Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
This verse from Psalm 119 became the inspiration for a treasured hymn, Open My Eyes, That I May See, written by Clara H. Scott, and published in 1895. The first verse and chorus (refrain) say:
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.
Refrain 1:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Google
this hymn and read the other verses. The language may seem a little
“stiff” and unfamiliar to you today…but the message is crystal clear.
If we will only open our eyes and ears, God will speak to us. He will
“illumine” and enlighten us and give us the key to unlock His will for
our lives!
Recently, I’ve been struggling (again) with a
dilemma for which I could see no solution. I’ll admit…I am so stubborn
that I have to practically beat a situation to death like an old dirty
rug before I somewhat collapse and surrender it fully to God. And every
time, He reveals His answer. It’s almost like He is saying to me…”I
was wondering when you were going to stop wrestling this and let me
handle it for you!” Yes, I am a work in progress…and I suspect you are,
as well.
So let’s agree to stop this nonsense…to open our eyes
that we may see…to open our ears that we may hear…to allow God to
illumine us – His will to see! God has been with us all along – we just
haven’t always recognized Him. Isn’t it time we did?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label opening our eyes to Gods truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opening our eyes to Gods truth. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 2, 2013
Romans 1:18-25
But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I’ll admit it… I’m hooked on A&E’s “Duck Dynasty!” I realize that not everyone “gets” this show, and I know that it is made-for-TV and borders on the ridiculous at times. But I laugh so hard… especially at the wacky Uncle, Si Robertson. On a recent episode, Uncle Si won $2000 at the Duck Commander Company Casino Night. He spent it on a massage chair to take to work. His nephew – and CEO of Duck Commander - Willie, told him that the chair had to go… that he had to buy something else with the money. In true “Uncle Si style,” he chose to go to a children’s pizza place, similar to Chuck E. Cheese. He said they had the best pizza in the world.
While waiting for the staff to make him a pizza, Si began to play the games. He knew these were designed for children, but he said they had two of his favorite things… lights and bells. When he learned that he could win prizes, Si became determined to win a big stuffed purple gorilla… which was “priced” at 5000 winning tickets. Willie bought $200 worth of tokens, and Si began to play the games again… and he focused on one in particular that he said he had figured out how to beat. Si soon had this electronic game spitting out a mound of tickets, which he used to “purchase” the stuffed gorilla. He used the rest of his money to buy pizza to share with his entire extended family, and the closing scene of the show depicts them all sitting down at a table laden with pizzas from this establishment. Si’s “excuse” was that (paraphrasing here)… “Hey, I won this $2000, and I can spend it any way I want!”
Now here’s the deal… Si Robertson is quoted as saying he never leaves home without his sweet tea and his Bible. He doesn’t just know about God… He KNOWS Him! But Si has a tendency to get a little obsessive about things and lose his focus – or at least to temporarily shift his attention to things like playing children’s games to win a stuffed gorilla. And yes, I do realize that this was all probably a total fabrication by the show’s writers/producers… designed to entertain us and make us laugh. But many of us have made an art of losing focus in all aspects of our lives. When it comes to our acknowledgment of God’s truth and serving Him accordingly, losing focus is not the least bit funny.
Too many of us have become sidetracked or distracted by the things of the world. We’ve decided that “it’s our life, and I’ll live it however I want!” We’ve justified our “rabbit trails” by either turning our back on God and saying that things wouldn’t be this way or that if He really existed and/or loved us… or we have decided that we are entitled to do as we please – God will love us anyway. We know better on both fronts. But it’s sort of like when you sit down at one of these “pizza parlor” games or a slot machine and lose… you just have to keep trying until you win – even though you are falling deeper into the pit of failure and despair.
I saw a news report where a “lottery expert” who had won big cash prizes seven times or more tried to show a reporter how to beat the system and win… and the reporter spent countless dollars in order to “win” only a few. It didn’t work… and neither does trying to excuse our lies, wrongdoing, and the twisting of God’s truths. And often, the more we try to satisfy our own whims and desires, the farther away from God we fall. We cannot do as we please and expect God to bless us. We cannot spend the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ however we please. I think that at the core of things, most of us know this. Our lives are not a reality TV show. The time has come for us to treat God with respect… to honor His gift of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins… to love and serve Him with our whole heart – and without excuses!
In Spiritual terms, we have more than won the lottery. We have received something much grander than the biggest stuffed purple gorilla. We feast at the table of the LORD on blessings far greater than the world’s best pizza. It’s time we opened our eyes and started acting like God’s children. It’s time we operated in God’s truth – and shared it with others each and every day. It’s time we dropped the excuses and started focusing completely on acknowledging God in every aspect of our lives. What about you? Are you ready to commit wholeheartedly… or are you still trying to win a purple gorilla?
©2013 Debbie Robus
But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I’ll admit it… I’m hooked on A&E’s “Duck Dynasty!” I realize that not everyone “gets” this show, and I know that it is made-for-TV and borders on the ridiculous at times. But I laugh so hard… especially at the wacky Uncle, Si Robertson. On a recent episode, Uncle Si won $2000 at the Duck Commander Company Casino Night. He spent it on a massage chair to take to work. His nephew – and CEO of Duck Commander - Willie, told him that the chair had to go… that he had to buy something else with the money. In true “Uncle Si style,” he chose to go to a children’s pizza place, similar to Chuck E. Cheese. He said they had the best pizza in the world.
While waiting for the staff to make him a pizza, Si began to play the games. He knew these were designed for children, but he said they had two of his favorite things… lights and bells. When he learned that he could win prizes, Si became determined to win a big stuffed purple gorilla… which was “priced” at 5000 winning tickets. Willie bought $200 worth of tokens, and Si began to play the games again… and he focused on one in particular that he said he had figured out how to beat. Si soon had this electronic game spitting out a mound of tickets, which he used to “purchase” the stuffed gorilla. He used the rest of his money to buy pizza to share with his entire extended family, and the closing scene of the show depicts them all sitting down at a table laden with pizzas from this establishment. Si’s “excuse” was that (paraphrasing here)… “Hey, I won this $2000, and I can spend it any way I want!”
Now here’s the deal… Si Robertson is quoted as saying he never leaves home without his sweet tea and his Bible. He doesn’t just know about God… He KNOWS Him! But Si has a tendency to get a little obsessive about things and lose his focus – or at least to temporarily shift his attention to things like playing children’s games to win a stuffed gorilla. And yes, I do realize that this was all probably a total fabrication by the show’s writers/producers… designed to entertain us and make us laugh. But many of us have made an art of losing focus in all aspects of our lives. When it comes to our acknowledgment of God’s truth and serving Him accordingly, losing focus is not the least bit funny.
Too many of us have become sidetracked or distracted by the things of the world. We’ve decided that “it’s our life, and I’ll live it however I want!” We’ve justified our “rabbit trails” by either turning our back on God and saying that things wouldn’t be this way or that if He really existed and/or loved us… or we have decided that we are entitled to do as we please – God will love us anyway. We know better on both fronts. But it’s sort of like when you sit down at one of these “pizza parlor” games or a slot machine and lose… you just have to keep trying until you win – even though you are falling deeper into the pit of failure and despair.
I saw a news report where a “lottery expert” who had won big cash prizes seven times or more tried to show a reporter how to beat the system and win… and the reporter spent countless dollars in order to “win” only a few. It didn’t work… and neither does trying to excuse our lies, wrongdoing, and the twisting of God’s truths. And often, the more we try to satisfy our own whims and desires, the farther away from God we fall. We cannot do as we please and expect God to bless us. We cannot spend the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ however we please. I think that at the core of things, most of us know this. Our lives are not a reality TV show. The time has come for us to treat God with respect… to honor His gift of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins… to love and serve Him with our whole heart – and without excuses!
In Spiritual terms, we have more than won the lottery. We have received something much grander than the biggest stuffed purple gorilla. We feast at the table of the LORD on blessings far greater than the world’s best pizza. It’s time we opened our eyes and started acting like God’s children. It’s time we operated in God’s truth – and shared it with others each and every day. It’s time we dropped the excuses and started focusing completely on acknowledging God in every aspect of our lives. What about you? Are you ready to commit wholeheartedly… or are you still trying to win a purple gorilla?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for August 8, 2012
Proverbs 15:2
Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I was a little girl, we used go to a place west of town called Stacy Springs. Today a house sits where there once was an open pavilion. Groups from area clubs and churches would gather there for picnics. It’s not far above the “Big Dike” area on Greers Ferry Lake. We would hike away from the pavilion a few yards to a natural spring that bubbled from the ground. The clean water seemed to magically gurgle from the ground in a gentle, steady flow.
Years ago, people often depended on springs like this one for a clean water supply. My great-grandmother and her family lived near more than one fresh-water spring. They trusted the cool, clear water to be pure and safe.
I recently watched a “House and Garden” show where a family was renovating their basement, and they discovered dirty, moldy water damage caused by a leaky pipe upstairs. The water had seeped down the wall, through the floor and created a murky mess on the ground level… compromising that surface and rendering it unsafe.
If you stop and think about it, we all know people who are like a freshwater spring. They seem to be a steady source of wisdom… trustworthy and dependable for information and advice that is sound and true. We also know people who are like the leaky pipe or faucet. They always have an opinion – and are glad to share it – but mostly spew hearsay, unkindness, or unsubstantiated viewpoints. It doesn’t necessarily take a rocket scientist to discern which is which… but we do have to stay on our toes.
How do you know what you are seeing and hearing is truthful? How do you figure it all out? What if someone is telling you that his/her way is accurate, because “I am a Christian, and God has told me this”? My simplest answer is, “Ask God for yourself!” Do some digging. Get the facts. See if what this person is saying really lines up with the word of God. Ask God if what is being said makes sense, is loving and kind - and honors His word and His will.
God wants us to always operate in the truth. He gave us a brain… and a direct line of communication to Him. He expects us to use both! Don’t believe everything you see and hear… not even from those who claim to be Christians. Do your own investigating and discover whether what you are ingesting is clean, pure “spring water,” or the rotten murky nonsense from a “leaky faucet.” Learn to tell the difference… God is waiting to show you how!
©2012 Debbie Robus
Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I was a little girl, we used go to a place west of town called Stacy Springs. Today a house sits where there once was an open pavilion. Groups from area clubs and churches would gather there for picnics. It’s not far above the “Big Dike” area on Greers Ferry Lake. We would hike away from the pavilion a few yards to a natural spring that bubbled from the ground. The clean water seemed to magically gurgle from the ground in a gentle, steady flow.
Years ago, people often depended on springs like this one for a clean water supply. My great-grandmother and her family lived near more than one fresh-water spring. They trusted the cool, clear water to be pure and safe.
I recently watched a “House and Garden” show where a family was renovating their basement, and they discovered dirty, moldy water damage caused by a leaky pipe upstairs. The water had seeped down the wall, through the floor and created a murky mess on the ground level… compromising that surface and rendering it unsafe.
If you stop and think about it, we all know people who are like a freshwater spring. They seem to be a steady source of wisdom… trustworthy and dependable for information and advice that is sound and true. We also know people who are like the leaky pipe or faucet. They always have an opinion – and are glad to share it – but mostly spew hearsay, unkindness, or unsubstantiated viewpoints. It doesn’t necessarily take a rocket scientist to discern which is which… but we do have to stay on our toes.
How do you know what you are seeing and hearing is truthful? How do you figure it all out? What if someone is telling you that his/her way is accurate, because “I am a Christian, and God has told me this”? My simplest answer is, “Ask God for yourself!” Do some digging. Get the facts. See if what this person is saying really lines up with the word of God. Ask God if what is being said makes sense, is loving and kind - and honors His word and His will.
God wants us to always operate in the truth. He gave us a brain… and a direct line of communication to Him. He expects us to use both! Don’t believe everything you see and hear… not even from those who claim to be Christians. Do your own investigating and discover whether what you are ingesting is clean, pure “spring water,” or the rotten murky nonsense from a “leaky faucet.” Learn to tell the difference… God is waiting to show you how!
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for July 6, 2012
Philippians 3:12-16
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, my mom had cataract surgery. According to information found at http://mayoclinic.com, “A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a plastic lens implant. The replacement lens sits in the same place as your natural lens and becomes part of your eye.” My mom’s procedure took less than two hours from start to finish, including pre-op time and recovery. She will have to use some eye drops and avoid bright light for a few weeks, but otherwise, her blurred vision should begin to clear pretty quickly.
Want to hear something cool? God can clear our blurred Spiritual vision even faster than cataract surgery! He can show you the truth about every situation and answer every question. No anesthesia is required… no trip to the surgeon is necessary. We already have everything at our disposal for a complete Spiritual “lens replacement!” Once we have totally committed to God… once we begin to truly listen to Him and seek His wisdom – to look at the world through HIS eyes – our own vision clears rapidly. We begin to see people and situations with love, kindness, grace, and mercy. We become less judgmental and more fair and compassionate. We exercise more patience and restraint, and our hearts become more open to serving God and others.
Cataract surgery is a miraculous procedure that has enabled thousands of people to see clearly again. The Great Physician can do the same for each of us in our Spiritual lives. He can enable us to see clearly – to maintain focus on the goal of living for Him and being more like Him each and every day. Satan wants nothing more than for us to live with “blurred vision.” He really doesn’t care if we profess faith in Jesus… as long as we continue to do so with “Spiritual cataracts.”
Allow God to give you “new eyes,” and prepare for the devil to stir things up a bit! He doesn’t like to lose! I assure you… anything the devil tosses your way in frustration will be worth the hassle. And with your “new eyes in Christ,” you will recognize him clearly and see right through his attempts to trip you up!
None of us has this all together… and we probably never will on this earth. But if we allow God to give us “new eyes” in Him, we can see the Finish Line… we have a goal. As long as we work toward becoming more like Jesus, everything will come into clear focus, and we will know we are on the right track.
©2012 Debbie Robus
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, my mom had cataract surgery. According to information found at http://mayoclinic.com, “A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a plastic lens implant. The replacement lens sits in the same place as your natural lens and becomes part of your eye.” My mom’s procedure took less than two hours from start to finish, including pre-op time and recovery. She will have to use some eye drops and avoid bright light for a few weeks, but otherwise, her blurred vision should begin to clear pretty quickly.
Want to hear something cool? God can clear our blurred Spiritual vision even faster than cataract surgery! He can show you the truth about every situation and answer every question. No anesthesia is required… no trip to the surgeon is necessary. We already have everything at our disposal for a complete Spiritual “lens replacement!” Once we have totally committed to God… once we begin to truly listen to Him and seek His wisdom – to look at the world through HIS eyes – our own vision clears rapidly. We begin to see people and situations with love, kindness, grace, and mercy. We become less judgmental and more fair and compassionate. We exercise more patience and restraint, and our hearts become more open to serving God and others.
Cataract surgery is a miraculous procedure that has enabled thousands of people to see clearly again. The Great Physician can do the same for each of us in our Spiritual lives. He can enable us to see clearly – to maintain focus on the goal of living for Him and being more like Him each and every day. Satan wants nothing more than for us to live with “blurred vision.” He really doesn’t care if we profess faith in Jesus… as long as we continue to do so with “Spiritual cataracts.”
Allow God to give you “new eyes,” and prepare for the devil to stir things up a bit! He doesn’t like to lose! I assure you… anything the devil tosses your way in frustration will be worth the hassle. And with your “new eyes in Christ,” you will recognize him clearly and see right through his attempts to trip you up!
None of us has this all together… and we probably never will on this earth. But if we allow God to give us “new eyes” in Him, we can see the Finish Line… we have a goal. As long as we work toward becoming more like Jesus, everything will come into clear focus, and we will know we are on the right track.
©2012 Debbie Robus
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