Like the moon?

I remember driving along the highway a few years ago and seeing a billboard with large letters – GODISNOWHERE.  Like most people, the first thing I read as my brain decoded the letters was “God is nowhere.”  I thought some group that opposed religion was advertising, but as I got closer I saw that the smaller letters at the bottom pointed a website sponsored by a Christian group.  With that information, I re-read the line this way- "God is now here!" The context changed the message.

In my daily work I encounter increasing numbers of people who have concluded either that God is a myth or that the deity is beyond our knowing, no where to be found by ordinary human beings. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this statement – “If God loves us, why is all of this happening in the world?” 

The question is about the ancient problem of evil. Why does a good God allow such suffering? Is He unable to stop it? Is He playing games with us? Is He remote and uncaring?  The full answer to those questions is long and complicated, and involves faith. A short answer is this. God is both good and all powerful and He has given humanity the gift of choice. The Bible tells the story of the Fall –  that creation became enslaved to evil when God’s way was set aside for Self-will. We are born into a world where “all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.”  And, we must be rescued from evil’s grip. 

God, at the Cross, identified Himself with the suffering and made a Way for us to be restored to our place in His family, to know His love, to be made good again, in spite of the evil world in which we live. Yes, God is now here! This is the core message of our Christian faith. AND, when we come to Him through faith in Christ Jesus, He makes us spiritually alive, defeating the curse of sin and inviting us into a divine conspiracy (love that phrase though not original with me) to transform our world as His agents, filled with the Spirit’s life.

Leaving the difficult philosophical argument about evil’s existence behind, let me pose a practical question: 

What statement about God is made by your daily actions?  When people ‘read’ you do they conclude “God is nowhere,” or that “God is now here?”  

Those who know Christ Jesus as Savior are being changed but their ability to choose remains. Each day we have the choice to live under God’s reign or to choose to go our own way.  Our actions, though they may seem insignificant to us, are consequential, moving us and others toward God or away from Him. We cannot stand still nor remain neutral.

Jesus says to us "Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:15-16, NLT)  When we love, the light shines. When we seek to treat others with fairness and justice, the light shines. When we live joyfully, the light shines. When we commit ourselves to excellence, the light shines. When we are generous in spirit and forgiving of the offenses of others, the light shines.  … You can add your statement to that list. 

Being a Light-bearer is the privilege of all who love Jesus. It's no easy thing, this life of following Jesus and letting the Light shine. It can be costly and we will fail in spite of our best intentions. That is why none other than the Apostle Paul reminds us that "this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own." (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT)

Christian, our first choice each day is humble reliance on the grace of God shown us in Christ Jesus. We do not shine His Light brightly because we are smart or beautiful. We shine because we are FULL OF THE SPIRIT.  The radiance we have is a reflected one, much like that rock we call the moon shines, but not of its own energy.  It only reflects the light of the Sun.

We, too, reflect God’s glory, but only as we choose to "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT)

Would you join me in a commitment to live so that others know that "God is now here!"?  Let’s be so full of the Love of God that the rich abundance Jesus promised makes the Gospel the thing of beauty that it is. Let’s pray to live so as to be known as people who belong to Jesus, full of His grace and goodness, with daily actions that reveal a deep love of God and others!

As you head into your day, meditate on this word from the Word. Go, reflect His Light into a world that is dark.    "Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NLT)

____________

Shine, Jesus, Shine
(This is the prayer of my heart)

 

Lord the light of Your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness shining

Jesus Light of the world shine upon us

Set us free by the truth You now bring us

Shine on me shine on me

 

Shine Jesus shine

Fill this land

With the Father's glory

Blaze Spirit blaze

Set our hearts on fire

Flow river flow

Flood the nations

With grace and mercy

Send forth Your word Lord

And let there be light

 

Lord I come to Your awesome presence

From the shadows into Your radiance

By the blood I may enter Your brightness

Search me try me consume all my darkness

Shine on me shine on me

 

As we gaze on Your kingly brightness

So our faces display Your likeness

Ever changing from glory to glory

Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story

Shine on me shine on me

 

Graham Kendrick

© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

How do you think?

We "think" but we are largely unaware just how much of what and how we think is shaped by influences that are unseen. A huge industry (the most profitable) is built around building a virtual image of you. Where you go, what you buy, what you watch, the clicks you make on the Internet are all being collected and analyzed by computers programmed to get to know you. That information is then sold to companies or other organizations that will provide you with experiences that are tailored to your interests, your values, and your habits. Gradually, your networks on FaceBook™, your home page on Amazon™, your Google™ searches are truly ‘all about you.’ 

On one level, that is a great thing, isn’t it? You get offered products that interest you without sifting through a lot of other things. You find friends among people who are like you. Your searches turn up stories that fit your worldview. But, there is also a gradual loss of perspective as you see the world through an ever-narrowing lens and start to think that what you think is the ‘correct way’ because almost all of the people with whom you are interacting think like you do.
 

(If this interests you watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix.)

Christian, how we need discernment and wisdom!
I am not just talking about seeing past the latest crack-pot conspiracy theory and they are myriad!  I am talking about being able to stay Christ-focused, a person who lives the True Gospel, not one of the many corrupted “Gospels” that are competing for your heart and mind. 

I love Paul’s prayer, using it often for my own life and for those I serve as a pastor. He prays “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit a of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”  (Ephesians 1:17)

He does not pray that God will make them politically savvy, that God will give them great business opportunities, or that they will enjoy perpetual youth and prosperity! These are so often the not so subtle messages attached to “Jesus” in this day. Jesus becomes a means of building our ‘kingdom,’ making life work better for us. Jesus supposedly endorses certain candidates. Jesus supposedly likes a certain kind of economic system. Jesus is our holy good luck charm to make our troubles disappear. IF we are in a church that preaches those false Gospels, if we surround ourselves with people who repeat them to us, they become ‘true,’ except that they are not!

The Gospel is about reconciling humanity to God, about opening up our minds to the eternal, and about calling us to the pursuit of the knowledge of the Holy One. Oh that God would make us discerning so that we would reject the ‘fake news’ of twisted preaching and begin to understand His invitation to know His love, His power, and the delight of belonging to Him – come Hell or high water.  Is your true life found in knowing Jesus Christ; who is “God come in flesh”, the Savior of the World, our Risen Lord, and Coming King?  Or, are you taken by ‘high sounding philosophy’ of human potential, success, prosperity, pleasure, or power.

Can you join Paul in this aspiration? "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, (the Greek word in the first text is skubalon  which meant “poop!”) that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11, NIV)

John, when an old man, saw the ravages that smooth-talking teachers were bringing to the Church. They came denying that Jesus was the God, Incarnate. They, like thousands since then, used the language of Christianity, but turned the meanings inside out. The old man, an elder, who loved deeply, warned them and us with uncompromising words. "There are a lot of smooth-talking charlatans loose in the world who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ was truly human, a flesh-and-blood human being. Give them their true title: Deceiver! Antichrist! And be very careful around them so you don’t lose out on what we’ve worked so diligently in together; I want you to get every reward you have coming to you. Anyone who gets so progressive in his thinking that he walks out on the teaching of Christ, walks out on God. But whoever stays with the teaching, stays faithful to both the Father and the Son." (2 John 7-9, The Message)

There is a rich life to be found in faith’s acceptance of Christ as Lord.
When we adore Him, revere His sacrifice on the Cross, and form today’s decisions in the light of Eternity, our minds are transformed. We begin to see the emptiness of the ‘fake’ Gospels. We see beyond the political chaos. We throw away endless speculations about Prophetic timelines. And we become full of the beauty of the Lord, fruitful in the life of the Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)  If these are not the predominant qualities in your thoughts and actions, it’s time to find Jesus again.

Here is a word from the Word. "I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers." (Ephesians 1:17-18, The Message)

___________ 

My Life Is In Your Hands

(The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir makes this declaration!)

 You don't have to worry
And don't you be afraid
Joy comes in the morning
Troubles they don't last always
For there's a friend named Jesus
Who will wipe your tears away
And if your heart is broken
Just lift your hands and say 

(Oh) I know that I can make it
I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in Your hands

With Jesus I can take it
With Him I know I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in Your hands

So when your tests and trials
They seem to get you down
And all your friends and loved ones
Are nowhere to be found
Remember there's a friend named Jesus
Who will wipe your tears away

And if your heart is broken
Just lift your hands and say

My life is in Your hands

Kirk Franklin

© 1996 Lilly Mack Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Exciting and Fulfilling!

Much of life is what I call ‘doing the dailies,’ all the things that must be done. We care for our homes, our cars, our bodies, our souls because if we don’t – things get messy. Yesterday I drove by the house our family lived in 55 years ago. It was once a beautiful place, nicely maintained lawns surrounding a stately Federal style home.  Now it is in a state of decay, obviously neglected. What I saw was an obvious result of years of letting things go undone.

The writer of the Proverb says "I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one lacking sense. I saw that it was overgrown with thorns. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber." (Proverbs 24:30-34, NLT)  

Before you object to this thought reminding me that Christians are “saved by grace not by works” I will hasten to add that I am not talking about trying to work your way into a right relationship with God or prove to Him or others how good you are!  The heart of Christianity is the love of Christ Jesus shown to us while we were still rebelling against Him.  We focus on Him, receiving His love and loving Him in return.

This love, however, is not divorced from everyday life. There is an old phrase, much used among evangelical Christians, one I have repeated a thousand times over the years:  “It’s not about religion, it’s a relationship.”  That’s true yet it misses the point somewhat. That word, religion, isn’t a dirty one. It comes from a Latin word that meant to ‘bind, to bundle.’  

IF we truly love Jesus we most definitely will make a practice of living a way that reflects the commitment we have made, that we have bound ourselves in love to Him.  God says that loving Him is illustrated by marriage.  A man and a woman develop an interest in each other that turns into desire which leads them to choose to make a commitment. They share vows in the presence of friends and family, before the Lord.

With their relationship there comes a “religion” (a binding) to “have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, and this is my solemn vow.”  Honoring those vows lays a foundation for fulfillment.

Yes, the relationship must come first. We cannot ‘work’ our way into God’s favor by just acting like a Christian!  We give ourselves, in full faith that responds to His invitation, to Him. Our passion is to know Him, and being loved, to live in love. Much of the time, that is not grandiose or glorious efforts; it is expressed in the daily choice to love, to serve, to truth, to forgive, to share the needs of others, to be good in the face of evil. Yes, think of marriage once again.

No marriage can be sustained by expensive gifts, great sex, or grand vacations.  (OK, I heard somebody say, “How about we try that?”)  Real love is expressed in the daily choice to care for our spouse, to give encouragement, to serve her. That need not be grim duty. There can be real delight in those ordinary moments of making a shared life.

The most exciting and fulfilling Christian experience cannot be based on chasing some glorious worship experience or looking for an exciting preacher to stir the soul.  We choose to serve Jesus, for love’s sake, and in ‘doing the dailies’  we discover a depth of intimacy that is solid, stable, and leads us to joy. Are you building your spiritual house, caring for it with prayer, worship, meditation, and yes; making the choices to prioritize Him even when it is tough to do so?  Or, have you settled to drift along, letting things go, the decay gradually settling in?

The word from the Word today is a text I love. I have used The Message, a contemporary paraphrase of  Scripture, to aid in grasping the way that His love and our response are woven together to find God’s best!  Let it become a word of hope and challenge for you today. “It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. … 

I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! " (Ephesians 1:13-14,17-19, The Message)

________

The Power Of Your Love

 Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I found in You
And Lord I've come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the pow'r of Your love

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side
And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the pow'r of Your love

Lord unveil my eyes
Let me see You face to face
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me
Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life
In living ev'ry day
By the pow'r of Your love

Geoff Bullock © 1992 Geoff Bullock Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

Just Talkin'?

A couple of years ago  NBA player, Kyrie Irving, told an interviewer that the earth is flat. His comments became a sensation, reported widely. In a later interview, he stepped back a bit. “I’m just interested in that kind of stuff. I like conspiracy theories. I like to talk about it.” He also realized the power of his celebrity, especially among the young, and admitted that some ideas were best discussed in private conversations. I don’t know Mr. Irving nor do I have any idea how seriously he takes his ideas about the shape of the earth, but I can say with confidence that it is a proven fact that the earth is round. Suggesting otherwise might be ‘interesting’ but there is no truth in it.

So, what’s my point this morning? Christian, we need to anchor our lives in the TRUTH. We risk looking silly or worse, becoming deceived, when we spend too much time ‘just talkin’ about things that are perhaps interesting but that have no foundation in fact. There are hundreds of ‘teachers’ who speak, publish books, and write blogs that are speculations about the future or theories about evil in the present. They claim that they are basing their message on the Scripture but the reality is that it is the thinnest thread of connection to texts taken wildly out of context. A ‘faith’ that is built on isolated texts is not only dangerous, it dishonors the Lord.

Paul told Timothy that his message must be anchored in the truth. We need to take this warning to heart. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.” (2 Timothy 2, ESV)  

Few doctrines are more abused than the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus promised that He would return. The New Testament writers are clear that He will bring God’s Kingdom. From that basis, hundreds of false teachers from the earliest days of Christianity to the present have spun theories about times and dates. These teachers tend to gain more traction in times of crisis and during social upheaval.   

In 1843, when America was debating slavery and going through a difficult economic situation, a preacher named  William Miller founded an end-times movement - Millerism.  He declared that the Second Coming would happen sometime between 1843-1844. A spectacular meteor shower seemed to confirm his theories to those who were ‘true believers.’  On March 21, 1844 Miller's predictions ran into the truth; Christ did not appear. A few of his devotees attempted to set another date of Oct 22, 1844.  When that date came and went, it was reported that  "The world made merry over the old Prophet's predicament. The taunts and jeers of the 'scoffers' were well-nigh unbearable."

Many of Miller’s ideas survived in the teaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses movement which has set numerous dates for the return of Christ over the last century.  In my life-time, we had Harold Camping who set a firm date for 1994. He was wrong! Few remember the sensation in Bible-believing churches caused by the little book by Edgar C. Whisenant, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture will take place in 1988. When September, 1988 came and went, he actually re-published a revision for 1989… and people bought it!

All of this has happened again and again in spite of Jesus’ own declaration that no one knows the day of His return and His instruction for Believers to be diligent in the work of the Lord. Christian, beware of the latest ‘best-seller’ that is just ‘so interesting’ in which some teachers claim to be unveiling some ‘new’ truth, some previously unknown interpretation of the prophets. These are distractions from the business of the Kingdom, ways to escape life’s tedium, nothing more.

The real excitement of the Christian life is not found in speculative ideas about the future, nor is it in long debates over commas and periods in the Scripture. The Holy Spirit lives in us, empowers us, and allows us to participate in the amazing and supernatural work of seeing ordinary human beings turned into God’s children, those ‘dead in sins’ becoming ‘alive in Christ.’  We have the privilege of sharing real hope, that goes beyond finding momentary pleasure, a life of joy and peace. There is far more fulfillment in feeding a hungry person, teaching a child to love God, holding up a despairing person than will ever be found in ‘just talkin’ about speculative ‘doctrines.’

Here is a wonderful word from the Word.  God says He invests His inestimable treasure in us, ordinary clay pots! Now that’s worth getting excited about. "Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:1-9, NIV)  

Let’s keep the faith, live in hope, and serve in love – until the Kingdom comes!

_______________

 

Build My Life

(A great song that points us to real faith in the Builder)

 Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

 

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You

 

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

 

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

 

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew (Admin. by Arkyard Music Services Limited)

Kaple Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

 

Clear Eyes?

 

My smartphone holds hundreds of pictures. I see  the sunlight streaming through the trees and pull over to the side of the road to capture the sight, often sharing those pictures on Facebook. (You knew that, right?)  Last night, during our children’s ministry at Faith Discovery, the laughter and smiles of kids at play in this troubled world was a delight to me. Yes, I pulled out my phone to snap some pictures.  

Sight is a precious gift, isn’t it? Our eyes are a gift of the Creator. I cannot even imagine the loss felt by those whose sight fails.  

Insight is every bit as important as eyesight. Insight is a kind of vision; what we ‘see’ with our mind, our view of life, of the future, of our purpose in the plan of the Lord. In this season in America when controversy is overwhelming so many of us, having the ability to see beyond the ‘smoke and mirrors’ is desperately needed. In recent weeks, a recurrent prayer in my life has been for clear vision!  Jesus spoke of those who see yet are blind. "For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’" (Matthew 13:15, NIV) 

My desire is to see as God sees, to understand the spiritual needs that the true cause of the division in our nation. I am convinced that reconciliation and a way forward cannot come without healing of the soul of the nation.  Even Christians are being tricked like the audience at a magic show!  A magician cannot actually defy gravity or make things appear out of thin air. He uses diversion and distraction to get his audience to ‘see’ something other than what actually happens.  He makes them believe a ‘lie.’  

Satan is playing his tricks on us, distracting us, diverting our attention to lesser matters.  The true need of humanity is to be reconciled to God, to be made alive to the Spirit, and thus to find the life our Father purposed for us.  Are we being played by the Deceiver? Too many of us are!

 Faith is critical to spiritual sight. When we come to Jesus (not to church membership, not to some self-help program masquerading as renewal), accepting His grace and forgiveness in faith, He promises that He will "open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’" (Acts 26:18, NIV)  

When we faithfully trust Him, coming earnestly like a child to Him, He opens our eyes (spiritual) to those things that cannot be perceived apart from the Spirit working in us. That gift of vision gives 'big picture context' to our lives, helping us to see the ‘why’ that informs the ‘what.’ 

Thus enlightened we can see over the edge of time and into eternity.  When our true hope is our home in Heaven, we will begin to invest each day differently.  It is said that those who plant trees believe in the next generation. True, right? Trees do not grow quickly.  An oak planted in the back yard will be a shade tree only for your children! If a we want to enjoy something right now, we plant flowers. Petunias will grow quickly into flowering gardens. 

Is your vision shaped by eternal values, inspired by the Spirit, drawn into existence by faith?  Have you excused yourself from pursuing a God-shaped vision because you believe it is easier to just settle for your present reality?   I love this quote -  "The daily grind of life is hard on visions. Life is now. Bills are now. Crisis is now. Vision is later. It is easy, therefore, to lose sight of the main thing, to sacrifice the best for the good. All of us run the risk of allowing secondary issues to rob us of the joy of seeing our visions come to completion. Distractions slowly kill the vision." (Visioneering, Andy Stanley, Multnomah, 1999)

Vision begins with humility that is willing to acknowledge the need for healing.
Will we kneel and pray for insight, for our eyes to be opened?
Will we allow the Lord to help us to see, to correct our vision, and to draw us to lives that please Him and bless others?

Here’s a word from the Word. “You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference. “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.”  (Revelation 3, NLT)

Lord, help us to see. Amen.

_____________ 

If We Could See Beyond Today

(a dated presentation of this song by George Beverly Shea, but the message is wonderfully true, still!)

If we could see beyond today as God can see
If all the clouds should roll away
The shadows flee
O'er present griefs we would not fret
Each sorrow we would soon forget
For many joys are waiting yet
for you and me

If we could know beyond today as God doth know
Why dearest treasures pass
Away and tears must flow
And why the darkness leads to light
Why dreary days will soon grow bright
Some day life's wrongs
Will be made right
Faith tells us so

If we could see if we could know we often say
But God in love a veil doth throw across our way
We cannot see what lies before
And so we cling to Him the more
He leads us ‘til this lif is o'er
Trust and obey 

Norman John Clayton © 1938 Curb Wordspring Music (Admin. by W.C.M. Music Corp.)

CCLI License # 810055