Blending into the background isn’t possible for some of us. We’re going to shine with flash and bling no matter how hard we try otherwise.
We walk through the door, and the spotlights turn our direction; the band strikes up the music, and our very presence shouts, “Behold! Look who’s walked into the room!”
Anyone who’s spent time with a “behold” person knows the feeling. They exude a presence that’s bigger than they are. They seem to take over, even when they don’t mean to. It’s natural and uncontrollable.
It’s part of who they are, their Behold Factor, so to speak. It just comes out, and they don’t even have to say anything for us to feel it.
That’s how God is. He has the Behold Factor, that presence that seems to fill up a room, overshadowing everything else that’s going on. When he speaks, his voice is just a little louder than anyone else’s, his laughter seems to override every joke, and his cologne permeates the space, no matter what fragrances others are wearing.
“Behold!” and everyone stops and looks his direction. It’s as if we have no choice.
What does that mean in the real world? How does our Behold God fit into our everyday plans?
Well, in John 13:27, at the Last Supper, after the devil entered into Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ Behold Factor came out loud and clear in the words he spoke to Judas.
“What you are going to do, do it quickly.”
Jesus knew exactly what was going on with his upcoming betrayal. He had predicted it, and he was resigned to seeing it carried out.
Later, in Acts 1:20, we read of the desolation that befell Judas after his horrendous act of betrayal. Verses 18-19 tell the story of Judas’ horrific death, and then Peter quotes from the Book of Psalms.
“May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it,” and, “Let another take his office.”
The Behold Factor here lies with the words of the psalmist, for the truth the world would deny rings out over the centuries. The Christ was crucified, and his usurper paid the ultimate price. Another shall now take the usurper’s place.
In John 19:14, even Pilate spoke words of truth, although he said them in jest.
“Behold your King!”
And the people cried, “We have no king but Caesar,” calling out, “Crucify him!”
Even so, Jesus had the best Behold moment of all. Read in Matthew 28:6, where the angel speaks to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary:
“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”
What is our Behold moment in our modern day world? How does the Behold Factor apply now?
Nothing has changed. It’s the same as Paul’s words in Romans 1:16:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Every moment of every day can be a Behold moment for us. All we need to do is get hold of the Behold Factor and let it fill us up to overflowing.
The Behold Factor is Jesus, and he wants to come to us to live inside our hearts forever and forever.
We can have him. All we have to do is accept his invitation. We find that in the Bible.
When our words come from Jesus, they carry power we could never speak on our own.
Copyright © 2014 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.H.26.14.vp
Originally Published 10-27-14 in Salvation