THE FACE OF GOD

Proverbs 16

“When a king’s face brightens, it means life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:15-16, 18, 20, 24 NIV

Wow! Proverbs 16 is so full of good stuff! It was really hard to pick a small portion.

So, after yesterday’s post about the eyes of the Lord, I figured, what better way to follow than with His face.

Probably the greatest hindrance to me hearing God’s call on my life was the thing that I treasured the most…the favor of those I knew.

Now, that’s not a bad thing, necessarily, but, in my case, because it was so important to me how people thought of me, I tried real hard to make a good impression.

And, I thought I did.

I worked hard to please my bosses, I was polite to adults, I was always kind to my peers, and, for the most part, I was obedient to my parents and teachers.

Nice, huh?

So, I found myself living a pretty happy life.

I was a good guy.

People liked me.

But, one day, I felt this happy feeling eluding me, and there was no reason for it to be gone.

Except, something was missing.

“Why am I depressed when I am such a good guy?”

That day, my eyes were opened, and, I came to realize that anything I had ever done that to me seemed good, I had done for me, so I could maintain this image of myself that I was good.

I suddenly wanted to know this God that I had said I believed in, and I didn’t know how to find Him.

I cried out to Him, “What does it mean to be born again?”

Within five minutes, His invisible hand gave me the answer that I sought.

I bowed before Him, relinquished my works, accepted His works for me,

And discovered the Life that flows from the brightness of His face.

That day, I discovered the difference between happy and Joy.

When My Father is pleased, I feel His pleasure.

That is JOY!