Have you ever noticed your shadow on a wall or maybe on the sidewalk from the bright sun behind you?  I remember watching a skit on a television show some years ago about shadows and how they changed in appearance as the person moved.  This is what happened to me late one night as I walked from the kitchen; I saw my shadow on the wall across the room because of the nightlight behind me.  This same scenario of seeing my shadow has happened before but this night was different because I noticed that my shadow was larger when I was closest to the light.  As I walked across the room my shadow got smaller because of the distance from the light.  No brainer right?  Let’s face it; a shadow is a representation of the real deal.

My next thought was, “that’s how it is with our relationship with Jesus”.  The closer we are to Him, the more we live in agreement to His Word.  The further away we are from Him the more difficult it is to live according to His Word.   It’s our decision.  It’s up to each of us to choose each day to read the Bible, pray, and worship Him.  No one else can make that decision for us.   Jesus said that He is the light to the world.  (John 8:12)  The question we need to ask is, “how much of His Light shines through me”?  Do we make it a priority to pray for others, to be kind in word and deed?  Are we an encouragement or discouragement to others?

The closer our fellowship with Jesus the stronger our faith will be.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God, so not only does faith come, but the more we are hearing the Word the easier it is to maintain our faith.   This is not rocket science.  We feed physical food to our physical body to keep it healthy and strong, so it makes sense to feed our spirit the Spiritual food of God’s Word to keep our spirit strong, healthy, and in faith.

Another thing I noticed, as I mentioned before, was that when I turned, my shadow image was different.  Sometimes that’s how we are; one day we are cheerful and another grumpy or sad.  One day we are a spiritual mighty warrior and the following day feel very depressed and defeated.  This is what happened to Elijah; he fought depression after a mighty victory. (1 Kings 18 and 19)

But there is “no shadow of turning in God”. (James 1:17)  He doesn’t change; He is the same, “yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)  His love doesn’t change from one day to the next; He always loves us.  His plans for us are always good.  There is no variance in Him; He is always the same.    This is encouraging because this means I can depend on God to be the same, to be faithful to His Word, regardless of what the circumstances are around me.  He is always the Healer and always the Savior. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!  Thank you Jesus!

So I therefore submit to you that the closer we walk in fellowship with Jesus, the larger His Image (the truth of His character) is represented in our lives.  The more Christ-likeness we are the better witness we are to the world, to our families, to our co-workers, and to other members of the Body of Christ, the Church.  As true ambassadors of Christ, everything we say and do should reveal His love, wisdom, and will, to those around us and in every circumstance and situation we encounter.  (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)  On Christ’s behalf we are to help others be reconciled to God.  That is our mission: to show Jesus to the world.

Remember, all the promises of God are yea and amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20) There is no difference of turning in how He loves us.  He is the same.  His love, His forgiveness, His wisdom, and His blessings never change; they are always good, great, and more exceedingly abundant.  (1 Timothy 1:14)  So let’s spend more time with Him so our “shadow” (life) will exemplify His love.