Losing Sight BUT Seeing Christ
I prefaced this blog with an article from a theologian and serious follower of Christ. I say serious follower lightly, is there any other kind?
JI Packer, now late in his years has no more sight due to Macular Degeneration, but in actuality he has no sight because this is the season of life that our sovereign Lord has him in. He can no longer see with his physical eyes, however he has stored up treasures in the form of Bible doctrine in his heart and mind. God's word says that if we store up these kinds of treasures they will not depart from us. I find interest today in his ease of speech as he claims God's sovereignty over all of his life, and ours too. Packer can not preach or write anymore in this season of his life. Is he sad about this? Not in the least bit. Is he angry at God because he cannot do what he once could do in his younger years? Nope.
Packer has discovered the secret to self decreasing and God increasing-exponentially.
The Young and the Restless- I am sure that many of us remember the old soap opera laden with drama and infidelity that used to come on daily in childhood homes across America, while wives ironed and sighed at who was involved in what. That's just it- it is drama. A production, a rehearsed, scripted piece of writing that is put into live action by people who are married to other people, yet they find themselves acting out romantic scenes in the name of a paycheck. This is where the life of a Christian must come to a screeching halt. When we were younger we were more energetic, sporadic, impulsive, and...restless. As we grow and mature in Christ we realize that this is His playing field and we had better just be glad we got invited to play in the game. As we settle into our identity in Christ we find that the decisions that we once thought had to be made right this second were merely opportunities for us to tell God how needy we really are for His word and His plan to be revealed to us. As we learn more about God we see that we cannot play hide and seek with the Holy Spirit. That is a blog for another time.
Packer is interesting because he knows he is nearing home. He knows he will now get to reap a reward that many of us can only hope to obtain. In his younger years he had physical vision to see the Lord through Bible text and see the joy on faces around him. Now, he will truly experience the epitome of faith- belief in what you cannot see. None of us have seen God in the physical, but we have seen evidence of Him. Packer will now have to rely on his senses minus his sight to be able to feel God's presence. How awesome to think that he will simply be left with memories of what he has seen over the years. I applaud him most for the serious stance he is taking in Bible doctrine. Reading our Bible is optional for most people- it's true! Most- m.o.s.t self proclaimed Christians do not have time to read their Bible each day. That is a sad statistic. Sad for us, not for God. In my study of God over this past year I find that God is perfectly content with what He has created. God is not emotional- we cannot cause Him sadness by not reading, studying, searching for Him as treasure. I have said it before- if you don't want to read your Bible then don't read it. If you don't want to study to show yourself approved unto God as someone who is not ashamed then don't. But hear that verse once more- "a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) Right this moment you may not feel shame for not knowing what is in the Bible, or for not knowing where certain scripture is located in the Bible. That is perfectly alright if you have counted the cost of what is located inside the Bible. One day you may be presented with a divine appointment where you need the scripture to come flooding back to mind in ministering to someone. Had you studied you would be ready to assist in the angelic conflict presented before you. But if you are not prepared, I trust that we will give an account for that one day after a while.
Not so young and not so restless- As we mature in Christ we are able to step back and stop looking at life through legalistic lenses. I have to go to the gym today to stay in shape. I have to eat this special diet to stay in the smaller size jeans. I have to put on a certain type of clothing because it is in style. Do any of these scenarios really make sense? How about the young believer struggling with how to handle Christ in everyday life? I have to read my Bible so God wont be mad at me. I have to pray a certain amount of time to fulfill my Christian duty. I have to pretend to be something I am not sure how to be so that I will fit in with the church. Legalism in it's finest fashion. Doing something because you know you are supposed to do it, not necessarily because you want to do it. We talk to God because we want to commune with the God of the universe. Hear that- we as Christ followers, who were called and set apart- get to talk to God!!!! We read His word in view of it being a love letter that He left just for us. His inspired words that carry us each day, encourage us along this journey, and ultimately teach us how to live for Him until we get to go home to be with Him. Out of the overflow of our love for Him we desire to be with Him. It is amazing to view life through those lenses. We GET to speak to God, sit with God, commune with God...anytime we want to. Some of us anyway.
There seems to be a misconception in the Christian community today. If you repeated a prayer when you were 8 at a church camp because of the emotion of the service, yet God was not inviting you to accept the gift of salvation- you did not get what you thought you got, when you thought you got something that you didn't. The scripture becomes more clear the older I get and the more meat Christ passes my way. Go with me for a second to a theological topic that has the potential to make you ask yourself one question- what if what I have always been taught is wrong?
Stay with me for a minute.
In eternity past, before any of God's creation existed He knew us. He knew our personalities. He knew how we would be geared, designed. He knew what would make us tick and what would tick us off. He knew how strong willed we would be. He knew that some of us would be like Thomas and need to place our hand on the scar. And guess what- this does not upset Him or make Him feel anything different toward us. He just knows us. He knew something pivotal about us all that time ago...He knew which of us would be vessels of honor and who be be a vessel of dishonor. Who would choose salvation and who wouldn't. It's the southern thing to be "saved." No matter how many drug lord doors you knock on in Alabama- everyone is already saved. It's amazing....not really! It's deception to the lost person and to those evangelizing. Not everyone will be saved, It is a fact. There are some people that in eternity past God knew would not choose Him so they became marked as vessels of dishonor. Hear the fact, now understand our role in this. We are to have our own personal relationships with the Lord. We are to have an intimate relationship with the God of the universe that changes us to the point of a supernatural blood transfusion. Our role is not to mark people on this earth as vessels of dishonor. That is not our place. I love to hear people say "I feel like I am being judged." My response is always the same. I do not wear a judges robe and I do not have the ability or authority to listen to evidence and bring down a verdict. That is the job of a judge. My job is much less important. My job is simply to love the Lord God with all that is in me and to be a willing vessel should He choose to use me. My point is this- there are people who think they are Christians because that is a comfort to them. The fact remains that God already knows who will choose Him and who will not. You can call it predestination if you want to. I call it God's sovereignty.
Faith without sight- it's about settling in to who God is. What His character is like. How He operates. How we are to handle life's ups and downs in light of His personality. If we are truly believers then we understand that who we were yesterday means nothing in light of who I am becoming today. Daily we are to grow closer, learn more, read more, sit at His feet waiting for Him to speak, and waiting expectantly for His return, or at least I am burdened to do so. Who knows, one day my eyes may fail me. My prayer is that out of the overflow of my love for the Lord, that I spent my life searching for Him. He said if I search I will find. He said that where my heart is there my treasure would be also. Like Packer, my heart is in another time and another place. Yesterday my day ended in silent, warm tears. I spent time in prayer asking God to come back and get us all day yesterday. I looked for Him all day. He didn't come yesterday, but who knows- today is a new day. I pray we are all looking forward to home and looking for His return. Though our sight may fail, our spiritual eyes will remain fixed on our heavenly home.
