John 1:47
“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’”
We can learn a great deal from the lives of Jesus’ disciples, but when little is written – as in the case of Nathanael – we must pay even closer attention. Jesus’ initial greeting to him held two remarkable statements, but I want us to stop to consider the second of the two. Here was a man, in whom Jesus saw no deceit.
The guileless man hides nothing, big or small, from the God who sees. Nathanael was well versed in the Scriptures, but his knowledge went beyond his head, straight to his heart. God’s Word became “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12) in a way that brought transparency into his relationship with God. God knows us intimately, we’re the ones who need clarity.
Puritan saint John Wesley endeavored to see what God saw by asking himself a series of simple but piercing questions at the end of each day. Do I pray about the money I spend? Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? Is Christ real to me? These are but a sample of the areas he exposed to the Holy Spirit’s searching. Such routine examination might feel rote, but when Bible and heart are both open, the results are blessed.
God, who has openly revealed Himself to us desires the same sincerity and honesty because as we are with Him is how we’ll be with men. Transparency allows light to shine through – His light.
– Pastor Jack
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