Clear Vision musings

Is Jesus sweet to you? Do you awake musing on the sweetness of Jesus? Do you grab His Word thirsty for it’s life giving water to quench your dry soul?

Or do you crawl out of bed thinking of all the things you need to do today? Or the exciting plans you have for the day? And as almost an afterthought, "Oh yeah, I better read a bit in my Bible."

Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.

Lord, by your grace, give us hearts that revel in your sweetness and souls that long for your Living Water.

SDG,
Lisa

Did you ever think about how there aren’t many missionaries noted from France in modern times?

I’m putting together our studies for this fall. We are focusing on the time period of the 1800′s with the overarching them of "Go Ye into All the World". We are seeing how America continued to grow westward, taking the gospel with them, as well as sending missionaries to other lands. The British Isles were sending missionaries. But I’m really not coming across any missionaries sent from France in the post Revolutionary period.

Hmmm.

SDG,
Lisa

keep my commandments. John 14:15

Hereby we do know that we love him, if we keep his commandments. 1 John 2:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievious. 1 John 5:3

The commands of God are important in the life of the Child of God. The desire to keep his commands shows us that we love Him. They are not a burden to us, but a delight.

Keeping the commands of God will never add any merit for us in any way. If we have broken one jot of His commands, and we all have – much more than that, we are guilty and are deserving of His wrath. There is nothing we can ever do to gain favor with God.

Only the blood of Christ, applied in our lives can pay the debt owed for our sin. It is only through Christ’s righteousness that we stand before God as righteous. All our good works are but filthy rags.

Yet, as Paul says, since we’ve been saved by grace shall we continue in sin? Certainly not! Because we have been forgiven much, we love much. And if we love we keep His commands. By this we know that we love him.

SDG,
Lisa

You cannot see God’s glory when your eyes are seeking your own.

SDG,
Lisa

Is faith spelled R-I-S-K? Is it a jump into the dark? Not biblical faith! Rather faith is seeing the Light, and following it. Faith is Clear Vision, seeing beyond the limitations of your fallen human sight, to the Light of God’s Word. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word." Faith is hearing the truth of Scripture and the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, "That is true," and you completely believing and obeying Him.

Doubt is trusting your own eyes that have been darkened, rather than the sight of the One who sees all. Presumption is believing any foolish thing out there, that you thought you heard somewhere, jumping into the dark. Faith is believing and obeying His Word.

"I once was blind, but now I see" – yet still have SO much for my eyes to be opened to —
Praise God for eternity for my eyes to be opened to His Truth.

SDG,
Lisa

What does Paul mean when he says in verse 20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us?” Is this a blank check for anything we want? What is the context?

In this chapter Paul is praying, kneeling in prayer, in humility before God asking for certain things for the Ephesian church. Can we claim this prayer for ourselves? Yes, I think so. It is a prayer that expresses God’s will for all His own.

These things Paul prays for are: that you be strengthened in your inner being by His Spirit, that Christ would dwell in your hearts by faith, that you be rooted and grounded in love, that you know the love of Christ, that you be filled with all fulness of God.

May we desire that God do exceeding abundantly above in our lives in all these things asked.

SDG,
Lisa