Seeing God's Purposes Clearly

When I finished mowing the lawn I noticed that the vision in my left eye was blurred. I didn’t think much of it at the moment figuring that it was just some dust. Later I realized that even when I washed out my eyes the blur remained. My eye was watery and irritated. My conclusion? Apparently, something blew into my eye causing a scratch that needed to heal.

This all made me think about my spiritual vision which has been blurred by the ‘stuff’ of life recently. I have found myself working to sort through conflicting ideas thrown at me by the culture in which I live, trying to make sense of major shifts in values in the world around that make no sense to me, and dealing with angst about the future. Those things are like dust that obscure the promises of God, which blur my vision for His purposes and will. So, I pray that God will wash the dust out of my spiritual eyes and restore unclouded vision!

Paul was inspired by the Spirit to warn of blurry vision. He said that God reveals His majesty to us in the wonder of Creation. Will we see it? Here’s the text - 
"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:20-21, NIV)  

The cure for blurry vision is the choice to offer our praise and worship with honest gratitude. When we speak of His wonders, when we offer ourselves in worship, He renews our vision.

Have you become so taken up with the trials and challenges of life that you have lost sight of the big picture? Have you fallen into a pattern of complaint and negativity that obscures the reality of God’s love for you?

Don’t panic. Pause! Take a worship break. Quiet your mind and pick up the Scripture. Turn to a familiar passage of promise: a Psalm, or the rich words of Ephesians that are full of grace, or the revelations of Jesus in the first three chapters of the Revelation – and give thanks to God for HIS steady, unchangeable ways, for His love that never fails, and the dust of doubt will be washed away.

Peter says, “prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1) We have a responsibility for our focus. Martin Luther reminded Christians of the blessings of choosing our thoughts.
He said, “You can't stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.”  When the focus of our thoughts is on Jesus, the Spirit will lead us to the serenity Jesus said is His gift to us. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

So…. What do you see this morning?
-about the core purpose of your life?
-for your children's future?
-about finding a way to honor God in what you do as your daily work?
- about making Jesus and His Kingdom visible in this darkened world?

Keeping sharp vision requires constant effort. It is worth it! Without clear and God-formed sight we will quickly become mired in mediocrity, or turn into a burnt-out shell, which will cause us to leave the work of God undone, and the peace of Christ unknown..

Here is the word from the Word. “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness.
Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you.”
(Luke 11:33-36, NLT)

Critics!

Who hasn’t felt the sting of criticism? In my 5 decades of serving as a Pastor, I have been the target of critics more than a few times. Sometimes their words had an element of truth. Sometimes the critic was upset about some situation that had little to do with me, but my semi-public role left me vulnerable. And sometimes the critic was just avoiding his own insecurities.

Let me quickly add that I have known a great deal of support and affirmation, too! But, somehow, the voice of the critics always seems louder.  When critics spoke, my usual response was to take their words to the Lord with a prayer to see clearly, to learn from what was true, to discard what was not.

In all honesty, knowing my self better than anyone else, it is a source of real wonder that God would trust me with the care of His Bride, the Church. I know I am not smart enough, 'Christian' enough, to serve perfectly. I remind myself that the strength, the wisdom, the gifts belong to my Master and Lord. I try to remember that I “serve at His pleasure!”

Do you feel incapable? Have critics made you feel inadequate? Have those feelings bled over into your spiritual life causing your sins and failures to taunt you from the edge of your consciousness, whispering to you - "You’re a failure. You cannot do anything right."

Those voices are not just from inside your head. They may be partially rooted in our own fears but the demons who work at neutralizing or defeating God’s work in this world are ever- present, too. Every person who takes seriously the call to live a holy life, who seeks to do God's will – whether they are a pastor or a plumber- will know that kind of attack.

St. Paul knew this sense of inadequacy. Of the calling to represent the Kingdom of God, he asks, "Who is equal to such a task?" and a little further on the text, "It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God." (2 Corinthians 3:5, NLT) The demons attempt to get the person serious about God and His call to focus on Self. Why? Because the one thing that is the key to doing spiritual work effectively is the Spirit in us. It is not our own strength, cleverness, or skills that provide success.

The Bible says, "For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:5-7, NIV) What a joyful declaration! Christ’s Church is adequate for the task God has given her. We, who are filled with God’s Spirit, can live as a positive effective representative of Christ.

I love the ancient preacher’s inspired words to the people who were trying to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple centuries before the time of Christ. God spoke through him to say - "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6, NLT) That is still TRUE and the principle is a key to our effective service for Jesus.

What strengths did God see in us that caused Him to choose us? Nothing!
But He called us, at His own initiative, because of His grace. Then He promised, "I will enrich you in every way!" Claim His strength.

Do not foolishly ignore your critics! Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s famed Prime Minister through the terrible years of World War 2 was frequently criticized. He wisely said “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body; it calls attention to the development of an unhealthy state of things. If it is heeded in time, danger may be averted; if it is suppressed, a fatal distemper may develop.”

Be encouraged by the promise of God to use your strengths and weaknesses, to keep you steady, and to do ‘more than you can imagine’ through you.

Here's a Word to take with you today.
"God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom.

As the Scriptures say, “The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done.” (1 Corinthians 1:28-31, NLT)
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A video of this devotion can be found at 
https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55 

Sorrowful?

The day closed and the lights turned off for the night. I breathed a sigh and a prayer – “God, why must there be so much sorrow?”  The sadness was not for myself, but for many around me that were going through hard times.
in the morning, I sat for an hour in a jail visiting room with a man who made a choice in a moment and now sits in a cell awaiting trial. As I prayed with him, tears welled up in my eyes.
Another friend told me of financial hardship and ongoing constant pain, and I hurt with that one.
Another shared disappointment with an adult child who has chosen to be distant.
Another reported the death of a relative that was expected yet still bringing grief and loss.
More pictures of devastation of war filled my news feed.

 … and that was just one day!

I am well aware of the promises of God found in the Holy Word, passages like this from Isaiah: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (41.10) I am thankful that, yet sometimes the sorrow is crushing, seeming to be too much to bear.

There are several choices to be made when life hurts, when the ache of the soul hangs on, that help us to renew ourselves and find the ‘joy of the Lord.’

First, choose reality over denial!
So many Christians put on a smile and cheerful face while pretending that all is well. The pain of their heart is papered over with favorite Bible verses and churchy cliches. If asked if they are hurting, they are quick with the ‘right’ answer, unwilling to admit to life’s pain.

Second, remember that what you feel is part of the common human experience!
How easily we are convinced that no one has ever felt the fear, the loss, the rejection, the doubt, the sadness which we are living in at the moment. That quickly can turn us into a victim, or worse, to begin to believe that we must have done something terrible and are being judged by God. In the long run that person risks cutting herself off from the very God that is her comfort.

Third, find a friend!
The ideas that we have to ‘go it alone,’ that ‘big boys don’t cry,’ that we must soldier on alone are just wrong. God created us for community. It has been said thousands of times but it is none-the-less true -working to build a network of friends returns the richest rewards. When we are living under sunny skies and with plenty of resources we may tempted to ignore serving with others, spending time listening and loving, but if we do, we will find ourselves without a friend that can be that ‘bridge over troubled waters.’

Fourth, choose to worship God!
The Bible talks about a sacrifice of praise. When life hurts it can be difficult to look up and thank God that He is bigger than this day, this trouble, this hardship but it will make a difference. There are so many ways to do this. Perhaps you can find a quiet place and pray. Surely you can go to a church and join the formal worship experience. Just maybe you are prompted to worship with a beautiful song.
Psalm 73 records the lament of a man whose disappointment was painful. It nearly broke him. He says “When I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache … Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture.”  (73, The Message) He finishes his song saying- “As for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” (73.28 NIV)

Are you sorrowful? Does life just hurt today? I do care and I wish I could sit with you for a while. Deal with it, endure it, wait through it.

The word from the Word comes from ancient preacher. The older I get, the more I appreciate this wisdom. May it give you hope today.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  (Habakkuk 3:17–18)

Why? How can we rejoice in such circumstances?

“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to go on the heights.”  (Habakkuk 3:19)

Make the God who reigns YOUR strength.