Those who are on fire already for Jesus are easy to spot, and those who are not, are all around us as well. Do we see them? Do we see them all?
Do we pay attention and set out to look for and see Jesus in others? Is He so known to us, that we can spot Him a mile away, no matter what is going on around us?
Sometimes we have to squint ~ I have to admit it. But other times, He shines through so clearly that we are left just standing in awe.
In awe of the One who is always with us and around us.
He lives inside of us if we are His children and have accepted Him as our Savior.
We get the privilege to see Him working in and through others. As long as we look.
Do you know another brother or sister in Christ that is so filled with the Holy Spirit that the work of Jesus in their lives helps you to know Him even better? Is there someone like this that you have met or know about, and you feel like you know them instantly? The real them? The Jesus in them? Not the nitty gritty of their human and earthly story, but the spirit of the Lord inside of them?
Do you see the fire?
That’s because they are part of Him, friends. Our Lord and Savior lives inside of their hearts. He lives inside of ours too.
The closer we become to Jesus in our relationship with Him, the easier it is to recognize Him in His living in and through others who love Him.
They say that “blood is thicker than water.” I say that siblings in Christ surpass any ties that bind. Jesus weaves Himself through each and every one of us and connects the fires inside. We receive warmth and kinship through this. We see and experience His grace inside out and outside in through this. We are connected to Him through this.
We may get angry at our brothers and sisters sometimes. It does happen. We really get angry at those who say they want to be part of the family but don’t really act that way. But they matter to Him too.
His grace is here for the giving and receiving. Are we looking for the fire?
May we all recognize Jesus when we see Him, whether He is shining through clearly or we find ourselves squinting. May we seek to see Him and celebrate His light, His love, His grace with and for one another. May we rely upon Him as we search and celebrate. May the fire never be quenched or disregarded, but sought after and kindled.
And if we run across someone in whom we see just a little flicker ~ a little glimmer? Let us tell them that we see it, friends. Let us encourage them to let it rip and shine and roar into a bonfire. Let us go a step further and help them to do so.
Let us pour His grace-filled lighter fluid all over it.
It’s time to turn up the heat and melt the ice that is trying to snuff out all that is good. This is the time, friends. Now is the time.
It’s always been more than okay to play with divine matches.
That they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. Acts 17:27
Eyes Wide Open 