WHAT DO YOU SEE? Feb. 2020

WHAT DO YOU SEE? Feb. 2020

 

JN 4:31-35 (NKJV)

31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

 

We can all attest to the fact that vision is extremely important. If it is compromised, there is great concern. As we embark on various ventures for the new decade, we should engage both physical as well as spiritual sight, if we would achieve our goals. We are told to lift up our eyes and look at the fields. This implies that the disciples were looking in the wrong direction. They were concerned about whether Jesus had eaten, His conversing with the Samaritan woman, and the state of the economy, As they pondered on the time span for the resources to increase, Jesus pointed them to another field; that of evangelism. He redirected their focus to the situation in the society.

 

 

When our thoughts wander, Holy Spirit nudges us to realize what the real lack that mankind faces is a life without Him. That field must be harvested for the Kingdom. We can stare without engaging our focus. We can also gaze and daydream, but Jesus says, pay attention to the field. The benefits are eternal.

 

 

The soil may be stony, thorny, shallow or fertile (Matthew 13:3-9). We don’t really know, but we hope for receptive hearers, so keep spreading the Good News. Our influence may positively impact someone, as we share the grace, anyway. If we obey the command given in verse thirty-five, and change our outlook, what do we see when we look?

 

 

What is our individual field of influence? How wide is it? In a cotton field, when the bolls burst open, from a distance, the field looks like a whole white bed. When wheat is ready, the field is golden. Farmers rely on seasons for their crops to be ready for harvest. They watch for insects or thieves and use fertilizer to boost growth and production.

 

 

We also function by times and seasons; however, do we discern the field with which we have been entrusted? By any means necessary, is it our plan to fertilize (nurture) them to maturity? We have a responsibility to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-16) which may be stolen if we procrastinate. In our ignoring the inner voice, we deny someone’s hearing the message that Jesus loves them.

 

 

The business of life may create a glare over faces as we inadvertently bypass them. However, if we really see the fields, do we detect a hunger for the Divine? If we fail to look up and out, it is possible to stumble over them and rob them of the opportunity to begin a relationship with our LORD. God orders our steps; thus, He leads us in the right direction. Then again, what do we see, when we look up?

 

 

Romans 8:22-28

22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

 

 

Ophthalmologists do what they can to improve our sight, and the goal for perfect vision is 20/20. Natural disasters dictate that the whole earth is uneasy (Romans 8:22). God, who sees the events from beginning to end, desires to guide us along the process that destines us for Eternity with Him. We are prone to gravitate towards the path of least resistance; therefore, we struggle to accept disappointments as necessary bumps along the path for us. What do we see?

 

 

According to the Scripture reference in Romans 8:28, for the believer, all things work together for good. Perfect, spiritual insight looks for the good in all things. This Scripture declares that we know that. We gained that knowledge by reminiscing on God’s character. Because God cannot lie, He keeps His promises. To respond with concern when unpleasant things occur, demonstrates that we fail to apply the knowledge that there is good in all things working together. If we decide which things are working together for our good, we deny that God is in control of all situations. The good may not readily be seen, and so we must make a conscious effort to look for it.

 

 

In the moments of our reality, our vision may be obscured, thus causing spiritual cataract, tunnel vision, and/or Myopia (near objects are seen more clearly than distant ones). In those cases, surgery must be performed by the Great Physician. It takes a conscious effort and a deliberate goal to find the good in all circumstances.

 

 

God’s desire is that we lead and bring others into the knowledge that there is a good for us to see in all things, since we are designed for His purpose. We have been given a compass and a manual (the Bible), that warns us of pitfalls, detours and the best directives on how to navigate the course. Our job is to search and study the map and realize that it addresses similar situations that our life presents. Holy Spirit is with us to provide guidance, if we are willing to trust Him and look for the good.

 

 

MARK 8:22-25

22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

 

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

 

 

 

Here, we read of a blind man that was brought to Jesus, so that he could be healed. His healing was delayed at first, and so he saw men as trees, walking. Think about it, his vision, as well as his mind, were completely out of sync. Trees do not walk. They are either blown, broken, chopped, uprooted, carved or stationary.

 

 

Jesus touched the blind man again and told him to look up. His sight became clear and he saw men, the way they were. It is noteworthy that if we do not see results at first, that’s not necessarily the end of our story. Imagine what would have happened if the man had said, “Well, this is Jesus, who has been healing the sick. I heard that He did all kinds of miracles and now I am not healed. I felt Him touch me, but my problem is not solved. Anyway, I will just let them take me back home. I give up!”

 

 

With that attitude, he would not have gotten his miracle. Do you think that Jesus could not have healed him at the first touch? Of course, He could! One lesson that we can learn from that, is not, the inability of the Great Physician, but the way we see men. We pass by trees daily without really recognizing their beauty and worth. They are taken for granted and sadly, sometimes that’s the way we also see men.

 

 

Can we give a detailed description of one person we passed in the street yesterday? Maybe not. We are not programmed to   seeing people. We tend to look past them, mind our own business and keep going. That may have its place, but since we are Ambassadors of Christ, let us practice to pay attention and see with our spiritual eyes.

 

 

If we are blind to the signs of the time, we will constantly need to be led by the hand. If we have lost sight of mankind’s deepest hunger for the Savior, we require another touch from the Master. Our depth perception must be changed so that the real debility can be revealed. The lens through which we see will be adjusted until the Great Physician is satisfied with our vision.

 

 

We don’t know how the blind man lost his sight. It may have been in an instant or it may have been a gradual, unnoticed degeneration. Regardless of the cause, it was essential for him to regain sight. The people around him were instrumental in taking him to Jesus. Likewise, God wants us to be his hands and feet.

 

 

We can hear the silent cries of our world, if we allow our ears to be attentive to the whiz, rumble and dis-ease, globally. Unless we are alert to the reverberating sounds, men will still be seen like robots.

 

 

During one of the times of the Psalmist’s despair, he declares that he would lift up his eyes to the hills because his help came from the Lord. (Psalm 121). He recounts a sevenfold disposition of the Lord: Helper, Creator, Watchman, Keeper, Hiding Place, Protector, Preserver. The Psalmist realized that if he kept looking down and around, he could neither experience nor appreciate the awesomeness of God. In looking to hope in God, he was assured of the marvelous power of God to do the same for him, as He had done for Israel.

 

 

Take another look, what do you see?

 

 

Dr. O. A. James

 

REFLECTION

  1. The Great Optician is checking our vision. Does His report say 20/20?

  2. If not, what corrective measures will we take?