Jesus is God

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. – (Hebrews 1:3, NIV)

The Son shows the glory of God. He is a perfect copy of God’s nature, and He holds everything together by His powerful command. The Son made people clean from their sins. Then He sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven. – (Hebrews 1:3, ERV)

This is the One who – imprinted with God’s image, shimmering with His glory – sustains all that exists through the power of His word. He was seated at the right hand of God once He Himself had made the offering that purified us from all our sins. – (Hebrews 1:3, VOICE)

Today is day one of 21 days that have been set aside for prayer and fasting within my church. Each day, there will be specific passages that focus on who God is. Incredibly, the more we focus on who He is, the more we recognize how deeply He loves. In this one verse from the first chapter of Hebrews, we are shown that Jesus is God. He is the “exact representation of His being” and is the One who “has provided purification for sins” and now, He is “seated at the right hand of God”, where He continues to contend for us as He has purified us from our sin. Because Jesus sacrificed Himself for us all, we have access to God. It was not nails that kept Him on the cross, for after all, He has all the power and authority of God, but rather it was His love that desperately desired to set us free from our sin and shame and provide the way for us to return to a right relationship with Him that held Him in place to be the ultimate atonement for all. Such love goes beyond human understanding and the longer I live, the more I grow in understanding, but also recognize how much more there is to learn. May we ever pursue the heart of God as we seek Him and listen to His heartbeat for us through the wonder of His word.

Jesus, our Savior,

Is the Lord our God;

God who came near us,

May we stand in awe.

Though as an infant,

Is how Jesus came;

His holiness shown,

Much more than a name.

When His time arrived,

He taught, loved and healed;

His power made known,

Through love He revealed.

The people wanted,

Jesus on the throne;

Yet He was much more,

Than they could have known.

His place, in heaven,

Is so He could give;

Hope for forever,

As we’re taught to live.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent Your Son, who is fully God, to live and love, heal and extend hope to all who call on Your Name. Thank You that You showed us who You as You walked among us. Forgive us for trying to contain who You are to our limited understanding. Teach us to ever seek to grow in understanding through intentional time with You and in Your word. Show us how to love those around us in ways that make Your heart known. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for who You are and how You love, and as You transform us to reflect Your heart to the world through earnestly seeking You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14

Light in the Dark

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. – (2 Corinthians 4:6, NIV)

God once said, “Let light shine out of the darkness!” And this is the same God who made His light shine in our hearts to let us know that His own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. – (2 Corinthians 4:6, ERV)

The God who spoke light into existence, saying, “{Let light shine from the darkness,” is the very One who sets our hearts ablaze to shed light on the knowledge of God’s glory revealed in the face of Jesus, the Anointed One. – (2 Corinthians 4:6, VOICE)

The same God who brought light into being, illuminates the hearts of all who seek Him. As our hearts become flooded with His light, we can more clearly see who He is and how He loves. That same light that glows within, begins to shine outward to all those around us. May we ever seek the face of the Lord to lead us, so that His light shines wherever we go.

With only a word,

Light began to shine;

In darkness no more,

Through Him who’s divine.

God the Creator,

Sheds light on our souls;

Illuminates dark,

Restores to make whole.

As we let light in,

He frees us to shine;

Be beacons of love,

Reflecting Divine.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in the dark, You brought light into being. Thank You that as we seek You, You flood the dark corners of our hearts with Your loving light and transform us so that we too, can shine as reflections of Your goodness and love. Forgive us for the times that we have hidden in darkness or have withheld the light that was meant to shine. Teach us to trust You more, so that we might live in the light of Your love and shine brightly before all. Show us how to be beacons of Your light in the dark spaces around us. Lead us to love everyone as You first loved us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we ever seek to live in the light of Your love and extend the same to all those we encounter each new day. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. – Genesis 1:3