“We must have the glory sink into us before it can be reflected from us. In deep inward beholding we must have Christ in our hearts that He may shine forth from our lives.”
Alexander MacLaren
The other morning, I sat out on the deck listening to God’s voice. The absence of wind was evident by the reflection of the house and trees in the pond nearby. A pond’s stillness best reflects what is near it. God began to speak, “When you sit still beside Me and you behold Me, that is when I’m best reflected through you.” The natural often speaks of the spiritual.
One of my favorite quotes is by Marianne Williamson: “We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.” Manifest means “easily understood, obvious and readily perceived by sight.” We’re supposed to make God’s glory obvious.
If I had my choice, I would remain hidden and unseen. I know how easy it is for me to step into the pride of life and be tempted in that area, so I would prefer to avoid being in the limelight. The dilemma is that God calls us to “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). He calls each of us to shine and to not hold back who He created us to be.
Allison Bown in “The Image” writes: “You were made to be seen. And when you are reflecting an accurate image of who God really is, people after His own heart will glorify Him, not you.” We shine the most when we accurately reflect who God is to the world. And that starts with stillness and spending time alone with God in His Word and listening to His voice.
We become like those we spend the most time with. That’s why wise friendship choices are so important. The more you spend time with someone, the more they rub off on you and the greater their influence is upon you. I’ve chosen friends that are wise, holy and have a more intimate walk with God than me. And as I spend time with them, I’m called up higher to be a more accurate reflection of the nature of God.
We become whom we behold. Spend time beholding God and you will become more like Him. Your stillness with God will reflect His nature, making God’s glory plain to see.
“Being radiant in Christ isn’t about us making ourselves big, but about magnifying a majestic God to be as big as He really is and then being an accurate reflection of His true nature.”
Allison Bown
Relevant Reflection:
Spend time sitting still with God, beholding who He is, so that you become just like Him, an accurate reflection of His nature.