"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18....."My desire is that each difficulty I face is seen in the light of eternity." K.J., a missionary to Central Asia.
I just saw a photo posted on Facebook of a small African child drinking from a pool of muddy water. One of the entries below the photo stated how humbled the person was by it. I was as well. Then, as I was reading in my devotional material for the day, I came across the above entry in the wonderful "Voices of the Faithful," which are daily accounts written by missionaries from all over the world. I was humbled anew, and made aware, again, of how affected I am both emotionally and spiritually by the happenings of the temporal. And how oblivious I can be to the realities of eternity. I, we, were created for eternity, for life with and in Him, but we so easily allow this passing life to shape and control us. The day to day happenings of our lives are continually the focus. We are overwhelmed by events that will have little if any meaning even a week from now. All we can see is how we are affected, or our loved ones. We can see the stuff going on around us, but we can't see anything else. We certainly can't see Him. We live with a high pitched whine in our lives, but we know little about partaking of the new wine of His Life. "Me" is always at the center of everything. We give lip service to Him. We give our hearts to ourselves and all that affects us.
I heard it once said of a person I know that "Everything that happens to them is either the best or worst thing that ever happened." Every thing that took place in their lives was filtered through "self" and what was happening to that self in that moment. How like them are we? We live on a totally horizontal plane, both within and without. We only see what's happening around us, and are only aware as to how it all affects us. Everything is a major issue.....today. Tomorrow there will be other major issues, with most of yesterday's forgotten. That will always be the fruit of life in the self. It's a life that far too many of us are living. Our problems, needs, and situations are huge. Bigger than anything. Bigger than God, though we would never admit that. They're all we can see. We're all we can see. So we never see Him. Or anyone else. Than comes the photo of the little African boy, and our hearts are touched. We're humbled. But what comes next? Do we just scroll down on the FB page, or are we truly humbled before Him. Do we exchange, repent of our daily whine for His life giving wine? Do we cease to abide in our selves, and begin to truly abide and live in Him? Do we enter into the realm we were created for, eternity, and freedom, or do we continue to be held captive by the passing events of a world that is steadily passing away? Are we humbled by our own inadequacy to be overcomers in that realm in our own strength and so come running to Him? Or, do we just go right on obsessing about ourselves and all that our self is about? Does our whine continue, and His wine go on being untouched?
I have spent far too much of my life living in the "seen" and never seeing Him. I am weary of the living in the world's perspective, and not the Kingdom's. I've had enough of being the center of my universe. It's not mine anyway. It's His, and it's in Him that I want to live. Not with lip service, but with my heart fully in His. I've no more use for living in "the whine." I want to drink the new wine. I don't want to just be humbled from time to time by images that bring a temporary response in my heart. I want to be broken and yielded to Him. Broken and rebroken. Surrendered and resurrendered. How about you. Have you had enough of living in the whine?
Blessings,
Pastor O
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