Looking At Life Through Redeemed Eyes

     When my husband and I married 48 years ago, he was a student of optometry at The Ohio State University and I had a new position working in public relations for the Ohio Optometric Association.   He picked up extra work along with having  scholarship help so we could make ends meet in those early years.  His study of the eye, its diseases, treatments and solutions for vision problems was a fascinating one for which he felt called by God.  Side by side, we shared a plan to help others through  his work.
     In the year before we wed, both of us had another experience that made a big change in the way in which we viewed life as a whole.  We had been introduced to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru).  This not only changed our relationship to God, but it radically opened our spiritual "eyes" to a new worldview.  In the light of God's Word, we could see things we had missed before.  Life came into focus much like a child who could not physically see well until he/she put on a pair of glasses.  It was amazing!
     Perhaps some of you have never witnessed the expression on the face of a person who has only seen life through fuzzy vision until they are given a pair of corrective lenses.  Their world goes from blurry to clear in an instant and takes their breath away.  This is how it was for both of us before we made our covenant with God in marriage.
     Looking through redeemed eyes means we can truly see life and sin as it really is.  There is no fuzzy or blurry perspective.  Sometimes that is hard for us to see all at one time, so God graciously leads us in our growth and sanctification revealing how horrible sin really is and how great is His salvation.  I am happy He doesn't show it to us all at once lest it be overwhelming.
     Daily, as we bathe our minds in the Word of God, more becomes clear to us that was perhaps obscured in years past.  For example, I was thinking of my parents today and the many choices they made which I never understood till now.  My rebellious attitude and actions did not make their job easy, and for that, I heartily repent.  Laying these past actions at the cross has set me free from the guilt of the past.  This is what new vision in Christ accomplishes for us.
     A great example of an "eye opening" change was in the life of John Newton, "The African Blasphemer" as he called himself.  He was raised by a Puritan mother who taught him the Reformed catechisms until her death when he was six years old.  His father was a sea captain and took him on many trips.  John was later impressed into the British Navy but was so rebellious he was dismissed.  He fell into the hands of a slave trader and was made a slave himself for a time.
     Eventually, John Newton became a leading captain of slave trade ships which he later described as horrible places of death for many of his human cargo.  During a terrible storm where the ship was nearly lost, John returned to the faith his mother had shared with him when he was small.  In time, he came to be a clergyman and fully repented of his hand in the slave trade along with his other sins.  His most famous contribution was the writing of the poem entitled "Amazing Grace".  After this was set to music, it became one of the most beloved hymns of the Christian faith.
     Through redeemed eyes, John Newton saw what his sin had done to others and to himself.  Until his death in 1807, he lived to make clear the message of Jesus Christ that set men free.  He was a spiritual eye doctor offering sight to the blind in this world.  It is said that in his latter years when he could no longer reason or remember well, he remarked to a friend:  “Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”   Of all things, these are the two greatest things to remember.
     While on earth, Jesus healed physical blindness, but opening spiritual eyes to see the truth of God's Word was His greatest mission.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:22:  22“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"  The redeemed eye can see clearly and fill us with the light of God's understanding.  Just as my husband worked to help people see things clearly in the physical realm, Jesus Christ came to give us spiritual vision that was clear.  As we pour through the pages of the Bible daily and immerse ourselves in prayer to the only One who sees all things plainly can we really begin to put life in proper perspective.  Today, let us thank God for "redeemed eyes" and ask Him to continue to show us the truth that we may bring glory to His name.  Selah!

Only One Thing We Are Told to Hate

     In this season of good will towards man when cheery greetings are exchanged, there still seems to be an atmosphere of hate that pervades our culture, political discussions and sadly, even in families.  We all know that hate is a powerful emotion that destroys everything it touches; yet, the Bible says there is one thing only which we may hate.
     Psalm 97 magnifies the Lord, His sovereignty over all things and His coming judgement of this world.  Verse 10a, though, tells us the one thing we are to hate:  "O you who love the Lord, hate evil!..."  Why are we told to hate evil?  Because, God hates evil.  He is holy, pure, righteous and altogether without sin.  Since He is holy, we, as believers, are called to be holy likewise (I Peter 1:16).  Therefore, we are to hate what God hates and desire to live righteous lives of moral character based on the Bible.
     When I read this verse today, I had to pause and consider what a struggle we are facing in our world today.  It is a conflict between good and evil.  All the mores which once governed conduct have slowly been eroded by time and man's sinfulness.  From the beginning, God laid out His moral standards for godly life in "The Ten Commandments" given to Moses.  Furthermore, these values are expressed in greater detail throughout the Scripture if we take time to read it.  There is no compromise, equivocation, or duplicity with the Lord.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:35:  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."  Still man tries to bend God's Word to suit his own purposes.
     A good example of this comes in the Theory of Evolution.  Many of the supporters of this theory in the early days applauded the idea that life evolved rather than being created by God.  A prime advocate for this approach to life was Aldous Huxley (an essayist and novelist) who famously said:  "For myself, as, no doubt, for my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation.  The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality.  We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom (Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means, 1938, pgs. 269-270, 273).  What many want is freedom from any constraints on behavior or conduct.  If they do not have to answer to God or even believe that He exists, they are free to indulge in all types of actions without any consequences spoken of in the Bible.  How convenient.
     Over the years, marriage has gone from the God ordained one man and one woman to include two of the same sex.  Many live together and have children without the benefit of marriage thus weakening the family, and even gender identity has been left to question.  Unfortunately, many churches have bought into society's view rather than following God's mandate in His Word.  They seem to stand in judgment of God's Word as being too harsh and not inclusive enough.  Some say, they would rather show "God's love" than any condemnation for alternate lifestyles.  Yet Jesus made it clear that God's Word will remain long after these churches have disappeared.
     If God is immutable (unchanging in any way), then His commands and instructions are without compromise.  God hates evil and what He created at the beginning was good.  After the fall, however,
man began to twist the Word to suit himself and his appetites.  It is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection power that we are redeemed from this sin nature.  We receive a new heart and a new way to live which includes hating all that is evil.  We are never to hate people.  Our conduct is to reflect the holiness of God through prayer and study of His Word.
     Beloved, of all the people in this world, we must demonstrate our love for others by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ so that others can be liberated from the self destructive bondage of sin.  We only hate evil and can never excuse it away.  If we are to be a light in this world, we must take a stand against all that is contrary to the Word of God in our communities, nation and churches.
     Psalm 97: 10b-11 ends with this:  "He preserves the lives of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.  Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart."  Let us learn to love what God loves so  that we can glorify His name and enjoy Him forever!  Selah!

Giving Thanks for the Simple Things

     This is a busy week for most of us as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends.  Cleaning, shopping and food preparation is on everyone's mind, and some have already begun their trip to the home where their celebration will be held.  With all this busy activity, we often lose the meaning behind the day we set aside to remember.  For the Pilgrim's and native Americans, it was a time to be thankful for the bountiful harvest God had given as well as the Lord's protection.  We often forget that for these first settlers there was no grocery store nearby in case someone forgot an ingredient nor was there an urgent care around the corner if someone was injured.  Life was very precious back then and nothing was taken for granted.  Unfortunately, today, we often fail to thank God for even the simplest of blessings.
     As I read "The Valley of Vision" today (a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions), I came across a prayer entitled "Evening Praise" (pg. 224-225).  It speaks of the simple things which God provides and we often don't even think to thank Him for.
     " Giver of All,
           Another day is ended, and I take my place beneath my great Redeemer's cross,
      where healing streams continually descend, where balm is poured into every wound,
      where I wash anew in all the cleansing blood, assured that thou sees in me no spots of sin.
      Yet a little while and I shall go to thy home and be no more seen;  Help me to gird

up the loins of
       my mind, to quicken my step, to speed as if each moment were my last, that my life be joy,
       my death glory.  I thank thee for the temporal blessings of this world - the refreshing air,
       the light of the sun, the food that renews strength, the raiment that clothes, the dwelling that
       shelters, the sleep that gives rest, the starry canopy of night, the summer breeze, the flowers'
       sweetness, the music of flowing streams, the happy endearments of family, kindred, friends.
      Things animate, things inanimate, minister to my comfort, My cup runs over.  Suffer me not to be
       insensible to these daily mercies.  Thy hand bestows blessings: they power averts evil.  I bring
       tribute of thanks for spiritual graces, the full warmth of faith, the cheering presence of thy
       Spirit, the strength of thy restraining will, thy spiking of hell's artillery,
       Blessed be my sovereign Lord!"

     Reading these words made me feel ashamed that so often I do not stop to thank God as this pilgrim did for the simple blessings that God so freely gives to His children every day.  There is never a moment or even a breath that we take but what the Lord is not there with us.  We may not see it or feel it, but His Word tells us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  What joy should fill our heart that we are so carefully kept day to day.
     As we approach Thanksgiving, think on this prayer and make a list of all the things God has blessed you with personally or as a family.  We must focus on the many things we have as a result of God's goodness and not on the things we lack.  He meets all our needs according to His riches in glory.  May we make thanksgiving to God a daily practice as we go forward and not just a once a year occasion.  Having a thankful heart changes the way we see life and our relationship to our Savior.  Selah!