John 14:8-11
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Jesus
said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known
Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say,
‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and
the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own
authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me
that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the
sake of the works themselves.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Today would be my mother’s
77th birthday. She is celebrating in heaven with my dad, who would have
been 80 yesterday. We always celebrated their birthdays as one…and now
they are having one amazing “Heavenly party!” When mother died, her
pastor and dear friend, J.R. asked, “Did your mother have any favorite
scripture passages?” Man, did she ever! I rattled them off to
him…Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:7, Psalm 30:5. These became the
foundation of J.R.’s funeral sermon…which perfectly glorified God and
honored my mother and her Christian faith.
For 58 years, my
mother talked to me about Jesus. She quoted these scriptures often, so I
was fully confident that they were some of her favorites. Through my
mother’s demonstration of faith in Jesus – even in the midst of some
pretty substantial challenges and struggles – I knew Him, too. And I
knew God. I saw His authority and wisdom in action…and I felt His
all-encompassing love and protection.
As I went through Mother’s
Bible study journals lately, I found this note…”During the deaths of
Tim [my brother] and James Paul [my dad], I’d often wonder, ‘Why am I
not falling apart?’ Then I’d remember all the people across the country
who were praying for us.” In this one statement, we see how she trusted
God…how she KNEW that He was working in her life…and in the lives of
her family members.
Our three little ones often ask us, “Where
is God? Why can’t we see Him?” It is hard to give young children an
answer that makes sense. But through steadfast demonstration of faith
in this “unseen God,” they will come to understand what my mother and
others taught me. They will learn what Jesus was telling His
disciples…that God is evident all around us. He doesn’t necessarily
appear to us in flesh and blood, as Jesus did for a while…but He is real
and alive, all the same.
Two things are required of us as
Christians…to believe in Jesus – and God the Father…and to show Christ
(and our Heavenly Father) to others through our words and actions. In a
nutshell, my mother’s favorite scriptures tell us that God knows the
plans He has for us - and they are good plans designed to prosper
us…that we may have weeping for a time, but God will restore our joy…and
that we will be surrounded by a peace that passes all understanding and
comprehension. If we demonstrate these three scripture passages to
others in our own lives, people will know Jesus through us – and they
will see God in action, as well.
When others look at you these days, who do they see?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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