What A Day It Will Be When We Recognize Jesus!
It is easy to recognize and remember old friends. But what about when we meet the Saviour face to face – will we recognize Him?
Remembering People
I’m not all that great at remembering names; which I think applies to a lot of people. But if I’m introduced to someone, or even if I just note their appearance even for a moment, I do seem to be able to remember them, or at least remember seeing them.
A Gospel Encounter
The gospels record an encounter like this…. where a brief sighting of an individual is clearly recalled, to his embarrassment. It’s the very straightforward account of how Peter, at the Lords trial; in fear of being exposed….is trying his best to blend into the crowd, yet he is recognized and called out 3 times.
In John 18:16-27 we read that
“Peter stood at the door without…17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not. 18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. 25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. 26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman, whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? 27 Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
John 18:16-18; 25-27
Remembering Appearances
It’s amazing how upon meeting someone just once, even for a brief moment, we can remember their appearance, characteristics like the sound of their voice, or the way they walk…. weeks, months, or even years later.
I’ve lived in this area most of my life, and I know hundreds, and literally thousands of people… and run into many of them over again as the months and years roll by. I meet a lot of people in the line of sales work I do, the fundraisers and community events we attend, the summer festivals, or at grocery stores, restaurants etc. I’m often bumping into relatives, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances old and new. It’s usually only when someone moves away from the area for an extended period, that you don’t cross paths somewhere in your local travels.
Old Friends and Associates
I had one such encounter this past week. It had been over 25 years since he and I had worked together. We weren’t close associates, just two government employees, without much in common working at that time, in a large establishment with hundreds of others. I was much younger than him, me in my mid-twenties, he in his fifties. When work at that facility ended, many stayed in the area, others relocated through government transfer offers; he was one of those. I hadn’t seen, or even really thought of him in all that time.
Instant Recognition
Peoples appearance can change a lot in 25 years. He had aged a fair bit, now into his mid-seventies. When he last saw me, I would have had a full head of hair, compared with the clean-shaven look I’ve had for some time now. But upon bumping into each other, there was an instant recognition, and an instant reliving of moments and shared experiences, from all those years ago.
Where have you been? what have you been up to? how is your family?…all the familiar questions that accompany reunions of sorts, when folks haven’t seen each other in a long time. It was great to see that each of us were healthy and well, and we agreed there were many blessings to be thankful for.
Our Gift for Remembering
Just consider how amazing that is; our ability to remember faces, personalities, and characters, even though many of the traits have borne the years of time.
But that ability to recognize, is but a mere reflection of what our Heavenly Father bestowed upon us; beings created in his likeness.
God Knows Us Deeply
I think of how profound the reality, that God knows everyone of us… independently from the other billions of souls that have graced this earth.
In Ephesians, speaking about believers it says: “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to be His own adopted children by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
God Looks Upon Us
Even though we’ve not seen our God with our physical eyes, and are not able to look upon his face until heavens dimensions unfold, (“And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”) God looks upon us.
In Lukes gospel we read: “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Our God knows us, he loves us, he never forgets us. He watches us as we grow, from infant to adolescent, from young adult into old age. He sees the changes, physical and emotional, and he embraces us the entire time with his unchanging love.
Recognizing the Savior
It is a heartwarming experience; running into an old acquaintance, to recognize them and to spend time catching up, and exchange well wishes.
But imagine how unbelievable the day will be, when we are able to see Jesus our Savior, God our Heavenly Father; and though we’ve never seen them with earthly eyes, and we’ve never heard their actual voices, it will be a reunion sweeter than ANY this world has ever known.
What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
How do you think you will feel when you see Jesus? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brad Hewey
Brad offers up practical, scriptural advice from a perspective borne out of everyday life encounters. As we live and move and have our being…it’s the individual life lessons that most often present the greatest challenges, but can yield the richest blessings. We’ve all, as Christians had those faith-affirming moments, where we’ve had an overwhelming sense of God’s spirit, or his very presence “at a particular but, maybe random time”.
Brad was born and still resides in a small community in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, where he and his wife Karen raised their 3 children. Brad & Karen fellowship at the Greenland Bible Chapel, where Brad serves as an elder.
Brad loves meeting and engaging with people. His background in sales has provided opportunities to travel throughout the US and Canada, networking with people from all walks of life. Brad is a singer/songwriter and has recorded 3 Christian albums. Songs from his “Brighter Day” release, have aired on Christian Radio stations across Canada and two of Brad’s albums are on HopeStreamRadio’s playlist.
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Images Courtesy Of:
Boy at Beach – Riala
Boys with laptops – sasint
Old friends – stevepb
Crowd – Free-Photos
Eyes – 6335159
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