Lest We Forget

Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Listen to this devotional:
Listen while you read: "Open My Eyes That I May See"1 (Lyrics)

Proverbs 3:7a – Do not be wise in your own eyes. (NIV)

Knowing God on a deeper level is the topic and aim of the Bible study which I am currently teaching. When we resumed in October, we were privileged to have a new lady join us.

From the outset, her wide-eyed wonder and excitement over each new biblical truth was like a fresh injection of the Holy Spirit. She was so thirsty that she wanted to drink in every new thought as we examined what each particular word or phrase of Scripture meant in the passage we were studying. It seemed as if most of the concepts were foreign to her, and she wanted to know what they meant and how God wanted to apply them to her life.

That day, the Father lovingly opened up new truths to my mind, which I thought I had previously understood. I might easily have passed over them due to their familiarity, had it not been for the incisive questions of our new member.

After I went home, I felt humbled and chastened by the Holy Spirit, as He quietly whispered a few pointed questions to my spirit. How could I have been so arrogant? To assume that I knew all that God wanted to teach me from a specific passage, that I would dare to skip over it without taking time to further examine its depth of meaning, left me rather shaken. I immediately asked the Lord's forgiveness.

Because of the eager, questioning mind of this lady, the Holy Spirit had rained down His blessings upon all of us, despite my ignorance. His presence had been very evident in our group that day.

All of us, particularly the teacher, learned a great deal about approaching our study with far more reverence from then on. It seemed as if we all had somehow lost some of the awesomeness of approaching the Word of God. So our loving Lord used a new Christian to open our eyes to the wonder and privilege that we had in being allowed to learn new truths from Him from His precious Word.

The words of a familiar chorus came to mind as I sat quietly listening to what the Spirit was teaching me:

    Open my eyes, that I may see
    Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
    Place in my hands the wonderful key
    That shall unclasp, and set me free.
    Silently now I wait for Thee,
    Ready my God Thy will to see;
    Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.
           – Clara H. Scott

May I be so bold as to challenge my readers with this question: Have you become too familiar and possibly even a bit careless about approaching God's Holy Word? Have you ever, like me, been in a hurry and merely skimmed through a familiar passage instead of waiting to see what new truths the Spirit might want to teach you?

Prayer: Help us, O Father, not to fall into the enemy's trap of allowing familiarity to breed contempt when it comes to reading Your Word. Help us to approach each new reading of Your Word as fresh food for our spirits. May we be thankful for Your never-ending patience, love, and forgiveness of Your children if we become careless and begin to take You or Your Word for granted. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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About the author:

Sharon Y. Greer <sygreer11@gmail.com>
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

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1 Comment

  • PresbyCan Feedback says:

    So true Sharon.


    AMEN!, Sharon, and thanks.


    Very good. I think we can all plead guilty to that.
    Thanks.


    Dear Sharon;
    Awesome devotional! A very good wake-up-call! Keep writing!


    Sharon – Thank you for letting us in on the way the Holy Spirit spoke to you.
    It is so precious to allow Him to speak to us. Thanks for writing.
    God bless.


    Thank you for your devotion. It was very gentle and well-written, and an excellent reminder that I need to keep delving deeper.
    Please write more!


    Thank you so much for that reminder, that we must always be listening to new things God wants us to learn.
    Blessings.


    Thanks Sharon for your words and, especially, the chorus of that lovely hymn. I’ve been enjoying singing it over and over.
    Blessings to you.


    A great devotional Sharon, Thank you!
    May your year ahead be a great one, or, as the saying goes…”Make your year ahead a great one”!


    Dear Sharon,
    What a wonderful devotional! It truly blessed my heart today. Thank you for sharing this important truth.
    Blessings.


    Good morning Sharon,
    Thank you for a loving call to humility. Your devotional pierced my heart and reminded me approach the Word with reverence, wonder and expectation.
    Thank you and God bless you for being so sensitive to his spirit.


    Hi Sharon, I just read today’s devotion and didn’t guess that it was you!
    It was very good and made me stop and think. I just didn’t recognize the content this time, no familiar stories for example. How are you managing with this cold weather? It is beginning to remind us of our time in Kap. I am sitting waiting for my car radio to be fixed and am using my phone for this message so I’ll sign off for now. Love and blessings.


    Dear Sharyn,
    Thank you for a heart-felt devotional.
    May our Lord always keep his Word fresh and new for all of us Christians.
    Keep writing and teaching the depths of the truth of our Lord who makes all things new, including ourselves. Trust in the Lord who says, “Come to me and I will give you rest.”
    Rest in the Lord for “it is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”.he says. And, “By grace you are saved by faith and that not of yourselves, not by works lest any man should boast.” Jesus gave himself for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.”
    I pray that God will keep us teaching. his love and grace.


    Thank you for your daily devotion. I know exactly how you feel learning new insights in familiar passages.
    I have been blessed with learning new ideas each time I am asked to study the scriptures to prepare a worship service. I pray and ask God to direct the message as I am only the typist, and every time some new idea appears on the paper. After the service tear filled eyes thank me for the message they really needed to hear that morning. My reply is always that it was from God and I am just the messenger. I am not a minister and feel very blessed that God uses the preparation time to teach me what I really need to hear. Thank you for writing the devotionals.
    (Sask.)


    HI Sharon:
    You mention that you lead a Bible Study. I was wondering about the bible study, and I would appreciate some information as to the meeting time, # of people in the group, and what are you using for a Study at this time.


    Sharon:
    Was the reading in that session one that you could pass on to us?
    There are things we learn constantly from devotionals such as yours. Thank you, and we need to thank God for the inspiration we receive.
    (BC)

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