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I Will Make Myself Real To Him
Andrea Lende • June 23, 2020
John 14:21
I Will Make Myself Real To Him
You may also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/I-Will-Make-Myself-Real-To-Him-efqol8
Daily Word:
John 14:21
“The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”
I so desire to know the Lord.
This verse jumped out at me today because of this desire.
The last part of the verse is defined as Jesus saying, “[I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”
I am thankful that the Lord allows Himself to be seen and makes Himself real.
It is so important to me that I needed to press in and read the verse again.
I truly want to seek and press in to this reality.
As I reread the verse, I could see that the Lord wants me to know His desires and commands.
The more I know about Him the more I can do as He asks.
I used to read this verse and think it was leaning toward legalism and rules.
But I believe I have a deeper understanding now.
For example, the closer a married couple becomes the more they know one another, their requests, and their hearts.
And the more they fall in love with that person the more they want to honor those requests and the other person.
Looking at our verse in this same way, I see that the closer I move towards the Lord and the more I love Him, the more I want to honor Him and His commands.
Of course, as a human I fall short.
He offers me grace.
And then I am even more grateful and desire to do better.
As this circle continues, the Lord continues to show me that He loves me beyond my faults.
His love is unconditional.
There is nothing I can do that will change His love for me.
And I fall more and more in love with Him.
As my love grows, He changes my heart.
He changes me.
His presence becomes more alive – more real.
Just as Jesus said, “[I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”
Today I choose to grow in the Lord, learn more about Him, follow His commands, and am thankful that He is showing Himself more and more to me.
May you find that as you follow the Lord that He will make Himself be clearly seen by you and will become real to you in every way.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing Yourself to me. Thank You for making a way for me to come close to You and learn of You. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You that I can freely read Your Word and worship You, Father. Thank You for choosing me to know You and for loving me beyond my faults and failures. Help me grow closer to You, Lord. Help me learn more of Your ways and discover Your secrets. Grant me wisdom so that I may see clearly. Help me see You everywhere I am and go, Lord. Help me see You in the blue skies and hear You in whistling wind. Help me feel You in the warmth of the sun. May I hear Your whispers and obey Your commands. Strengthen me so that I have the courage to obey You, Lord. May Your Spirit fill my heart so that I can love as You love. Give me Your eyes to see, Father. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and take pleasure in teaching you and showing you more of Me and My ways.
Response: Undeserving of Your attention and love, thank You, most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.