You just got the greatest gift ever! You call your mom, your friends, to tell them. You even tell the barista who serves you your coffee. You can’t help yourself. You’re bubbling over with excitement, and you just need to share the good news.

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 
Ephesians 3:14-21, NLT

PRAY WITH ME

Lord, you stood at the door of my heart and knocked. I invited you into my inner being and ask your help to clean up the vessel that I am so that more and more of You fills all the nooks and crannies of my soul with your light. All-powerful God, you can do more than I can even imagine, yet you don’t push me around. Instead, you gently, steadily, and deeply within me until I overflow with your glorious love. To God be the glory and praise. Amen.

THINK ABOUT IT

God has made it possible for us to live in freedom from the tyranny of sin (Ephesians 2:8-9). We invite, and He cleanses. We believe, and He gives us all the faith we will even need (Romans 12:3). We don’t have to achieve perfection to reflect His glory. We open our hearts to Him, daily ask Him to lead and guide us, and His light will shine—reflecting off of us in spite of our humanness. His light overcomes darkness.

You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
2 Samuel 22:29, NIV

• Are you a perfectionist? Does this make it harder for you to believe that God can use you to shine His light in all the situations of your life?
  • Is it up to you to be perfect? Explain.
  • Read these verses Paul wrote in Romans 7 and 8

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[d] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway… 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[e] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.. Romans 7:18-25, NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Rom 8:1-2

• Was Paul—the man God chose to spread the Gospel around the world to all people groups—perfect? By his own admission, the answer is a resounding no. Yet God used Paul to reflect Him, to be His ambassador throughout the world. Now, how about you?
• Not all of us are given a large platform of influence. Does that give you an excuse to hide His light under a bushel?
• Thank God. Praise Him. Look at all He has done for you. Let the light shine.

HOW IT WORKS

There are no limits on the ways you can choose to express your message from God this week. Use any form of creativity you desire. But express it through your hands, through your mind, through your voice. And remember, for this exercise skill level and perfection are never measured. It is letting God words come out through your filters.

Express God’s words to you. Show them. It is in taking them in and making them ours, hearing God’s words and putting them out in the open that makes them true for us. They are no longer hidden, and those around us will see that we are reflecting something—even if they aren’t sure what it is. But we’ll know: it’s God.

Please, share it with me! Send me an email with a picture of whatever way you have chosen to reflect God’s words this week. My email address is KSEvenhouseWWV@gmail.com. I’ll share my responses and yours, if you send them, on Thursday.