Representing my Lord

And He is the radiance of His glory
and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power.
When He had made purification of sins,
He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
-Hebrews 1:3

This has been one of my favorite verses for many years. Why? If Jesus was the radiance of His Glory and exact representation of the His nature, in reference to the Father, then we, who are to strive to be like the Son, should also be the radiance of Jesus' Glory and the exact representation of Jesus' nature. It is an overpowering commitment.

How does one become the radiance of God's glory, shining out for all to see without casting a shadow? How can one possibly become the exact representation of His nature, without tainting Who He would appear to be to other people?

It would take nothing less than a complete and lasting surrendering of oneself to the Lord. There have been moments in my life that I have surrendered completely, I think, but I am quickly reminded how short-lived this heightened level of my spiritual commitment lasted. I desire to be that close to my Lord, so that I not only am a good witness for Him, but could nearly be mistaken to be Him, although this concept is overpowering and I doubt my ability to achieve it.

There is one hope, something nearly hidden in this scripture--a term not used in any other place in the scriptures that I have found that suggests to me it holds a special significance. "[He] upholds all things by the word of His power." Word of His power, not power of His word.

A "word" is a representation used in language to define something. In the first chapter of John, Christ is described as the Word, the representation of the Father. Here "word of His power" suggests there is something else that represents the Son's power. I have spent many, many hours in awe while contemplating this phrase as I still have no definitive answer. Perhaps it refers to the Holy Spirit, perhaps something else. That little phrase, for me, continues to be deliciously mystifying.

My Lord, please let me never desire anything more than to be the radiance of Your Glory and never tire of striving to be the exact representation of Your nature, no matter how far I fall short. Thank you for continually upholding all things by the Word of Your Power.