A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
The
interesting sights of Lancaster County!
This
Mennonite farmer is transporting a wagon load of
hay. Although it looks like he's on some back road
with little traffic he's actually entering
a major intersection on US Highway 322 east of Ephrata, PA.
"The
Unseen Eternal"
Message
summary: Remember
all
that we presently see is temporary. Let us fix
our eyes on the unseen, which is eternal.
Listen to
our message on your audio player."So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
About twenty years ago SIRDS were very popular. Do you remember them?
SIRDS stands for Single Image Random Dot Stereogram. These are those images that appear to make no sense at all until you focus your vision a certain way. Then an image or word just seems to pop out of the picture. I created the image below but frankly I can't see the words I create in the SIRDS! I welcome readers to try and see if they can see it! (click on image to enlarge) I'll also provide the answer tomorrow.
It seems to me that the spiritual realm is in some respects like a SIRDS. As we look about we only see the temporal realm. Now in many ways, unlike the initial random meaningless image in a SIRDS, it's beautiful since we are looking at God's design.
But like a SIRDS there's more to reality that we do not initially see and that is what the apostle Paul calls the "unseen" in the daily Scripture verse. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal". Now I believe that by grace we can, in a presently limited sense, see this realm, but it does require an intentional fixing of our eyes on this unseen realm.
Fixing our eyes in this manner requires concentration and focus. It means to "fix one's gaze upon, to concentrate one's attention on." Physically our eyes observe the seen but Paul is referring to our spiritual eyes here, a focus on the unseen, eternal Kingdom that awaits all who follow Christ. This is the essence of faith. One version states we "consider and look." The underlying Greek word is where we get the word "scope".
This illustrates a great spiritual principle. We are especially aware of readers who are going through difficult times as they read this. The immediately preceding verse declares, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17). May God's Word bring assurance and confident faith, particularly in these enduring trials. As we go through the troubles of life it's important to remember that we we should "fix our eyes" on the eternal glories rather than the temporary burdens we bear today.
But there's another danger that the text addresses. Not only do we need to be mindful of the temporariness when going through the hard times but also when we're going through the good times. Moses warned the Israelites that when you prosper, don't forget the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:10ff).
Remember all that we presently see is temporary. Let us fix our eyes on the unseen, which is eternal.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: In the maze of life's events where we're
often a passenger on the roller coaster of life's
ups and downs, may we never lose sight of You,
Jesus. You are the unseen but ever-present
Shepherd who protects, guides and tenderly
comforts us in all our trouble. Thank You, Lord,
that when change is constantly about us, You
remain steadfast, faithful, and dependable. You
are the Anchor that keeps us grounded in the
unseen but eternal truths we build our lives upon.
Keep us faithful and help us to always
believe! Amen.
We
have had a lot of rain the last several days
with a forecast of more today. Since Saturday we
have had over 10 inches in our home rain guage.
We've also had a lot of flooding in our area
including a flooded Swatara Creek we passed
yesterday near Hershey, PA. That is normally a
field across the highway with the creek several
hundred feet in the background. Lots of roads
are closed in our region and Hershey Park is
closed due to flooding. See Hersheypark underwater
We
are thankful we have had no flooding in our home
but last night this was the scene of our front
lawn!
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Finally today:
It
takes teamwork to unload a large container at
Audrey's in Lebanon, PA.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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