The Sunshine of God on Your Face

Psalm 34:5 – “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”
Romans 12:8 – “…sheweth mercy with cheerfulness.”

What a person is inside is often eloquently depicted on the outside. When God who is light (1 John 1:5) shines in one’s heart in the person of His Holy Spirit, some of that inner illumination is bound to manifest itself to others. The faces of believers who are constantly looking to the Lord Jesus should beautifully reflect the peace and joy that He imparts. Paul points out that this is especially important when we seek to aid people in trouble. The kind of expression we wear can have a profound effect upon the way they react to our help. Arthur S. Way has paraphrased the admonition in Romans 12:8 this way: “If you come with sympathy to sorrow, bring God’s sunlight on your face.”

You may recall that Job’s friends failed completely in this matter. Instead of radiating God’s joy of light, they enveloped that afflicted saint in a cloud of impenetrable gloom.
He therefore called them “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). Happy is the believer of whom it can be said, “He carries God’s sunlight with Him wherever he goes!” Glum, long-faced Christians are a contradiction in terms. Instead of encouraging a needy brother and being a shining testimony to the world of what the grace of God can do, they are “sad sack” counselors and poor testimonies.

Let the Holy Spirit flood your life with the Savior’s grace and love. Then, as Paul admonishes, your witness will become heartwarming and truly effective as you dispense mercy and comfort to others “with cheerfulness.”

In a dark world our faces must ever reflect “GOD’S SUNSHINE”!