Do people see Jesus in you?
12 Jul 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Psalms 7
Psalms 8
Psalms 9
Acts 17:1-15
And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
Do people see Jesus in you?
Paul and Silas have a reputation that precedes them. As they minister in Thessalonica, the city leaders exclaim, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6). Why are Paul and Silas (not to mention Paul’s other associates) world-changers? These godly men could say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Did you note the order of the lead verse? The people became imitators, which is the literal meaning of the Greek term translated as “followers” and is also found in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “of us and of the Lord.” Those in Thessalonica beheld the Christlike lives of Paul and Silas and became followers of Jesus. Let’s imitate the set standard!
Employment Point: Imitate Jesus to turn this world upside down.
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Reflections
I would think this is every believer’s prayer to be more Christlike and have people tell them that they see Jesus in them.
When the days are good it is much much easier but when faced with troubles or challenges, it is much more difficult to be Christlike. It is indeed our challenge to take up our cross daily to follow Him. But in Him is truly where we can find peace.
Psalms 7 starts with these words “A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.”what is a Shiggaion?
Shiggaion is a Hebrew word you’ll see in the Bible, specifically in the title of Psalm 7:
What does it mean?
Scholars aren’t 100% sure, but the main ideas are:
1. A style of music/poem - Most think it means a passionate, emotional song. Like something sung with wild, expressive feeling — lament, praise, or prayer poured out.
2. “To wander or reel” - The root word can mean to stagger or go astray. So a _shiggaion_ could be a song of someone crying out while feeling shaken, lost, or under pressure.
3. Musical direction - In ancient worship, it was probably a note to the musicians about how to play it — intense, with changing rhythms, not calm and steady.
The vibe
Think of it as David’s “heart-cry” psalm. Psalm 7 is David asking God for justice when he’s being falsely accused. So a _shiggaion_ fits — it’s raw, urgent, and emotional.
Other than Psalm 7, you also see _shigionoth_ plural in Habakkuk 3:1— that whole chapter is a prayer set to music.
So basically: a shiggaion = a heartfelt, intense song/prayer.
“Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands— Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.”
Psalms 7:1, 3, 6 NIV
- David in this Psalms starts and fills the Psalms with words that kind of address his relationship with the Lord.
- Lord my God x 2-one that has reverence for the Lord and deemed Him as the One who can shield him from all danger.
- He tells the Lord to arise and to be awake-to vindicate him and save him from the enemies.
- You can imagine a child going to the father to tell him how someone has bullied him and wanted the father to deal with this. It depicts also the trust that one has with the father. Telling it without fear that it may be wrong to speak in this manner
“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”Psalms 7:17 NIV
- David ends the Psalms with thanks and praise to the Lord. This should be a format even in our own prayer life that whatever we pray, we should always end with thanks and praise to the Lord.
“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
Psalms 8:2 NIV
- From this verse we see how children and infants are important in His kingdom, enough to establish stronghold against our enemies. The ones that have pure hearts are the ones who will be able to live a life truly blessed. And the seemingly weak and powerless human beings will be able to overcome, not by their own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit that will grant them strength and unimaginable power.
“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalms 9:9-10 NIV
- this is a verse which we can incorporate into our prayer life and to pray also as a reminder for ourselves that the Lord knows all things, including our troubles and that no matter what happens, His hands are not to short to reach us.
“But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.”
Acts 17:5 NIV
- It is strange to find Jews who were jealous. Or perhaps it is only human to be feeling so? Which is why we are a constant work-in-progress. Cos if everyone was for the Lord, the word would have been spread real fast.
- Enemies probably enjoy doing such things because it causes divide. Perhaps the next time we can think whether any words or actions that come out from us may cause any division or bring people away from Christ. We need to be more mindful and be aware of the dangers ahead.
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The Spiritual Society
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
July 12
. . . until we all reach unity in the faith. . . , attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. —Ephesians 4:13
In the redemption, Jesus Christ rehabilitated the whole of humanity, putting it back into a right relationship with God. Our Lord’s sacrifice means that now each and every one of us is able to enjoy an intimate, personal relationship with the Father. But developing a spiritual life of our own isn’t the only reason we are here. We are also here to “reach unity in the faith”—to realize Jesus Christ in our shared life in the church.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers . . .” (1 Corinthians 12:27–28). The first great obedience of the church is to Jesus Christ. When the church stops putting Christ first and starts focusing on its own development as an organization, it ceases to be a spiritual society. The reason Jesus Christ places apostles and teachers in the church isn’t to build up a worldly institution; it’s to build up the body of Christ—the unified community of believers.
Am I building up the shared body of Christ? Or am I seeking personal development only? If I am keeping my focus on the essential thing—my relationship to Jesus Christ—then I am doing what is right for the entire body. If instead I am wanting and seeking things for myself, my relationship to Christ and to his community is distorted. It will be a big humiliation to recognize that I haven’t been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ, but only about realizing what he has done for me.
My goal is God himself, not joy nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but himself, my God.
—Frances Brook
Am I measuring my life by this standard, or by something less?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else.
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Reflections
Yes, we cannot build a spiritual life by ourselves. We need to do this within the community. We need to come together as parts of the body coming together as one. One encouraging another, as iron sharpens iron.
What Oswald focus on is true. Our focus is Jesus Christ. Not the church and even more so, not the pastor. He alone should be our sole focus not just in our spiritual life but in our everyday life. We need Him to be in there, as the guiding light, like the watchtower.
We need to work together with our fellow brothers and sisters in order to build up the shared body of Christ. Our own growth is not enough because that would look like one being equipped with the skills to fight a fire and do a safe escape and not sharing it with anyone else so others can also escape and be saved. That would have really been rather selfish of us.
And as we get to know the Lord better, it will be more of Him and less of us. And because of that, our perspectives change to embrace others more than ourselves. It is no longer a me-first mentality but an others-first mentality-yes, a 180 degrees change. Only the Holy Spirit can effect this change, with our surrendering and obedience to do His will.
Our eventual goal, is to know Christ and to be with Christ. It is not about how much or what He can bless us with but the restored relationship we can have back in the garden of Eden.
Let’s pray:
Holy Father and Heavenly King, we thank You for calling, knowing and loving us by our names. We are indeed grateful and blessed to be known as the children of God. Nothing in this world matters more than knowing You and being known by You. Father grant us the courage to share Your love, Your Word to the unreached. We pray for open hearts, especially our family and loved ones who are yet to be saved. May You bring forth angels that are able to sow seeds into their lives too, that they will be able to see the fruit of the Spirit living in all of us. Thank You Lord. All praise and thanks be to You Lord Jesus. Amen 🙏🏻
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