I guess you had to be there” instances, where words or facts alone aren’t sufficient.

The problem here is that we’re talking about a heart, something that is incredibly affected by so many different influences. It is vulnerable to what comes to it through the channel of the mind, where knowledge of natural things comes barging in on a continual basis. So many times this ‘mind’ knowledge actually leads the heart in a direction away from its knowledge of God as science, current events, and philosophy impress it with this sense of independence and self sufficiency. How can it honestly declare its awareness of an all powerful God, when it is so full of natural things that cause it to be puffed up and proud? How can it have the occasion to be occupied in the least with noticing God’s existence when completely ensconced in facts, persuasions and arguments that would indicate otherwise, that somehow all this magnificent creation and world around us is the result of some accidental and very well-placed ‘boom’?

The heart is also potentially led away by the emotional experiences that come to it by way of relationships, passions, dreams and expectations. Disappointment, infatuation, rejection, disillusionment, fear, etc. can put a wall of ‘God-defense’ around a heart, disallowing any opportunity for the most eternal relationship, passion, dream and expectation to be nurtured and cultivated in the presence of God. A desire to ‘feel the feeling’ and ‘ride the ride’ can lead the heart down rabbit trails of physical and substance abuse that lead to insignificant and meaningless destinations somewhere far away from the ‘Feeling’ and ‘Ride’ that is just waiting to reveal how insignificant those others are in comparison. Misrepresentations of God by those who’s mouths have claimed to know Him have dislodged any positive impression of what it might really be like to be near Him, and the part of the heart that is most needing to be filled with joyful and fulfilling God life is being kept empty and desolate by so many emotional sentries standing guard at every opening. Even for those hearts that have at one time opened up to His knocking, there is always a line of faithful diversionary agents waiting to separate and block God’s nearness once again.
 
Whenever true knowledge of God’s goodness is presented to a heart, though, there is an opportunity for it to begin making declarations through every part of its existence that there really is a God who has not only been observed, but experienced.  People are destroyed (Isaiah 5:13, Jeremiah 4:22, Hosea 4:6) not for a lack of knowing anything at all, but for being kept by so many other experiences, facts, impressions and sometimes just ‘never-being-told’ from having a true knowledge of God. Those ways chosen that only lead to death and destruction are very clear communication by a heart that it is in full denial of God’s existence for whatever reason. The heart that has become personally convinced of God’s existence, however, will begin to follow a script of righteousness, verifying the validity of any mouthed words and leading to a healthy life of fulfillment and blessing. To really know Him is to walk in His ways and depart completely from the way of the fool. Where once God knowledge had been refused entrance by sentries of doubt, those once disabling tidbits will be expelled and denied reentry by the persuasion that will despise all others.

Today each heart will make a statement. It will speak of just how deeply it is convinced of God’s existence through words spoken and by every way chosen. These declarations will be direct indications of how close the heart has been to the Righteous One and how impressed it has been with Him. And, ultimately there will be a claim made by the heart’s statements that either, “I am fool”, or “I am a child of the living and ever-present God”. The heart talks. What will it say?

Genesis 16:13  She answered GOD by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, “You’re the God who sees me!” “Yes! He saw me; and then I saw him!”

It’s a bit like those one-way mirrors that are so often used in cop shows or movies where someone is being interrogated or chosen from a lineup. Everyone in that room is being observed behind the one-way glass without being able to see those who are watching their every move and hearing their every comment. Most of the time the seasoned criminal or perceptive suspect will be aware that they’re being observed, but sometimes it can be rather amusing when a person in the room isn’t aware of the watching eyes. A recent “Mr. Bean” movie had a hilarious scene where Mr. Bean goes through all kinds of foolish antics, thinking that he’s just doing them in front of a mirror.

The whole world could be seen as that room, where all of creation is being clearly observed by our Creator. Every movement and every word spoken is seen and heard and even the imaginations and intents of the heart are known by Him. Many are aware of His eyes upon them, but by the way most act there seems to be little understanding or at least little care that any of their behaviors are observed, especially by the Holy God of judgment.

There is something incredible that takes place, though, when, like Hagar who thought she was all alone out in the wilderness, there is an opportunity to see the One who has seen us all along. For Moses, Abraham, Saul (Paul), and for everyone who goes beyond just being observed to actually observing and beholding the God of mercy and grace, a total transformation is inevitable. Basically the same person as before, what changes is who they’ve seen. The young slave girl, Hagar, who could have totally despaired for living was given hope, purpose, confidence and security when she got to see beyond the one-way glass and know that God knew and cared about what she was going through. Her significance and purpose didn’t come through seeing her own depraved reflection, but it came from the sight of her God- powerful, mighty, and ready to save.

There is an opportunity for each of us in the observance room to behold our Beholder and be transformed by the sight, and the opportunity is an ongoing and ever expanding one. In worship and through His word there is an ever accessible entrance into that place where He is revealed as who He wants to be in us. This was Jesus continual passion- to behold His Father and discover Himself in what He saw there.

John 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Because this was the occupation of His life, seeing His Father and living according to what He saw, it was His proclamation that seeing Him was the same as seeing His Father:

Joh 14:9  … he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

More than just the reality of who He was from birth, what made Jesus able to live the perfect life and fulfill His purpose wasn’t a fixed gaze upon Himself, but an unaltered focus on His Father. For Him to be a legitimate sacrifice He would have to fully become human. It was the sight of His Father that would equip and enable Him to be raised from His natural human state to the supernatural realm of His heavenly heritage.

He’s available for viewing today in a way like never before. A passion to see Him will bring about the discovery of His image through His word and a heart lifted up to Him in a honoring worship. It will have nothing to do with how we look or our human qualifications of any kind, but it will have everything to do with the incredible sight of the one and only God who loves and cares for us unconditionally. May He be seen in great clarity today and may we be transformed by the sight!