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Listen while you read: "The Old Rugged Cross"1 (Lyrics) |
1 Corinthians 13:11-12 – When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (ESV)
One of the positives from being incapacitated and not finishing the restoration upstairs was that I had some money left to employ someone to finish off the re-glazing of the doors of the French windows in our dining room. Earlier this year, I had the worst door window replaced, but I could not afford to get the complete doors and side panels done at the same time.
Now, just in time for winter, the whole area has been updated. Hopefully this will lessen our fuel bills.
As I looked out of the new, clean, clear glass on the one side of the doors, I noticed that in the intervening spring and summer months, there has been an accretion of fug on the other side. It made me reflect upon today's verse. How easy it is to allow the fug — the fallenness — of the world to impede our view of our existence in the world with Jesus. We know that Jesus loves us and died for us so that we may see things more clearly, both in ourselves and also in the world about us for what it is: either for or against God's kingdom.
Even as we are fully known by Jesus, we are called to lay aside childish, worldly, self-centred ways and set our eyes on Jesus and His kingdom here on earth and in heaven, and to serve Him where we are placed. Sadly, heaven is only a glimpse at the present. All we can know is what has been revealed in the Bible: that Jesus came from there to bring us into His presence and to deliver us from falling into the hands of the evil one, if we trust Him enough to let Him be our Saviour. Not that we avoid the world, but that we do not succumb to its thrall, by God's grace in Jesus. We can see the good more clearly for what it is and also the opposite for what it is, because the Holy Spirit is given to help us in our times of need, and also to enable us to rejoice in the good that we encounter and in which we share.
Like my windows, however, we need a good spiritual cleaning now and then to enable us to see more clearly what is going on outside!
Prayer: Lord, thank You for cleaning us and redeeming us from our past. May we ask Your forgiveness and cleansing again today so that we may see more clearly what it is that You are doing in us and in our world today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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Another excellent analogy!!
Thanks for the good word, Rod.
Thanks, Rod, may our spiritual windows always be clean!
Thank you, Roderick.
This was a good message.
Grace and Peace!
Thank you, kind sir. I enjoy your devotionals so very much.
I wish you good health, happiness,
(TX.)
Thank you, Rod, for your message today. It is so much better seeing Jesus clearly and praying the blinders come off for others.
God bless.
Hello Rod,
I always appreciate your honesty in your sharing of your experiences. I definitely want to see clearly as we do when the glass is clean. Definitely I need God’s help to keep me clean spiritual and help me to understand the world around me. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Thanks, Rod, for another interesting and informative writing. You are so right in saying we need to take time to not only clean up physical things in our surroundings but to reflect on our inner thoughts and ways and do a “cleansing” there. I’m sure our Lord is delighted when we come to Him confessing our sins and asking Him to get us cleaned up and become more caring to those around us. Blessings for your words today.
Thank you for your writing.
I appreciate the explanation of word meanings.
Fug … as how I see the condition of the world.
Sort of like how I can see the speck in someone else’s eye.
Anyways
Keep warm … winter is coming.
Blessings.
What a great start to my day! The word “fug” is new to me, and I can see adding it to my vocabulary. Great illustration! I just had the windshield replaced in my car and couldn’t believe the difference. Not only were the two large cracks gone but the etching from twenty years of driving was also gone. I thought it was like having cataract surgery.
Your God comparison is better. Thank you. Keep well.
(Manitoba)
Thank you for your sharing today, and it made me think of an old hymn, “Open My Eyes, That I May See” and the refrain closes with these words, “Silently now I wait for Thee, Ready, my God, Thy will to see. Open my eyes; illumine me, Spirit divine.” I appreciate your devotionals, and it is good to hear from someone from England. Yesterday I read Psalm 139, and I had it marked as one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorites which was read at her funeral.
Blessings.
Thanks, Rod. My 87-year-old self needs a reminder such as you wrote today! I tend to think I can still do just about anything…not true and it is often hard to accept.