Discipleship Point
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
~ Apostle Paul
Pondering Point
When you read about the glory of God being displaying in the face of Jesus, then compare it to the priestly blessing of Numbers 6, Jesus becomes the literal embodiment of this benediction. He is the blessing of God – in the flesh. He is the BLESSING from GOD for the people of God. Let’s take in another quote from Hendricks connecting these dots about joy and the face of God:
“When I read ‘the Lord make His face shine on you’ and ‘the Lord turned His face toward you,’ this sounded like the neurological definition of joy. This blessing falls under the definition of joy that Dr. Shore discovered from his research on the brain. We don't know his beliefs, but the professor was discovering what God knew all along. God designed our brains for joy, and He wants us to live in the glow of His delight. This blessing expresses a joy that can be paraphrased, ‘May you feel the joy of God's face shining on you because He is happy to be with you.’”
page 54-55 Wilder, Hendricks, The Other Half of Church
Think about stories you’ve learned of encounters Jesus had with people. Which of them strikes you as displaying God’s blessing onto His people in the person of Jesus? Which of your own stories strike you as displaying God’s blessing onto you in the person of Jesus?
Take time to thank God for them both.
Discipleship Prayer
Father God, thank You for the blessings of light and life that come to us through Jesus. Continue to let the darkness be overcome in me and others. Amen.