"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'." (John 7:38)




"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." (1Cor. 2:12-13)

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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

A Better Mirror To Gaze Upon...


"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

If we are continually gazing upon Christ (meaning we know Him intimately, not just as subject matter), we will see ourselves and others much differently...namely, we will see how much we, ourselves, and all are in desperate need of His salvation, forgiveness, cleansing and grace for transformation. If we reach out to remove a speck from our brother's eye (a brother being one who is able to see with the light of Christ because he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit), let it be done after self-examination and from a pure heart with the goal of love.

I realize that if I am offended, I need the Lord to purify my heart before I go forward to speak with my brother, so that when I do, it is for the benefit of my brother and not for revenge, self-defense, or to puff up my own ego.
If I am dealing with the world, however, I cannot expect them to see from the Spirit's point of view, because the light is not yet within them...that is why Jesus was at last silent before His accusers...what could He point out to those who were still blind? (When He spoke, it was for our sake who would see). Motive is everything. We may fool others, but we never fool the searching eye of Christ.

"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light. (Luke 11:34-36)

"Christ is the glory we were made to see. His light alone will fill us and give the light of life and meaning to every part of our lives. And when that happens, we ourselves will shine and give off the rays of Christ...Lord, open the eyes of our hearts to see the supreme greatness of your wisdom and power. Make our eyes good. Heal our blindness. Fill us with the all-pervading, all-exposing, all-purifying, all-pleasing light of your presence." --John Piper http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/be-careful-lest-the-light-in-you-be-darkness

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  1. UnknownApril 1, 2014 at 4:06 PM

    "If I am dealing with the world, however, I cannot expect them to see from the Spirit's point of view, because the light is not yet within them...that is why Jesus was at last silent before His accusers...what could He point out to those who were still blind? (When He spoke, it was for our sake who would see). "

    Great point here. This is where we really need to be attentive to the Spirit's leading. Any word going forth that has not been sent by our Father, will return to Him void. Many think they need just to splash the word around the world because it is God's word. While the words did come from His mouth into Bible form, we can not go about our Christian business on our own without the accompanying work of the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 16:6)

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