Sunflowers and Jesus

Sunflowers follow and face the sun in each of the moments of the day. Wherever the sun leads, they follow. The sun leads them and guides them through every minute.

Just like the sunflower, we too, are to follow the Son - our Savior - in all we do. In submission to Him, we follow His lead, His plans, His mission, and His life into eternity. He will joyfully lead us, guide us, and direct us through every moment of our days. His light shines on us in all its glory and love.

John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Deuteronomy 13:4 “Serve only the Lord your God and fear Him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.”

John 12:26 “Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

Galatians 5:25 “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

As sunflowers face the sun throughout their daily moments, they become warm like the sun. They were not only created to look like the sun, they begin to feel like the sun. We were created in the image of God. As we follow Jesus and His lead in our lives, we begin to not only resemble Him in our character and who we are, we also begin to feel like Him in our love, grace, mercy, kindness, joyfulness, patience, peace, and forgiveness to those around us. Jesus warms our faces and we become more and more like Him in every step we take. As we become more and more like Him, our lives - character and integrity - who we are - reflects Him more and more. He becomes greater and greater in our daily lives.

Exodus 34:29 “When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Matthew 17:2 “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.”

When sunflowers face the sun, their faces warm up causing the bees to become attracted to them so they will in turn be pollinated for increased reproduction and multiplication of more sunflowers on the earth.

Jesus defeated sin and death. Death cannot hold life down. We follow the Son - He is our light - our Savior - our life. He is our eternity. When we accept and choose Jesus as our Lord and Savior and submit our lives to Him, we are called and commissioned to spread the amazingly Good News of eternal life found in Him to others around us.

As we become more and more like Jesus, others are attracted to His Spirit that shines through us. We can then share His love and His Gospel message of Salvation with others. We can share our testimonies and all that God has done and is doing in our lives. Others will be drawn to us, not just because of what we say, but because of our actions, how we treat others, and how we live our lives as we chase Jesus with all our guts. Seeds are then spread and the lives of others around us are changed for God’s glory, His Kingdom, and for all eternity.

Acts 12:24 “Meanwhile, the Word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.”

Mark 16:15 “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

Revelations 14:6-7 “And I saw another angel, flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world - to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ‘Fear God’, he shouted. ‘Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”

Matthew 24:14 “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What about when the sun goes down at night and darkness fills the earth? When the sun goes down, sunflowers turn to face the east again, anticipating the sun’s glorious return. When it seems like darkness is creeping in everywhere around us, we can stand firm on the promise that Jesus is returning. He is coming again. He is coming soon. We can face east and anticipate His return every day and every night. We can hold fast to the promise that darkness is temporary and very soon all the light of God will flood the earth with His almighty, all powerful and all authoritative glory.

Revelations 21:23 “And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.”

Ezekiel 1:26-28 “Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.”

Ezekiel 8:2 “I saw a figure that appeared to be a man. From what appeared to be his waist down, he looked like a burning flame. From the waist up he looked like gleaming amber.”

Revelations 1:13-15 “And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.”

1 Corinthians 1:7-8 “Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”

Philippians 3:20 “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”

Jude 1:20-21 “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.”

Matthew 24:27 “For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.”

Revelations 1:17 - 18 “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look - I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

Revelations 19:11-16 “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”

God doesn’t want our things, He wants our hearts. He wants us to see the awe and glory of who He is and realize that in all that awe and glory, He loves us beyond comprehension. He wants us to choose Him, turn to Him, approach Him, face Him, follow Him, search for Him, and cling to Him in every moment of our lives. He wants us to spread His love and the truth found in the sacrifice He gave when Jesus, His Son, died for us so we could be free from sin and death for all eternity. Jesus died so we can be seen as righteous before God and boldly approach Him, run to Him with all our guts and cling to Him for all eternity if we choose Him. He wants us to fear being apart from Him for even a second of our lives and passionately run far away from anything that might even potentially separate us from Him. Above all, He desperately wants us to choose Him and rest safely in His arms for all eternity.

Numbers 6:24-26 says “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.”

….as we patiently anticipate the glorious return of Jesus and continue to run the race God has placed on our lives, we should always remember to face the Son throughout every minute of our days. In every single thing we do, let Him warm our faces with His Almighty glory, awe, and power so we can continually spread His amazingly Good News of Salvation, freedom, and victory which can only be found in Him. He is Faithful and True. Just like the sunflower looks to the sun, follows it in every moment and anticipates the sun’s return, we should always be looking to Jesus, following Him - clinging to Him in every single moment, joyfully, patiently, and eagerly anticipating His return.