Posts
“Specks” Part 1
By Susanne
Scheppmann
Key Verse:
John
9:25, “. . .One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (NIV)
Devotion:
Recently,
I decided to wear a contact lens for my left eye. Just one.
I needed it to enhance my close-up vision when I read. I grew tired of scrambling to find my reading
glasses, so I decided that a mono-vision contact was the answer to my sight
problem.
Although
now I can read without glasses, I have developed a new set of problems. For
example, if my eye becomes too dry the plastic lens glues itself on to my
cornea. A couple of months ago this occurred when I was staying at a
hotel. After sitting through several
conference meetings the air-conditioned rooms seemed to zap the moisture from
my eye. My left eye twitched throughout the day, but I ignored it. By the time evening came, my contact lens had
affixed itself to my eyeball. No amount
of wetting solution seemed to be able to release me from my predicament. Finally, after much prayer and panic, it
loosened just enough for me to peel it off.
My dear roommate said, “That’s it!
I am never wearing contacts.” I
couldn’t blame her.
Yet,
I persevered with my new vision adventure. Next, a fleck of lint flew past my
lashes to crash land on the runway of plastic in my eye. Blinding pain flashed brightly in my
head. I felt like screaming, “Once I
could see; now I am blind!” I poured an
entire bottle of eye drops into my eye in the attempt to wash away the
speck.
This
episode of momentary blindness gave me an appreciation, not only for the
physical sense of sight, but spiritual sight as well. Many times spiritual blindness plagues us and
we are not even aware of it. For
example, in the book of Judges, Samson’s eyes were gouged out by his
enemies. It was not until his physical
eyes saw only darkness that Samson began to use his spiritual eyes to see his
need. In this moment of deepest darkness, he called on God for help. God healed his spiritual blindness.
Jesus
specialized in healing the blind, both kinds—spiritual and physical. In John Chapter 9, Jesus gives sight to a man
born blind. When questioned about the
physical healing the man replied, “One thing I do know I was blind but now I
see!” (John 9:25).
Isn’t
that amazing? But wait it gets better.
Now let’s look at his new spiritual eyesight. Verses 35-38 reveal the rest of the story.
“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said,
"Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
"Who is he, sir?" the man asked.
"Tell me so that I may believe in him."
Jesus
said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with
you."
Then
the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.” (NIV) This man saw Jesus and chose to believe in
Him.
Thankfully,
Jesus came to relieve all of us from spiritual darkness. He said, “I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life" and “I have come into the world as a light, so
that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 8:12; 46
NIV)
Although,
my physical vision needs a little assistance, I do possess spiritual vision
because of Jesus. He gives sight and
light to the blind.
So
I will continue to wear my contact lens, because the benefits outweigh the
occasional hazard. Specks that blow into my eye do give me temporary physical
darkness, but I am grateful nothing can remove the Light of Jesus from my soul. Because I know Him as my God, I can shout,
“Once I was blind, but now I see!”
Prayer:
Lord
Jesus, thank you that I see true spiritual Light. I am grateful for Your forgiveness of all my
sins. Help me to continue to walk in the
Light. I ask, “Your word be a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm
119:105 NIV) In Your Precious Name,
Amen.
Application steps:
Read
John Chapter 9. Underline the word
“blind.” Circle the word ‘sin’ or
‘sinner’. Notice what seem to be the most important points of the story. Now rewrite this story in two to three
paragraphs as if you were explaining it to a young child. If you have or know a youngster, tell or read
to them your simplified version of Jesus giving sight to the blind.
Refection points:
How
is your spiritual eyesight?
Do
you believe in the Light of the World?
Do
you have a speck of doubt clouding your eyesight?
Power verses:
Psalm
146:8, “The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are
bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.” (NIV)
Isaiah
42:6-7, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of
your hand. I will keep you and will make
you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes
that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon
those who sit in darkness.” (NIV)
Micah
7:8, “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though
I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” (NIV)
© 2006 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment