2 Corinthians Day 30 - We Weren't Left In the Shadows

4:6 For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Currently I'm doing a series on the book of Judges at our midweek meetings at church. We are almost finished and the further we go the darker it gets. I promised before we started that we would see Jesus in Judges and we have. Much to my delight I found Him this time in more places than I ever have before. In fact I just found Him again and can't wait to share that this coming week.

So why am I telling you this? Because to find Jesus in Judges you have to search. He doesn't jump off the page in very many places. Honestly if it weren't for the New Testament we may not recognize Him at all. 

Here in 2 Corinthians Paul is telling us that God shone the light of His glory in our hearts in or through or by the face of Jesus Christ. In simple terms, if you want to know​ what God is like, look at Jesus. He may be hard to see in the dark, idolatrous cultures of the Old Testament where He gets blamed for a lot of things He didn't do and is described in ways that reflect the thoughts of the people far more than the reality of who He is. One thing that is consistent in the Old Testament is that the people who looked for Him and searched after Him came to a brighter and better understanding the further they went. Moses asked to see His glory and far from the angry God he had thought He was, He found a God who is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. 

However I am so thankful God did not leave us to Wade through the murky fog and darkness of the Old Testament. Instead He sent His Son. In Jesus is by far the best representation of what God is really like. The Man who could walk on water and raise the dead yet found time for little children, that's God. The Man who touched the unclean lepers and treated them with dignity and compassion while they were still sick, that's God. The man who protected a woman from being stoned to death in her naked shame and offered her hope instead of condemnation, that was God. The man who stood up to the corrupt religious leaders and with tears in His voice told them exactly what they were, that was God. The man who turned the tables of those who were trying to exploit the guilt, shame, and genuine pursuit of God for money upside down, that was God too. The man who forgave so easily, and reached far beyond what we would consider adequate caring, that was God. 

God shone the light of Who He is into our hearts through, by, in the face of Jesus. If you really want to know what God is like, step out of the shadows and darkness of the past and into the life of the Man from Galilee.