Bad Spiritual Vision, Seeing Eye Friends & Investments
The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. -- 2 Peter 1:9; Holman Christian Standard Bible
A few illustrations for you today...
I always have wondered why a certain restaurant has a sign that reads "Picture Menu Available Inside." I have often wondered how that particular sign would help a person that couldn't read! I think I finally figured out how it's helpful; it's so a person that can read can empower a person who cannot read to order a meal for themselves without revealing their illiteracy. It's for the literate to help the illiterate.
Have you ever had an eye examination? Isn't it strange how we can look at backwards letters of different sizes to determine the level of our vision deficiency or excellency? I have always wondered how such a system began. It works though. Dr. Steve Garrett gives me a test like that and then looks at my eyes through a weird machine and the next thing you know I've got a pair of glasses that give me better than 20/20 vision. Amazing.
I love to read investment projections. My wife and I put a little away in a retirement plan each week and once or twice a year we get a projection report that tells us the amount the experts estimate those savings will become. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that such small deposits now will become so fruitful later on.
Now, let's bring all of that together!
Peter talks about lacking some things. Let's read what he warned against lacking: For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-8; HCSB).
To put it as bluntly as I possibly can, the professing Christian who does not have the virtues mentioned above is unseeing and unable to determine their true spiritual condition. Read it again; it's a good spiritual eye test! To the spiritually inclined eye that thinks these things make a strange list to determine God-sight health they must trust the method of the Physician.
There are some who profess a faith, but have none of these virtues.
Such a one cannot see the gain of these deposits in the realm of heavenly investment.
Those that know and love Jesus have these virtues and see very clearly. They know the value of these things and have determined their worth is eternal. They have an eye that sees the value of virtue right now and have a clear projection as to their worth in the future. Such a one as this not only reads the signs, but has the dignity to BE the picture menu for heavenly food that an spiritually illiterate world can dine from. Such a one can make an illiterate soul admit their spiritual state of illiteracy and desire to read the menu for themselves!
How is your spiritual vision? Do you see virtue as eyeglasses for heavenly things and investments in your heavenly portfolio? Are you leading the illiterate to "read" the Lord?
Don't ever be satisfied with blurred spiritual vision. Don't become satisfied with talking about heaven...SEE IT in your life today! Don't think of heaven as the someday-pie-in-the-sky-reward-for-doing-the-best-you-can reward. Heavenly things are attainable now...IF our vision is right!
Take it from a guy who knows the value of a good pair of glasses, there is NOTHING like clear vision! What did the eye test reveal for you today?
The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. -- 2 Peter 1:9; Holman Christian Standard Bible
A few illustrations for you today...
I always have wondered why a certain restaurant has a sign that reads "Picture Menu Available Inside." I have often wondered how that particular sign would help a person that couldn't read! I think I finally figured out how it's helpful; it's so a person that can read can empower a person who cannot read to order a meal for themselves without revealing their illiteracy. It's for the literate to help the illiterate.
Have you ever had an eye examination? Isn't it strange how we can look at backwards letters of different sizes to determine the level of our vision deficiency or excellency? I have always wondered how such a system began. It works though. Dr. Steve Garrett gives me a test like that and then looks at my eyes through a weird machine and the next thing you know I've got a pair of glasses that give me better than 20/20 vision. Amazing.
I love to read investment projections. My wife and I put a little away in a retirement plan each week and once or twice a year we get a projection report that tells us the amount the experts estimate those savings will become. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that such small deposits now will become so fruitful later on.
Now, let's bring all of that together!
Peter talks about lacking some things. Let's read what he warned against lacking: For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-8; HCSB).
To put it as bluntly as I possibly can, the professing Christian who does not have the virtues mentioned above is unseeing and unable to determine their true spiritual condition. Read it again; it's a good spiritual eye test! To the spiritually inclined eye that thinks these things make a strange list to determine God-sight health they must trust the method of the Physician.
There are some who profess a faith, but have none of these virtues.
Such a one cannot see the gain of these deposits in the realm of heavenly investment.
Those that know and love Jesus have these virtues and see very clearly. They know the value of these things and have determined their worth is eternal. They have an eye that sees the value of virtue right now and have a clear projection as to their worth in the future. Such a one as this not only reads the signs, but has the dignity to BE the picture menu for heavenly food that an spiritually illiterate world can dine from. Such a one can make an illiterate soul admit their spiritual state of illiteracy and desire to read the menu for themselves!
How is your spiritual vision? Do you see virtue as eyeglasses for heavenly things and investments in your heavenly portfolio? Are you leading the illiterate to "read" the Lord?
Don't ever be satisfied with blurred spiritual vision. Don't become satisfied with talking about heaven...SEE IT in your life today! Don't think of heaven as the someday-pie-in-the-sky-reward-for-doing-the-best-you-can reward. Heavenly things are attainable now...IF our vision is right!
Take it from a guy who knows the value of a good pair of glasses, there is NOTHING like clear vision! What did the eye test reveal for you today?
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