He’s Right Here!

Today's blog post was contributed by David Trotta:

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? (John 14:8-10)

Have you ever been in a room with a group of people and asked where someone was, only to have them sitting right in front of you?  That just happened to me recently.  There was a gathering at my house and my daughter asked “where dad was,” at which point I raised my hand with that “duh, I’m right here” look on my face.

Based on Jesus’ response in the above verse, I wonder if He felt something like that when Phillip asked him “Lord, show us the Father.” In a beautiful display of the Trinity in action, Phillip was seeing the Father all along…through Jesus.  He just failed to make the connection.

We too are called to reflect the Father.  A little later in John chapter 14, Jesus went on to say that pretty soon He would be going away and the responsibility of reflecting the Father would be passed onto us.

Verses 19-20 reads “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

As Christ followers, the very presence of God dwells in us.  Now, like Jesus, people who see us should also see the Father.  Not through our physical appearance, but by the character and heart of God displayed though our words and actions.

When someone asks you to show them Jesus, will you be able to confidently raise your hand and say “he’s right here in me” or will the lukewarm display of Jesus in your life leave you unable or ashamed to raise your hand?

Don’t let that happen.  The very presence of God dwells within you.  As a citizen of the Kingdom of God, live your life in a manner that displays His love and beauty to a world that so desperately needs to see Him.