Looking, Seeing - BLIND

Moses realized that no one could look upon God and live – live as he always has. When we see God as He really is, death comes into our lives. Death comes to our desires, our wants, our direction, and even our hearts. If we struggle with these things then we need to realize that we have not looked fully upon God.

What do I see when I look upon God?
I will see the wondrous face of my Friend. This Friend came to me at my greatest hour of need. This Friend reached out to me when I rejected Him the most. My Friend loved me when I was ugly, smelly and rotten in my heart. I see my Friend who is always faithful.

When I look upon my Friend, I also see me. As I gaze into his eyes I see the reflection of His Cross. On it he took all my sin, my failures and my lostness. I see me, as I am and as He knows I can be. I am seeing freedom—freedom from all the power of self and the flesh.

Do we have God blinded hearts? If I have a God blinded heart then I will see nothing of me in my life. Why? Seeing God blinds me to me!

If I have a God blinded heart, I see God at work everywhere and in everything. I see Him in the good and in what I consider “bad.” If God is there in all things then can anything be truly “bad?” If I have a God blinded heart, then the answer is “no.”

If I have a God blinded heart I live a Godward life. My entire life is directed Godward. Godward living moves me away from self-ward living.

A God blinded heart means that the glory of God fills me heart—all of it. God awesome glory blinds me to what I want (selfishness) and reveals to me what He wants.

So when I really look upon God and see my Friend my heart becomes blind to me. The light of my Friend drives the darkness from me and blinds me to all except my loving Friend.

Have I really looked upon God? Am I living the way I always have?

LIFE- for all its worth

In this week following Easter I am forced to remember that real life is seen in what you are willing to make sacrifices for. One book that I am currently reading (and I am reading about 10 others) is called “Tuesdays with Morrie.” It is about a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press who visits his old professor, named Morrie, who is dying of Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Morrie speaks about life. He says: “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” (Tuesdays with Morrie; page 43)

Living a life that is sacrificial, that gives meaning for those of us who follow Jesus, means that we will live a life of woundedness. We follow the wounded Healer. How much of our lives is lived trying to avoid being wounded? Yet, Jesus knows that what will bring divine meaning into our lives is discovering His life in the midst of our wounds.

The life of Jesus arises within us when the wounding humbles us. For God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. His life grows when we seek His comfort. His life increases as we are empowered in Him through our weaknesses. Our woundedness scours away the rust of a dreary, dull and lackluster spiritual life. We discover that life, real life, true life, God’s life has taken on a rich, full meaning within us.

Are you really living? Are you really dying?