Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Looking at the Beauty of Jesus and Calling Others to Join Us ~ by Amy Vest

"Oooooh!"  The words escape from my lips as I stare in awe at a gorgeous sunset over the water.  The colors are rich, brilliant, and ever changing as the sun sinks deeper in the evening sky. 

I cannot help but call those around me to see and experience the beauty, too, "Oh, look at the sunset!"  They join me in "Oooo"s and "Aaaa"s as they take in the beauty, too.  Together we behold and exclaim over the beauty.

Once we have beheld beauty, wonder, awe we want others to see it, too.

This how it is with Jesus - and even more so!  We see His absolute beauty, are transformed, and cannot keep Him to ourselves.  When we "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8), we naturally desire for others to, as well.

I remember when I first really began to know Jesus, my heart was so satisfied, and I wanted everyone in the world to see and know this precious Savior of mine - and that desire continues today!

Recently my family went to an indoor aquarium.  My little adorable nephew came and spent a lot of the time in my arms. (Happy sigh.)  We had so much fun.

One of my favorite memories was entering a walkway that was encircled by glass on both sides and above our heads.  All kinds of beautiful fish, sting rays, and sea turtles swam by, and over, us.  It was stunningly beautiful.
I held my nephew in my arms and would point and say, "Oh, Buddy! Look at that - pretty fish, big shark, turtle, etc.!  Didn't God make pretty things?" 

At first, he just watched, then cuddled with his head on my shoulder and soaked it in, and then, it happened - He started pointing, too. 
"Tuwtle!"
  He said in his toddler voice. 
"Yes!"  I would exclaim. 
"Tuwtle! Amy, Look! Tuwtle!"  He got it.
He was pointed to the beauty, saw the beauty, and began to point himself.

This is our call - and joy - as those who have seen Jesus, my friends! 

We are called to behold the beauty of Jesus, be captured 
and transformed by it, and invite others to look, too!


The Lord calls us to first look to Him and behold His beauty ourselves (like we have talked about in earlier posts).

 
“Look to Me, and be saved,
all you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:22


We will be forever changed and never want to stop looking to Him!

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple."  Psalm 27:4
 
When we see the beauty of Jesus - we want others to see Him, too!

"... we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
  Acts 4:20

I love in the Bible the accounts where people who personally encountered Jesus called those they knew to come and see Jesus!

~ The woman at the well and the people of her village: "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him."  (John 4:28-39)


~ Philip and Nathanael:
"The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”...Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ...Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:43-49)

The people called encountered Jesus for themselves - and we read over and over how they, too, were changed by beholding Him themselves.  Our privilege and responsibility is to point to Jesus, pray, and trust the Lord for the rest.
 
What are some practical ways we can do this?
~ Have your eyes on Him and life pointing to Him - the rest will flow from this.
~ Talk about Him and who He is to you
~ Share a verse about Him and who He is
~ Share a worship song and worship Jesus for who He is with them
~ Ask to pray together and spend time praising the Lord for who He is
~ Write a letter sharing ways you are knowing Him
~ Give a Bible or book about Him and knowing Him
~ Do a Bible study together
~ Encourage them to seek Jesus on their own

Oh, we have the priceless gift of beholding the beauty of Jesus and calling others to see Him, too!

We were made for this - to know Jesus and to make Him known.

My friends, look at Jesus and His beauty - and call others to join you!

Such beauty cannot be kept to ourselves.


"Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed."  Psalm 34:5 


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