WHAT DO OTHERS SEE WHEN THEY LOOK AT YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
(Revelation 22:4)

MEDITATION:
This verse is talking about when Eden will be restored,
but it raises a good question,
    “What do people see, when they look at you?”
What do they see on your face? Do they see someone who looks like
they just finished sucking on a lemon, or do they see someone who
reflects the countenance of Jesus?

Why are there believers who seem to be missing the joy of their salvation?
Of course we all have ‘valley moments’ in our lives, but there are some who
seem to live in that valley. Could it be that the worries of this life have
overshadowed the joy of their salvation?

Jesus tells us not to worry, but most of us still have periods of worrying,
don’t we? We may not want to worry, but sometimes there are things
that happen (or could happen) and suddenly we find ourselves worrying
about them.

But what do we do when we realize we are worrying? Do we ‘feed the worry’,
or do we turn to the Lord? Without His help, many of us will allow worry to
consume us. And when it does, it will destroy the peace and happiness that we
should be experiencing.

Some say that worrying is a lack of faith, but I don’t agree with that assessment.
Just like sin, worry can cause us to lose our focus. It doesn’t necessarily mean we
have a lack of faith, but we have been distracted. Whenever we sin, what is our
recourse? Isn’t it to confess our failure to the Lord, ask for His forgiveness, and
commit to avoiding the continuance of sin (with the help of the Holy Spirit)?

If that is our course of action regarding sin, then shouldn’t it be the same plan
for worrying? Sin can hurt our spirit and cause us to lose our joy; continual
worry can do the same thing. When we have unconfessed sin, others can see
that we that we have lost some of the joy in our lives. They can see it in our
face. Again, worry can have the same effect, can’t it?

God calls all of us to be His witnesses, and one of the ways we serve Him is by
allowing others to see the positive impact He has had on our lives. When others
see something pleasantly different in our face, it can arouse their curiosity and
may cause them to ask us questions. Their questions give us the opportunity to
share with them how God has given us His salvation and changed our lives.

ACTION:
Would you like to be a more active servant of the Lord? If so, then be aware
of how your countenance appears to others. Most people do not enjoy being
around someone who has a negative and pessimistic outlook. If we want others
to ask us why we seem to have a ‘joyous spirit’, when we need to let them see
joy in our words, actions, and countenance.

If we have a ‘woe is me’ attitude, they are not likely to ask us anything about joy,
and even worse, they probably don’t want to be around us. Think about how your
attitude and countenance impacts others. If you do nothing, then nothing is going
to change. If you have allowed other things to steal your joy, then go to the Lord
in prayer and ask Him to help you regain that joy.

Ask the Lord to create the type of cheerful attitude in you which will invite others
to want what you have in your life. Remember God is on our side and He wants us
to come to Him for help. When God restores your joy, others will see it in your face;
it will be written on your forehead; you can’t hide it.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for saving me, and for sending the
Holy Spirit to help me in the areas where I am weak. Forgive me
for the times I have allowed worry to consume and overwhelm
me. Lord, I place in Your hands everything that is stealing my
joy because I know You will give me peace and courage, and
You will restore my joy”

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