May 31
Opening Eyes
They have eyes but they cannot see.
Psalm 115:5 (NCV)
O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.
II Kings 6:17 (ESV)
The other day, my mother-in-law brought four lovely Christmas Poinsettias to the front porch and set them in our flowerpots. A nice gift, but when a big wind storm hit that afternoon, my wife called home half-panicked for her new flowers. “Can you bring them inside please?”
Being the responsive guy I am, I immediately rescued them from the fierce wind and neatly arranged them against the entranceway wall ... spaced them perfectly in fact. They looked nice.
The next night I noticed them again and wanting to be helpful, I approached Kris in the kitchen. I leaned on the doorway as she made cookies and asked, “Hey, should I water those poinsettias?” Nothing strange here. I often water the houseplants, but she turned from her KitchenAid mixer and looked at me in disbelief.
“Have you looked at the poinsettias?” she asked.
“Yeah ... they look pretty healthy, but I thought I’d ask....”
“Craig ... they’re fake!”
Man-made. Hmm. I guess some of us just don’t notice, do we? I think this is true of so many of us, and it’s not just noticing the details of a human-made plant. Evidence of God and His handiwork are all around us. We enjoy the beauty, but not the wonder. We appreciate the function but not the design. We see with our eyes, but have we ever explored their intricate design? Our bodies perform miraculous functions every day, but do we appreciate the specifics of our biochemistry? We see a lovely Monarch butterfly migrating, but do we grasp the significance of its leg of the journey? Absolutely amazing ... but we rarely notice the details, do we? But look closer.
Look closer at someone else too. Consider Christ. Jesus Christ? Yes, Him. Too many in this world are quick to assume He was a good man, and dismiss the “religious notion” he was the Son of God. A good man, maybe even a great man, but God? Next subject, please. But as C.S. Lewis tells us, Jesus Christ does not leave us that option. Look closer at what Christ claimed. He said He was the Son of God. He said, “... before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58). The Jews then picked up stones to stone Him, because he claimed to be God. No, we must look closer, because a good man does not claim to be God! Jesus said it Himself, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Quietly, and tongue in cheek, He makes His point. But back to C. S. Lewis who said, either Christ was a lunatic, or the most evil person imaginable, or He was who He claimed to be. Just don’t try to pass Him off as “a good man.” Jesus Christ, the God-man, the unique person of the universe, just doesn’t leave us that option.
I find it so interesting that so many skeptics, bent on disproving both the resurrection and Jesus’ deity, have, upon serious inquiry and study, reversed course, and become His most ardent disciples! And C. S. Lewis is just one of these. Charles Colson and Josh McDowell are two more recent examples.
I’m afraid too many of us have seen things on the surface and assumed wrongly. Perhaps someone should pray for us as Elisha prayed for his servant so that our eyes might be opened. Or maybe, just maybe, we should be someone else’s Elisha. Think on that. Whom can you pray for that his or her eyes might be opened?
This morning, I took a closer look at the poinsettias. You know, someone did a beautiful job designing those—just beautiful!
Lord, thanks for the reminder to pray for those who may not see the truth. Open their eyes and set them free. Amen.
Opening Eyes
They have eyes but they cannot see.
Psalm 115:5 (NCV)
O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.
II Kings 6:17 (ESV)
The other day, my mother-in-law brought four lovely Christmas Poinsettias to the front porch and set them in our flowerpots. A nice gift, but when a big wind storm hit that afternoon, my wife called home half-panicked for her new flowers. “Can you bring them inside please?”
Being the responsive guy I am, I immediately rescued them from the fierce wind and neatly arranged them against the entranceway wall ... spaced them perfectly in fact. They looked nice.
The next night I noticed them again and wanting to be helpful, I approached Kris in the kitchen. I leaned on the doorway as she made cookies and asked, “Hey, should I water those poinsettias?” Nothing strange here. I often water the houseplants, but she turned from her KitchenAid mixer and looked at me in disbelief.
“Have you looked at the poinsettias?” she asked.
“Yeah ... they look pretty healthy, but I thought I’d ask....”
“Craig ... they’re fake!”
Man-made. Hmm. I guess some of us just don’t notice, do we? I think this is true of so many of us, and it’s not just noticing the details of a human-made plant. Evidence of God and His handiwork are all around us. We enjoy the beauty, but not the wonder. We appreciate the function but not the design. We see with our eyes, but have we ever explored their intricate design? Our bodies perform miraculous functions every day, but do we appreciate the specifics of our biochemistry? We see a lovely Monarch butterfly migrating, but do we grasp the significance of its leg of the journey? Absolutely amazing ... but we rarely notice the details, do we? But look closer.
Look closer at someone else too. Consider Christ. Jesus Christ? Yes, Him. Too many in this world are quick to assume He was a good man, and dismiss the “religious notion” he was the Son of God. A good man, maybe even a great man, but God? Next subject, please. But as C.S. Lewis tells us, Jesus Christ does not leave us that option. Look closer at what Christ claimed. He said He was the Son of God. He said, “... before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58). The Jews then picked up stones to stone Him, because he claimed to be God. No, we must look closer, because a good man does not claim to be God! Jesus said it Himself, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Quietly, and tongue in cheek, He makes His point. But back to C. S. Lewis who said, either Christ was a lunatic, or the most evil person imaginable, or He was who He claimed to be. Just don’t try to pass Him off as “a good man.” Jesus Christ, the God-man, the unique person of the universe, just doesn’t leave us that option.
I find it so interesting that so many skeptics, bent on disproving both the resurrection and Jesus’ deity, have, upon serious inquiry and study, reversed course, and become His most ardent disciples! And C. S. Lewis is just one of these. Charles Colson and Josh McDowell are two more recent examples.
I’m afraid too many of us have seen things on the surface and assumed wrongly. Perhaps someone should pray for us as Elisha prayed for his servant so that our eyes might be opened. Or maybe, just maybe, we should be someone else’s Elisha. Think on that. Whom can you pray for that his or her eyes might be opened?
This morning, I took a closer look at the poinsettias. You know, someone did a beautiful job designing those—just beautiful!
Lord, thanks for the reminder to pray for those who may not see the truth. Open their eyes and set them free. Amen.
posted by Craig Soderquist at 10:23 AM
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