“Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.”
– Psalm 34:5
As followers of Jesus, we are invited and commanded to truly look to God. For our identity. For authority over our life. For direction. For strength. For hope. For purpose. For approval. For transformation. We are to look nowhere else for those things. When we look to God, we’ll never be disappointed. We won’t be ashamed, no matter how things are going all around us. The world and its circumstances, good or bad, will no longer define us, though it will certainly try.
When we truly look to God, we’ll reflect His glory. We’ll be grounded in His presence within us. We’ll be defined as His much-loved children. We’ll be blessed by His Spirit. We’ll be motivated by His glory. There’s no shame in these things. Ever. No matter what the world throws at us – poverty, persecution, pain – we will not be ashamed.
The Apostle Paul wrote often of how he wasn’t ashamed, despite his external circumstances (including prison and looming execution) because of the Gospel, because of Christ in Him, because of the work of God in the world. We’re called and empowered to live and feel the same way.
Christian, look to God. Not as your ATM, not as your Santa Claus, but as your EVERYTHING. Then you’ll reflect Him and never be ashamed!