Daily Devotional for January 12, 2011

Matthew 17:2
There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

I like to sell some of my antiques and treasures online through websites like Etsy and eBay. One of the keys to making a sale is posting good pictures of your products. Antique glassware, jewelry, and similar objects are hard for amateurs like me to photograph well. I’ve researched and practiced, and I’ve learned a lot… and one of the keys to a great photo is proper lighting.

Direct lighting is too harsh and often distorts the true coloring of the object. Back lighting may create shadows and dark areas. The trick is to almost make the object look as if the light comes from within. You want to illuminate all of the beauty and the best assets of the piece… to showcase the item in all its glory and cause those who see it to say, “I have to have this!”

Now stick with me… think about your spiritual relationship. Not everyone has the “heavenly moment” we see depicted on television and in the movies, where choirs of angels sing and we are bathed in bright white light. I know that many people would love for their salvation experience to be this dramatic, but just because we don’t see bright light and hear choirs doesn’t mean we have not been transformed.

And that’s not the point. See, it’s not about the light… or the drama of our transformation. It’s about what we do with our salvation. Just like the antiques that may not benefit or “show well” in bright light or back lighting, our Christian witness is best presented when the “Light” comes from within. When we demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through our lives, we have the most impact for Jesus. We allow HIS light and glory to shine.

Peter, James, and John got to witness “the glory of the Lord.” We get to experience it as His Holy Spirit dwells within us and radiates outward. Just how brightly the Light shines is, in large part, up to us. Are you living in such a way that others see your witness and what God is doing in your life and say, “I have to have that for myself?” How much “glory” are others seeing in you these days?

©2010 Debbie Robus

No comments: