Can You See Jesus From Me

39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are th Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 5:39-40

In this verse Jesus is speaking to the Jewish people, the Pharisees whom are the Holy men of the Jewish faith.  The know the Law, the Scriptures and study them diligently everyday.  The hold onto the scrolls and possess the knowledge that is contained within.  But what Jesus is saying is that this alone is not enough.  That what the know is what should lead them to see Him as the Messiah but it has not.  they have placed the value in the knowledge and Religion and not in truly and personally knowing and seeing God, the living God that stands in front of them.

I could easily fall into the same trap as the Pharisees, reading the scriptures and not seeing the Living God before me.  I could be able to quotes thousands of verses, which I can't, and never once have know them to be true and active in my life.  You could look at me and see only a wealth of knowledge and nothing in regards to faith, this is whhere the Pharisees were at and Jesus was pointing that out to them.

People so often point out the flaws in Religion.  They say that this Religion did this and that, that.  They will talk about all the things that they saw growing up that were wrong with their church and that caused them to fall away and seek their own god.  They place all the value on the external showing, the expected human perfection, the abilities of man and they miss the essential part of what Christ is saying here, find Him in all of it.  See Him when He stands in front of you.  That all of the things that we try to know should bring us into a physical relationship with Him, a love relationship with Him.

I am kinda lost here today on this, and looking for a final point from this and what keeps coming through my mind is that above all I hope that those around me can see Jesus Christ through me.  That even though I may read the Bible, that people see me as a Christian, they see Jesus Christ working in my life.  I hope that my father and mother more then say "wow Michael it is good where you are at now" say "when I look at him I see something that is beyond Michael, that thhey see Jesus Christ."  The Pharisees did not get this, I could be there also if I only just read the Bible.  It has to go beyond that and become a physical relationship, allowing the words to become real and relevant to me and Him now.

Above all, I hope that through all of my writing, all of my devotions, all of the good works, the Bible studies, the small groups, the Discipleship, the guiding of my family that you have not just seen me being Religious, that you have seen me show Jesus Christ.  If only religion then I have failed because without Jesus Christ in me then I am nothing but an empty shell as the Pharisees were.

Lord, amy life to show you to those that see it and not just an empty Religion.  Amen