Joy And Glad Tidings By Nina Smit Sampl

Jesus Radiates God’s Glory

Jesus’ entire life was characterized by light. At His birth, God’s light shone over the fields of Bethlehem. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, the disciples witnessed God’s glory radiating from Him, as we read in today’s verse. 

The godly radiance around Jesus indicates the presence of God. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,” we read in Hebrews 1:3 (NIV).

We, as God’s children, should reflect this glory in our own lives, and we do so by becoming more like Jesus. Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV): “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

The only way you will be able to radiate Jesus’ glory in your own life is to surrender control to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to make you more like Jesus every day.

At Christmastime we think of John’s prophecy about the true light, which gives light to every person coming into the world (see John 1:4, 9). If you are depressed by all the darkness around you, look toward heaven. In the darkest times of your life, you can cling to the promise that there will be no darkness in heaven, only the light of God to illuminate the city. And all of us who love Jesus will be able to live in that light forever!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I praise You for being prepared to come to the world so that, because I believe in You, I can live in Your light forever. Amen.