Becoming by Beholding

From Brendon: I've discovered that I try to behold, really try, by gritting my teeth and closing my eyes really hard so I can try and see more of Jesus, but it turns out all I am doing is gritting my teeth and closing my eyes hard. No beholding is happening. I'm still trying to figure this out. However, I have a feeling its easy to stare at and behold Jesus. Maybe it's as simple as reading His word, meditation, prayer and worship.

This is how people become like Jesus. This is how the saints throughout history have drawn close to Him. It's no different from the Apostles to the children. Looking at Jesus, gazing upon the throne. To paraphrase 1 John 3:2, "When you see Him, you will be like Him."

Maybe feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, building homes in Mexico for those who didn't have one and giving away money doesn't make us more like Jesus. Without a doubt we can learn his heart and SHOULD be His hands and feet by doing these things, but until we behold Him and create a lifestyle of beholding Him, just wanting to see more of Jesus (because when we see Jesus we see the Father, John 14:9) then we'll never do these good deeds out of an overflow of love, but rather out of a sense of duty or because we find it personally satisfying. "If I have not love..." then these things, for these reasons, are just noise, clanging cymbals. Service must come from an overflow, which we can only receive from Him. Jesus has given us the ultimate tool in the Holy Spirit to help us behold Him through prayer, worship, His word and fasting. When we do these from love we are also able to move in power and boldness to effectively move the Kingdom forward.

We cannot muster revelation of Jesus, we receive it. It's easy to not do this, even when everyone around you talks about Him, sings about Him, and makes Him their lifestyle. We are a people prone to do good works and call them the better or greatest work. King David, with all his riches and authority had it right when he said, "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." Ps. 27:4

This is all in order to accomplish in our lives the greatest commandment. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength." We seek to love Him this way, because it is the way He loves us, and makes us like Him.