When I wake up in the morning, I must blink my eyes a few times to see clearly. At first the room is a blur, then gradually everything starts to come into focus. Jesus says - “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is.” (Matthew 6) He’s telling us that just as our physical eyes provide critical information for our function in life, so our spiritual eyes, how we ‘see’ the world, play a crucial role in our daily choices.
How do you ‘see’ your life, your purpose?
Is your life primarily about gathering resources to live -
enough food, money, stuff – to create a comfortable life, OR
is your focus on knowing God’s plan and purpose, knowing and living as a
citizen of Heaven?
The wrong kind of vision will lead us to waste many days, to look for the ‘easy,’ to become a survivor, and to stumble confusion. A God-shaped vision will carry us over the hard times, inspire us to reach beyond the possible, teach us to live in bold love, and to pursue eternity over today!
As you look over those responsibilities that are part of this day, are you resenting the duties and obligations you feel are pressed on you or are you taking the opportunities that life (*and the Lord) are presenting to you?
Elisha, a mighty preacher in ancient Israel, was pursued by the king of Syria because he was a source of intelligence to the king. He and his servant had made their way to a tiny village called Dothan. A crack team of Syrian soldiers surrounded that place, ready to capture the preacher.
The servant went out in the morning and saw the Syrians! Seeing only with his natural vision, he grew terrified. Elisha was blessed with divine insight and told that fearful man - "Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs!" Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean (Syrian) army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, "O Lord, please make them blind." So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked." (2 Kings 6:16-18, NLT)
The facts did not change. They were facing a real threat.
Vision shifted! There
was another army (unseen by human eyes) that was even larger. Elisha’s sight
was shaped by faith and that made all the difference! God does not ask us to
ignore the reality of our lives, but He does teach us that reality is not just
what we see with our natural eyes!
Want to know the state of your vision?
Listen to what fills your prayers.
Are you just asking the Lord for more money, better toys, more comfort, or
easier situations in life?
Or, do your prayers reflect a concern for the souls of friends and family and
the world?
Do you pray to be used of God or for an easy day?
Are you responsive to the needs of others with a gentle loving spirit OR
carefully protective of your own ‘rights’ and ‘reputation?’
George Barna writes this about the kind of Christians that gain a God-shaped insight for life.
• People of prayer.
Visionaries don’t stop praying about their call. They keep
at it, striving to remain sensitive to God’s leading as
they seek to carry it out.
• People of action.
They carry out a plan by organizing it into manageable steps. As they seek God’s provision
along the way, sure enough, God grants them progress one step at a time.
• People of perseverance.
Regardless of obstacles, they are driven to follow God’s leading. They
are unshakable in their resolve to do His will.
• People of excitement.
Life is no longer a grind. They know God has called them to a special outreach.
This is an electrifying experience: why shouldn’t they be excited? (Discipleship Journal, Issue 58)
Are you just surviving day to day? Are you drifting, filling up your life with
things that are trivial? Do you fear
tomorrow? Pray this simple line - "Lord, open my eyes and let me
see!"
Trust God with that situation that you see as a problem. Ask Him to turn
obligations into opportunities for the display of His Glory right where you
are, at this present time.
As you set out today, take a few moments to pray these
passages from the inspired Word. Ask God, the Spirit, to help you to see
clearly as you live.
Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the
LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.”
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
What a way to live! Amen.
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Video of this blog
https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55
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