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John 14:8 – 11

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? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

Oh! To have been a fly on the wall at that dinner. The disciples were sitting around with God Himself. They had lived with Him now for how long? They had eaten with Him and traveled with Him. They had heard Him teach and watched Him perform miracles.

And Philip – poor Philip – had the nerve to say, “Show us the Father.”

They had been living with the Father!

Jesus lived and loved exactly like His Father. And eventually, Philip and the others figured that out.

As I was reading this snippet, I realized something. There are people looking at my life and measuring me by what I claim to live by. They know I’m a Christian, and they are watching. And though they may not say it out loud, they are thinking, “Show me the Father. . . “

Though I am not and will never be the perfect example of God’s love that Jesus was, I want to be. Oh! How I want His presence to fill me, to shine through me! I want to love others so perfectly and so much that they won’t have to look any further to find God. I want my life to be a flashing neon sign that points people to Him.

When others look at me, what do they see? Do they see a selfish, self-serving, self-seeking person who doesn’t really care about them?

I hope not. I know I am an imperfect vessel. But just as a fine wine tastes just as sweet from a plastic cup as from a crystal goblet, I pray that God’s presence in me will be just as pronounced in my flawed container. I pray that when people look at me, they will see His perfect love.

And I hope they will understand the miracle they behold, when they see that God Himself has chosen to dwell in someone like me. I hope they will want that miracle for themselves.

Dear Father, Please forgive me for my imperfections. I want to be a perfect reflection of You, for everyone to see.

Amen