"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being,
sustaining all things by His powerful word." -- Hebrews 1:3
I stumbled upon this verse this evening as I flipped through an old journal of mine. I was knocked over by the power of this verse. Sitting right there at the beginning of the book of Hebrews, I've probably skimmed over it a dozen times and never really let it sink in. An entire sermon could be written around this one incredible verse!
One of the most amazing truths about God to me is that He is not like us! He is God. He is who He is; "I am that I am," God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14. And unlike us, His wings cannot be clipped. God is not merely the best version of ourselves that we can think of. He is far more than that, above and beyond all that we could ever ask for or imagine. And even though we cannot fully grasp the fullness of His being - our finite hearts are incapable of fully grasping all that our infinite God is this side of heaven - He still wants to be known! He still wants to lavish His love upon us and desires so much for us to love Him!
By nature God is completely unlimited, without boundaries. And by nature Jesus is fully God, and yet He is also fully human and is God's own Son. Jesus is the exact representation of our God. The love that Jesus displayed for us as He died on the cross is the exact love that God Himself has for each and every one of His children. One of Jesus' names in the Bible is Immanuel, which literally means "God with us." Jesus Himself is God with us. I don't think I'll ever understand the holy mystery that is the Trinity. And yet, I am thankful for that. The fact that I can't grasp the wonder of God's nature is a good thing. As William Young writes in his fantastic novel The Shack, "who wants to worship a God who can be fully comprehended? Not much mystery in that." Amen, brother!
A final piece of encouragement. This video clip from the movie "The Prince of Egypt" brings goosebumps to my arms and tears to my eyes; watch it by clicking the link below. When I imagine what Moses must have felt while meeting God face to face and speaking with Him and hearing Him audibly talk back, I close my eyes and am overwhelmed. If I am moved to such emotion while watching this simple cartoon clip then what on earth (or in heaven!) will it be like to truly see God face to face when I reach the end of my life?! Utterly incomprehensible and completely unimaginable. I cannot imagine all that He is and I cannot begin to fathom how breathtaking it will be to walk side by side with Jesus. All I know is that there have been times in my life when I've had precious glimpses into the true nature of His being and my heart has tasted just how magnificent and just how loving and just how holy God Himself is, and while those glimpses move me to tears and stir my heart in ways that words cannot explain I know that meeting Immanuel face to face will be an experience unlike any I've ever known or ever will know while I'm here on earth.
One of the most amazing truths about God to me is that He is not like us! He is God. He is who He is; "I am that I am," God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14. And unlike us, His wings cannot be clipped. God is not merely the best version of ourselves that we can think of. He is far more than that, above and beyond all that we could ever ask for or imagine. And even though we cannot fully grasp the fullness of His being - our finite hearts are incapable of fully grasping all that our infinite God is this side of heaven - He still wants to be known! He still wants to lavish His love upon us and desires so much for us to love Him!
By nature God is completely unlimited, without boundaries. And by nature Jesus is fully God, and yet He is also fully human and is God's own Son. Jesus is the exact representation of our God. The love that Jesus displayed for us as He died on the cross is the exact love that God Himself has for each and every one of His children. One of Jesus' names in the Bible is Immanuel, which literally means "God with us." Jesus Himself is God with us. I don't think I'll ever understand the holy mystery that is the Trinity. And yet, I am thankful for that. The fact that I can't grasp the wonder of God's nature is a good thing. As William Young writes in his fantastic novel The Shack, "who wants to worship a God who can be fully comprehended? Not much mystery in that." Amen, brother!
A final piece of encouragement. This video clip from the movie "The Prince of Egypt" brings goosebumps to my arms and tears to my eyes; watch it by clicking the link below. When I imagine what Moses must have felt while meeting God face to face and speaking with Him and hearing Him audibly talk back, I close my eyes and am overwhelmed. If I am moved to such emotion while watching this simple cartoon clip then what on earth (or in heaven!) will it be like to truly see God face to face when I reach the end of my life?! Utterly incomprehensible and completely unimaginable. I cannot imagine all that He is and I cannot begin to fathom how breathtaking it will be to walk side by side with Jesus. All I know is that there have been times in my life when I've had precious glimpses into the true nature of His being and my heart has tasted just how magnificent and just how loving and just how holy God Himself is, and while those glimpses move me to tears and stir my heart in ways that words cannot explain I know that meeting Immanuel face to face will be an experience unlike any I've ever known or ever will know while I'm here on earth.
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