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"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
 

 

See the Unseen

 

An essential act in not loosing heart and giving up is fixing our eyes on the unseen. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

 

What a fascinating paradox. In order to remain strong and keep going, we need to see the unseen. We who are in Christ walk by faith not by sight, and “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, emphasis added). Grace through faith enables us to fix our eyes on the unseen, on the eternal. We know “what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Therefore we, in faith, understand that what is visible to us is not reality; is not final. Rather, we embrace the divine reality, the eternal unseen.

 

Fixing our eyes on the unseen is a deliberate (sometimes it is eye-squinting, clenched teeth, deliberate) act of faith and mind. It is drawing upon grace enabled abilities to maintain a proper perspective: seen is temporary, unseen eternal. It is a refusal to allow the temporary to define us or dictate how we live. It is a releasing of our lives into God’s creative, re-creative hands, trusting in the reality that whatever I am facing at any moment in time is but “light and momentary” in the eternal perspective. And in God’s hands everything is used to achieve “for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

 

Results from such living are not always visible. In many cases, they are unseen. Yet, that is the very thing upon which we fix our eyes. Our trust is in God who we do not see with earthly eyes. We fix our eyes on the glorious reality we are not alone. God is with us, and He is at work in our lives, using all things for good – His good. We rest in the reality that the visible, the temporary does not have the final word – God does!

 

We individually and collectively – collectively because there are times when this difficult task requires community to be accomplished - fix our eyes on the unseen and thereby do not loose heart and give up. It is a fascinating paradox, but it is the way we live in Christ!

 

Keep Close to Jesus

 

 

Current devotion written by Pastor Gerry.

from: http://home.pausetoponder.org

 

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