July 16 devotion - Seeing God

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV)

            One of my favorite hymns was written by a Scottish minister, Walter Chalmers Smith. The song is called “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” It’s one of a handful of traditional hymns that I can recite perfectly so whenever we sing it in church, I close my eyes and meditate on the beautiful lyrics.

            To me, the words describe the absolute majesty of God and how His glorious shekinah veils Him from our eyes. God is invisible not because He wants to hide from us, but because His glory is so bright that it does not register on our vision’s wavelength. God’s presence is always with us because we exist in His reality, not our own. He sees us perfectly, but we can only get a glimpse of God in how we love one another, according to the Apostle John. This means that if we truly want to see God in our lives, we need to become vessels of His love and grace.

            Sadly, we live in a world which is broken by disunity and dimmed by fear. We stumble in the dark because of our selfish and antagonistic ways. Pride overshadows our society and greed blots out our generosity. We are in danger of going down a blind alley created out of arrogance and vanity, bigotry and hatred. In other words, we are potentially doomed to become lost because our sins will eventually engulf us, casting us on a path to perdition and destruction.

            The only way to overcome this shadowing of our world is through the light of God’s love. There is no other substantive way or effective presence to remedy our self-inflicted plight other than our love for one another and the abundant sharing of God’s grace. As Christians, we have the capacity to change the entire world into a better planet for people everywhere, but only if we are willing to let others see God actively, graciously, and lovingly at work in our hearts and lives. For only then will the glory (Shekinah) of the Lord be seen; only then will the immortal, invisible God appear in our world.

Point to ponder

Where can I let God’s love through me lighten my community today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once told Your followers that they were the light of the world. Help us in this generation to become those same vessels of light and grace that our planet desperately needs. May God’s loving presence become evident in all that we say and do. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings based on Psalm 24 v 1. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm24.

If you would like to watch and listen to a wonderful version of the hymn “Immortal, Invisible,” please click this link: HYMN

Seeing God - 1 John 4:12

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV)

            One of my favorite hymns was written by a Scottish minister, Walter Chalmers Smith. The song is called “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” It’s one of a handful of traditional hymns that I can recite perfectly so whenever we sing it in church, I close my eyes and meditate on the beautiful lyrics.

            To me, the words describe the absolute majesty of God and how His glorious shekinah veils Him from our eyes. God is invisible not because He wants to hide from us, but because His glory is so bright that it does not register on our vision’s wavelength. God’s presence is always with us because we exist in His reality, not our own. He sees us perfectly, but we can only get a glimpse of God in how we love one another, according to the Apostle John. This means that if we truly want to see God in our lives, we need to become vessels of His love and grace.

            Sadly, we live in a world which is broken by disunity and dimmed by fear. We stumble in the dark because of our selfish and antagonistic ways. Pride overshadows our society and greed blots out our generosity. We are in danger of going down a blind alley created out of arrogance and vanity, bigotry and hatred. In other words, we are potentially doomed to become lost because our sins will eventually engulf us, casting us on a path to perdition and destruction.

            The only way to overcome this shadowing of our world is through the light of God’s love. There is no other substantive way or effective presence to remedy our self-inflicted plight other than our love for one another and the abundant sharing of God’s grace. As Christians, we have the capacity to change the entire world into a better planet for people everywhere, but only if we are willing to let others see God actively, graciously, and lovingly at work in our hearts and lives. For only then will the glory (Shekinah) of the Lord be seen; only then will the immortal, invisible God appear in our world.

Point to ponder

Where can I let God’s love through me lighten my community today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once told Your followers that they were the light of the world. Help us in this generation to become those same vessels of light and grace that our planet desperately needs. May God’s loving presence become evident in all that we say and do. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings based on Psalm 24 v 1. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm24.

If you would like to watch and listen to a wonderful version of the hymn “Immortal, Invisible,” please click this link: HYMN

lenten Devotion: A real Likeness - Psalm 17 v 15

Psalm 17:15 And I--in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Yesterday I made a special presentation to our church Seniors group about my artwork. I showed them the processes that I use when I create a drawing of a place or animal. I think they were all fascinated by the procedure and I took great pleasure in seeing them pleased with my work.

My art is impressionistic which means that it is like the subjects that I draw, but not as real as a photograph. I love impressionism because it allows you to use different shades, colors and strokes to represent a building, a place, or a creature. Most people enjoy impressionism because it allows them to put the picture together in their minds rather than on the canvas. The viewer becomes a participant in the artistry and, because each person is different, everybody views the drawing in different ways.

When the writer of Psalm 17 declares that he will be satisfied with seeing the likeness of God, I think that he is talking about looking at God impressionistically. It’s as if the psalmist understands that he cannot gaze directly into the face of God, for that would put him on equal terms with God. Therefore he looks forward to the day when he will see the likeness, the impression, the representation of God. To me, this is a prophetic and messianic verse because the psalmist is referring to Christ.

I believe that when we look at God in eternity, we will see Jesus face-to-face. He allows us to view Him directly because He has made all things level through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. The Cross cancels out our sin, so that we are no longer separated from God. The Resurrection gives us an everlasting hope, so that we may enjoy and be in God’s presence forever.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for being the likeness of God for us. Thank You for making the way clear for us, so that we may look into Your eyes and know that You are our Lord and our God. Help us to share this good news with others today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

John’s artwork is online at www.stushieart.wordpress.com. If you would like a signed copy of any piece, please contact him at the above email.

Today’s image is one that he completed last night. It is called “Iconic Moon” and features an American Bald eagle.