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beholding God, experience, eyes of the heart, heart, Jesus, knowing, mind, Oswald Chambers, purification, soul, spiritual power
Is it possible to see God? Can you imagine to meet your Creator before you die? If someone already had visions or dreams where he met God, Jesus, or other saints, he might know that such experiences exist. Biblically speaking, just think about Jesus’ transformation on a high mountain where he could be seen with Moses and Elijah or let us consider the blinding conversion experience of Saul, later called the apostle Paul. However, such events happen rarely.
What I am speaking of here is, rather, that God Himself wants to enable us to look at Him, to see and meet Him in our own spirit as soon as the eyes of our heart have been enlightened to perceive Jesus’ and later also God’s stature when Jesus has revealed our Heavenly Father to us (Mt 11:27). How do we see them, then? In fact, usually not as clear as our physical eyes are used to. Instead,
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:12-13 ESV)
Jesus once gave us the following promise and we need not be afraid that He only spoke of life after death for those who believe. He said,
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Mt 5:8 ESV)
(1) What is meant by a pure heart? The Benson Commentary says,
Matthew 5:8. The pure in heart — Those whose hearts are purified by faith; who are not only sprinkled from an evil conscience by the blood of Jesus, but cleansed by the Spirit of God from vain thoughts, unprofitable reasonings, earthly and sensual desires, and corrupt passions; who are purified from pride, self-will, discontent, impatience, anger, malice, envy, covetousness, ambition; whose hearts are circumcised to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, and their neighbours as themselves, and who, therefore, are not only upright before him, but possess and maintain purity of intention and of affection in all their designs, works, and enjoyments; serving him continually with a single eye and an undivided heart.
Oh, that’s a lot, isn’t it! Sounds almost deterrent as to the perfection described here. Yet we may not forget that it is not our work to change our hearts. With God all things are possible!! He both purifies our souls by faith and cleanses our minds and hearts by His powerful Spirit until we love nothing more than beholding Him.
(2) How do these blessed ones eventually see God? Does that sight even change over time? The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges considers our view of God as progressive in development. It writes,
The Christian education is a gradual unveiling of God, all have glimpses of Him, to the pure He appears quite plainly. Cp. 1 John 3:2-3. In a further sense the unveiled sight of God is reserved for the Eternal life.
Let me conclude this article with one of Oswald Chambers’s daily devotionals in which he explains what we ought to keep in mind if we really want to look at Him.
Transformed by Beholding
Jan 23, 2014
We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image… —2 Corinthians 3:18
The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.
The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord….”
kenneth dawson said:
yes beholding is becoming-the more we see the more we be.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Amen, Kenneth. Well said! 🙂
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Michael said:
This is a good quote from Oswald Chambers and something to remember,
“The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.”
Yes, the worst enemy of the Best is “good” for it is a near miss. Satan only needs one percent lies to take us off course in his carefully concocted brew of deception.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you, Michael. 🙂 I like this sentence, “Satan only needs one percent lies to take us off course in his carefully concocted brew of deception.” Very good!!
Basically, it is so simple to decide whether it is Satan or God who rule our thinking, speaking, and behavior. As soon as we cannot feel any love for our neighbors but feel fear or anger toward them instead, Satan has us in his painful grip so that darkness is allowed to rule in our hearts. However, our Lord through His Spirit always sends forth only good things and the beautiful fruit of heaven – LOVE, PEACE, JOY… Or in other words,
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 Jn 4:18-20 KJV)
“Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.” (3 Jn 11 KJV)
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Pat Orr said:
Thank you for the piece, and thank you who replied. This is another consideration of how pure our heart is. Have we seen God?
Love,
Pat Orr
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Good question, Pat!! 😉 You are most welcome, my dear sister. ❤
Love,
Susanne
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Michael said:
Pat and Susanne, I keep coming back to this passage over and over and here is my hope…
Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3 KJ2000)
Seeing Him AS He is.. That is the key.
Nevertheless when one shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 3:16-18 KJ2000)
As we behold Him with all our hearts the Spirit changes us into the same image. It is a matter of beholding HIM and then the Spirit does the rest. When the eye is single the whole body will be filled with HIS light.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
“As we behold Him with all our hearts the Spirit changes us into the same image. It is a matter of beholding HIM and then the Spirit does the rest. When the eye is single the whole body will be filled with HIS light.”
Very well said, Michael! Thank you for your great comment and encouraging words! 🙂
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Brenda said:
Reblogged this on White Raiment.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you so much for reblogging, my dear Canadian sister! 🙂
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jacqui said:
Susanne I have seen God and he said ‘If you’ve seen me then you’ve seen the Father’. It was an amazing encounter and he knew everything about me things no-one knew nor had I told. He healed my back which was damaged. He walked with me for over an hour and listened to me. Susanne everything pales into insignificance when you feel the love and joy of the LORD. It is indescribable. I couldn’t speak for a whole week when I realized who I had just walked with. When He smiled at me Susanne it was just wonderful. He is just so loving and kind but oh so holy too. xx
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Mmmmhhhhh…. ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks a bunch for sharing your awesome testimony on here, dear Jacqui! 🙂
I think you will keep this precious encounter with God near to your heart, my sister, since it can lift you up in times of trouble and tears. Thank God, no one will ever be able to steal it away from you; now you KNOW that God is real. Reading about Him in a book is a good thing and reading the Bible, too. Yet nothing compares to meeting the living God, right? 😉
Perhaps you remember, I wrote about my first deep encounter with our lovely Daddy in Heaven in a comment on this blog here. If you like, check it out on The Burden of False Guilt.
May God bless you with every divine blessing imaginable!
Love,
Susanne XOXO
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Anna Waldherr said:
Your post was perfectly timed for me. My mother was one of the rare individuals you describe. She passed away this week. (FYI, I’ll be posting her eulogy tomorrow at alawyersprayers.com.)
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Oh, Anna, I am so sad to hear that your mother passed away this week!!! I would love to hear more about who and how she was. Of course, I will check out her eulogy on your blog, dear Anna. May God bless you and comfort you today and in the days ahead.
Much love to you ❤ ❤ ❤
Susanne
PS
Somehow your whole name "Anna Waldherr" sounds German to me, at least as to its origin. Could this be true?
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Anna Waldherr said:
Thank you for your kindness. Yes, my parents were both German-Hungarian. Germans were encouraged to resettle in Hungary around the 17th Century. During WW II, Mom lost her home first to the Nazis then the Communists. She met my father in a displaced persons camp in Germany, and from there came to America. It’s quite a story.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You are so welcome, dear Anna. I imagine that your parents’ life must have been quite a story. And it also must have been very painful for your mother to lose her home, even twice!!
May God bless you and keep you always!
Much love ❤ ❤ ❤
Susanne
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