Seeing With New Eyes

I had my annual eye exam a couple of weeks ago and went today to pick out new frames for my new lenses. I hadn't thought that my vision had changed, but the exam showed that it had. I didn't even realize that my sight could be clearer and sharper until the "click-click, how's that? Better or worse?" Ah, yes, better!

I recall years ago when I first got glasses back in high school. I didn't really want to wear glasses, but I didn't know what I was missing, either. When I got them, I was very glad my parents had overruled in that decision.

Sometimes we don't see clearly, either by physical sight or by spiritual sight. The physical sight is quicker to bring into focus than spiritual sight, though. To improve my physical sight, all I had to do was to take myself to the optometrist, sit through the exam, present my debit card, and he took it from there. I get my new glasses, my new sight, in about a week. Looking forward to it!

Spiritual sight is made clearer, though, through the lens of scripture, and that takes getting into the Word and getting the Word into me. It's a growing process. People without the Holy Spirit living in them don't understand scripture, so they don't have clear spiritual sight. Sad, but they don't even realize they aren't seeing life clearly. That's why they don't really understand themselves, others, God (and how he sees us), Satan, or life in general. And that's why they think Christians have it all wrong. Not to sound irreverent, I hope, but seeing spiritually is one of the perks of placing faith in Jesus Christ. He opens our spiritual eyes to reality.

Picking out my frames today reminded me of a book I have entitled Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture by David Powlison. I pulled it out to read again and remind myself of the importance of viewing people and life through the lens of scripture.

A brief excerpt from the Introduction: 

(Click book for more details)

"Seeing with New Eyes presents a collection of essays written over a period of almost twenty years. Most of them originally appeared in the Journal of Biblical Counseling between 1985 and 2003. You will find a number of interlocking themes appearing again and again. Everywhere evident is God’s gracious self-revelation in Jesus Christ and Scripture. The real needs and problems of real people—our sins and miseries, our need for the Father of mercies—are always in view. Our current social and cultural context—the modern psychologies and psychotherapies, these alternative theologies and alternative cures of soul—are continually engaged."

~ David Powlison, M.Div., Ph.D

  

David Powlison is a biblical counselor who worked in psychiatric hospitals before coming to faith in Christ. He teaches at CCEF and edits the Journal of Biblical Counseling.

You can read the Introduction and Chapter One here. 

You can read other articles by David Powlison here.

The Source of Song

When I awake of the morning, I like to get a nugget to ponder until my quiet time. Sharing with you today a thought from David Jeremiah that I read this morning----

Christianity is a religion of song. Agnosticism has no carols. Confucianism and Brahmanism have no anthems or alleluias. Dreary, weird dirges reveal no hope for the present or for the future. Christianity however, is filled with music. Only the message of Christ puts a song in a person's heart.

When you have Christ in your heart something changes inside of you and a melody starts to form that you can't really control. It is unlike any other belief system.

As we read the stories of Christmas in the Book of Luke, we find six different songs recorded almost back-to-back:

• the "Beatitude of Elizabeth," when she was visited by Mary
• the "Magnificat of Mary," Mary's song
• the "Benedictus of Zacharias," the father of John the Baptist
• the "Song of Simeon," when he was presented with the Christ Child at the temple
• the "Evangel Song" of the angel of the Lord over the plains
• and finally, the "Gloria" of the angelic hosts.

When Jesus came into the world, music was reborn.

~ from Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God

Painting ~ Girls at the Piano 1892, Pierrie Auguste Renoir 1841-1919
Wiki Commons public domain

My All-Sufficient Savior

My thoughts today come from the thread that runs throughout the Bible--Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Malachi we're told of the forthcoming of the One who would deliver His people from their sins. From the Gospel of Mark through the Gospel of John we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, and from the book of Acts to Revelation we see the name of Jesus in all His radiant glory. Following are just a few of His names, titles, and characteristics.

As I stop and ponder on each one, I am reminded that He is my all-sufficient Savior.

The Lord
The Creator of All Things

The Everlasting Father

The Beginning and the Ending

The Life

The Word of God

The Word of Life

The Image of the Invisible God

The Man Christ Jesus

The Son of Man
His First Born Son

The Servant of the Father

A Man of Sorrows
The Lord Jesus Christ

Messiah, Which Is Called Christ

The Lamb of God
A Lamb Without Blemish and Without Spot
The Shepherd of the Sheep

The Door of the Sheep

The Great Shepherd

The Vine

The Tree of Life

The Bread of Life

The Rose of Sharon

The Lily of the Valleys

The Light of the World

The Bright and Morning Star

The Rock of My Strength

The Builder

The Foundation

Chief Cornerstone

A Ransom

The High Priest

The Mediator

The Intercessor

The Advocate

The Surety

The Chosen of God

The Redeemer

The Shiloh (Peace Maker)

The Truth

The Amen

The Just One

The Resurrection

The Deliverer

King of Kings

Lord of Peace

Lord of All

The Prince of Life

The Prince of Peace

The Righteous Judge

Lord of Lords

King Over All the Earth

The Gift of God

His Unspeakable Gift

The Savior of the World

"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty which was, and is, and is to come."
Revelation 4:8

"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
Hebrews 13:8

Consistently Consistent Answers

Sharing a snippet from my book reading with you today.

"There is an immense difference between a worldview that is not able to answer every question to complete satisfaction and one whose answers are consistently contradictory. There is an even greater difference between answers that contain paradoxes and those that are systemically irreconcilable. Once again, the Christian faith stands out as unique in this test, both as a system of thought and in the answers it gives. Christianity does not promise that you will have every question fully answered to your satisfaction before you die, but the answers it gives are consistently consistent. There may be paradoxes within Christian teaching and belief, but they are not irreconcilable."

Ravi Zacharias

Has Christianity Failed You?

Painting: Bench ~Edward Noott