What Does God Look Like?

Have you wondered what God looks like? We have many pictures of Jesus, but which ones are right? The Bible gives us some great clues in the books of Genesis, Matthew and Revelation. I am amazed how similar the descriptions are.

Moses stood in the presence of God at the burning bush, but hid his face, afraid to look at God. When he came down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34), his face was radiant from talking with God. The people saw and were afraid, but Moses called for them to come near.

Moses and Elijah appeared with our Lord Jesus at His transfiguration. "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light," (Matt. 17:2).

Check this out! On the island of Patmos, on the Lord's Day, John heard a loud voice like a trumpet behind him. It said, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches. He turned and saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like the son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches,"
(Rev. 1:11-20).

Application
The words in red letters are spoken by Jesus. The words in blue letters include descriptions of God's appearance. Is this not absolutely incredible? That is what's so great about God's word. We find nuggets of information in different books of the Bible that agree. It proves to me that our Bible is trustworthy and true.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for glimpses of You. To be honest, I would have been as afraid as John. Thank you for the encouragement You gave him (and us). We look forward to the day we see you face to face. Amen.

God's Servant

So often I am thankful the Bible was written before my time. If Moses or Abraham or David knew we would study their sin, I wonder if they would decline having their stories published. How much better to be the the deliverer of God's people or the father of the twelve tribes of Israel or a man after God's own heart. Even though these men accomplished these things with God's strength, they were not perfect and we learn about their anger, deceit, and adultery.

Jesus said the greatest in Heaven must be the servant of all. That's what He was and is. I'm happy to serve and find myself looking for new ways to help others. Yet, it has also occurred to me that God uses my testimony, what I was like before letting God work in my life. The ugly and painful stuff I wanted to hide, are the things God uses to reach other's hearts for His glory and their eternity.

You and I might be the only Bible someone will read. A smile, a touch, a story of how we overcame sin or suffering. God uses imperfect people today as He did when the Bible was written. The strangest thing is, when God uses me I feel wonderful--even if it means sharing in my vulnerabilities.

By the power of God's love, the Bible is still being written today in the hearts and lives of His people. It's how we honor and serve our Lord and Savior. How do you serve? How do you feel when God uses you? When you share how you experienced God's love the first time?

Sneak Preview

Have you wondered what the end times will be like? God gives many clues in the Bible. Have you noticed the similarities in the book of Exodus and the book of Revelation? In Exodus, God's people had been in slavery for over 400 years in Egypt when He sent Moses to the Pharaoh to say, "The God of Israel says 'Let my people go!'"

"Who is this God?" asked the king. He didn't know and he didn't care. God destroyed him and all of Egypt.  He used every one of the ten plagues against the gods of Egypt and all who worshiped them. The gods had eyes that couldn't see, ears that couldn't hear and mouths that couldn't speak. They had no power to fight against the one true God of Israel.

Life on earth changes through the ages, but God never changes. Our gods may not be made of wood or stone, but if they separate us from a relationship with God, we can be sure that we will not survive the coming destruction. God rescued His people before the flood of Noah's time and before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Egypt.

It may appear that our God is judgemental and unmerciful. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He lovingly created us in His image. We are the only beings on earth that have the abilities to choose and create and control. Yet He made us for His pleasure and for relationship with Him. He knew we might choose our ways over His, so He made a way for us to change that and spend eternity with Him. That was through His Son whom He sacrificed on the cross to redeem us from our sin. Jesus did that willingly because He could see the treasure on the other side of the suffering--all of us together in God's kingdom.

Have you accepted God's amazing love? If so, you have a great hope in heaven, eternity with a God who loves you more than you can imagine. If you haven't, you can say His name now. Don't put it off. No one knows how much time we have left, but God is waiting for the last person who will surrender to Him. That is awesome and merciful. Maybe that person is you. Say yes to God's love today. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is waiting at the door of your heart, (Revelation 3:20).

When you say His name, simply pray this prayer: Thank you God for loving me. I'm sorry I haven't lived my life pleasing to you, but I want to change that today. Come into my heart and help me live for you. Amen.

Any Old Bush Will Do

Although Moses was Hebrew, he grew up in Pharaoh's palace as the king's own son. At the age of forty, educated and eloquent in speech, filled with pride and power, he thought he would save his people from slavery, but God had a different plan.


After an Egyptian caught Moses in murder, he fled to Midian where he became a shepherd, married Zipporah and had two sons. All his education, power and eloquence came to nothing. He traded his royalty for life in the desert, but God wasn't finished with him. He showed up in the fire of a bush that didn't burn up to command Moses to return to Egypt.


"I have seen the misery of my people and heard their cries. I have come to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them to a spacious land flowing with milk and honey."


"Who am I?" Moses asked. "I can't even talk right." What happened to his eloquent speech? Once powerful and controlling, now Moses was afraid to speak out for his people. He couldn't look back and neither can we. We can't live on our own wits, but with God's strength nothing is impossible. Any old bush will do, because it's not about the bush, or Moses or any of us. It's about God and what He can do to humble and empower us to live for Him.


Moses learned to trust God in the desert. With all of life's busyness, I often feel like I'm running in circles in the desert, but I know God has a plan and a future for me in a spacious land where I will want for nothing. What about you? Have you experienced God's amazing love? If so, you know you can trust Him to lead you through today's circumstances.

Maybe you have shattered dreams, loss of work, home, car or loved ones. I've been there, my friend. Fortunately for me, I called out to God and He heard my cry. He lavished His love on me and I've never wanted to live a minute or an hour or a day outside of His presence. He promised He would always be with us so if you're feeling like He is far away, be sure it is not Him who walked away. You can call His name, as I did, and experience His amazing love and mercy. I hope you do.