eyes

Ooooh… Aaaah…Woooww! – VOTD.08.29.16

To this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away… But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16

This summer I had the opportunity to spend significant time hiking in the spectacular Southern Cascade Mountains. The vistas were the “Ooooh… Aaaah…Woooww!” kind. During that time, we saw many. For view-junkies like my family, it was perfect.

Our final days were spent hiking in and around Mt. Hood. Its signature pointed peak is one of the most beautiful in the Cascade Range. The views on our first day were gorgeous, though clouds rolled in in the afternoon and obscured the peak at times. The next day provided a few good views but most of the time the peak was in the clouds.

As we gained elevation the third day we found ourselves literally in the clouds, themselves. So much so that we could barely see twenty meters in front of us; just thick, gray, soupy fog. We had reached McNeil Point, the place of spectacular vistas. They were right in front of us. We knew about beauty. We could imagine the grandeur, but…we couldn’t see it for ourselves. No “Oooohing and Aaaahing and Wowing!” for us that day. (more…)

Continue ReadingOoooh… Aaaah…Woooww! – VOTD.08.29.16

Seeing the Beauty of God – VOTD.08.23.16

Open my eyes so that I can see all the wonderful things in your teachings.Psalm 119:18

God is awesome. He’s superlative beyond anything we can imagine. The Bible proclaims this often; any number of Christian songs have repeated the message from time immemorial. Even otherwise antiseptic doctrinal statements elude to it. Many Christians catch a glimpse of it occasionally when a prayer is answered or in an especially moving Christian meeting.

God’s greatness is a central theme of the Christian faith.

The problem is, much of the time, much of the Christians don’t see His wonder. They don’t see His glory, His beauty…and so, like much of the mainstream around them, they mark time. That’s military marching step where soldiers march in place, moving their legs as if marching, but without stepping forward. It looks pretty cool in a parade, but in real life it gets pretty monotonous.

But even in a parade, if you mark time long enough the whole parade stops…maybe. Or maybe the band behind you just keeps marching forward and runs you over. That’s a pretty intimidating thought. Point is, if God does not open our eyes to behold His glory, we’re marking time in the Christian faith…we’re putting in time and going nowhere. (more…)

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Growing in the Image of Jesus – VOTD.08.22.16

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. Romans 8:29

There are a lot of reasons why Christians listen to one teacher or another. Some Christian authors appeal to some groups of people better than others. Some of us like humor, others want exciting stories or erudite language.

But by-and-large, the purpose of our reading or listening to Christian teaching is so that our eyes will be opened—that we’ll discover the truth more clearly—that we’ll be changed by the information imparted. God’s truth never changes, but our understanding of it does change and should change as we grow closer to Him, and the Spirit conforms us more and more to His image.

As the Holy Spirit enlarges us as Christians to receive more of what God has for us, we become ready for deeper teaching. Truths that might have just passed over us with a nod five years ago now go off like fireworks in our spirits. The eyes of our hearts are further opened and we see spiritual things more clearly. (more…)

Continue ReadingGrowing in the Image of Jesus – VOTD.08.22.16