Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 1:3, NIV- “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Hang with me on this one, I am not on an ego trip or have any desire to be sacrilegious. I understand Hebrews 1:3 is referring to Jesus as the radiance of God’s glory and not us. However, in a circuitous way, I am professing that you and I are the radiance of God.
This past Sunday our pastor preached on Matthew 3:17, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (NIV) His message was that God loves each of us too. He is proud of us and so thankful that we are His. It felt strange, wrong even, to take the place of Jesus. However, I did jot down affirmations at that moment.
- God loves me.
- I am a child of God.
- God is glad I am His.
This morning during my time alone with God, I was given a heightened attention to the light of God. My mind recalled Moses in Exodus 34:29, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.” (NIV)
I also recalled how Jesus was described during His transfiguration on the mountain in Matthew 17:2, “and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (NKJV) This experience is also detailed in the gospels of Mark 9:2-10 and Luke 9:28-36.
As I silently basked in the light of God, I asked the Advocate, our Helper to help me do what would please God today. After rising from my knees I went to where I have been harvesting scriptures recently and the next verse to read was Hebrews 4:12 which is “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (NIV)
Per usual I went to the beginning of the chapter to gain context. Reading Hebrews 4:1, “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.” (NIV) Whenever I read “therefore” I must read the previous verses to see what it is “there for.”
Hebrews 3:19 referred to those who were not able to enter because of their unbelief. I kept reading backwards to understand who the unbelievers were in this context. There were references to those who wandered in the desert with Moses. Hebrews 3:15 states “As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (NIV)
Since I did not want to harden my heart, I decided to go back to the beginning of Hebrews to make sure I was getting a clear picture with a pure heart. This is where I came to Hebrews 1:3 that states “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (NIV)
Wow, there is that radiance word again! The Holy Spirit is providing my daily bread that I am to share. This is what pleases God. We are children of God, and we too can radiate the glory of God.
Will you let God’s light radiate from you today?
Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the radiance of Your light and love. Thank You for the gift Your only begotten Son who came to earth to make the way for us to radiate the light of Your glory. Thank for welcoming us into Your kingdom as Your children of light. If it pleases You, make us instruments of Your glory today. Amen.
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