Devotion for August 16, 2023

“Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:19-21 19)

Jesus is no longer physically manifest among us. The world no longer sees Him, but do you see Him? He promised His disciples that they would, and I don’t believe that He meant the short time between His resurrection and ascension. He goes on to say that they will realize He is in them. That happened after the ascension. How did the disciples see Christ after the ascension?

They saw Him as the body of Christ functioned throughout the book of Acts and onward through time. You see Him every time you see the church minister in all its varied forms of service. When Ananias touched Saul of Tarsus, Jesus touched him. When Peter and John laid hands on the Samaritans, Jesus touched them. When the transformed Paul spoke the words of life, his hearers heard Jesus. And when your church acts in the Spirit, Jesus is acting in your world and seen by those who love Him.

Not only that, but you also see Him at work in the details of your life. If you are one that loves Him and obeys His command to love, then He promised to show Himself to you. When the world says “coincidence”, you see the hand of God. When a verse of Scripture is spoken on the radio, and then comes up in your devotional time, speaking to your current situation, you hear the voice of Jesus. As you observe the beauty of nature, you see lessons from Jesus to give insights as to how He is working in your life. The world doesn’t see it and might think you are one card short of a full deck, but you know He has shown Himself to you. It is then that you realize that you are in Jesus, and He is in you.

Prayer

Lord, be with me and in me each day I live here on Earth. Fill me with Your Spirit and love, so that all I do will bring glory to Your Name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Stay encouraged!

Pastor Mike

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