…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:17-19, ESV)
Make sure you are seeing the sky and the path ahead with a clear lens and not a filtered view.I was watching a golf tournament this past week in Iowa when two fellow coaches said, “I think I chose the wrong sunglasses for today.” The lenses they were wearing made things appear darker than they were, and when they took off their glasses they realized the sky wasn’t as ominous as it had looked with their sunglasses on. I, too, am a fan of wearing sunglasses when watching or playing golf outside, but occasionally it skews my vision enough to cause me to believe something is worse or better than it actually is.
Similarly, we all have a certain lens that dictates how we view the world around us. Our belief system shapes the way we respond to and handle everyday life. As believers in Christ, this means that when we look at the pain and suffering going on in our own lives or the lives of others, we can see that sin has had a mighty effect. That doesn’t mean we have to live in despair.
The good news of the gospel is that while sin is great, God’s grace is greater (Romans 5:20). When we can’t fight in our own strength, he fights for us (Exodus 14:14) and will always provide a way out of tempting situations (1 Corinthians 10:13). While pain is heavy, God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He is the Great Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). He is the Almighty Redeemer (Isaiah 47:4), exchanging our ashes for beauty (Isaiah 61:3). He keeps those in perfect peace whose minds are fixed on him (Isaiah 26:3). When we lay aside every sin and weight which clings so closely, we are able to run and continue to look to Jesus who is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7) and so the next time you are tempted to despair, don’t give up for Paul went on to say in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
So, before you run for the hills thinking the sky is too dark to keep playing golf or that you can’t face the challenges of the day, make sure you are seeing the sky and the path ahead with a clear lens and not a filtered view. May God’s Word, prayer, and community point us to view the world around us with gospel glasses.
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Aimee Neff
August 24, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.