CLEAR EYED?

CLEAR EYED?

Monday, February 10, 2020



  Paul Tells of His Conversion: "I was carrying out these activities when I went to the city of Damascus. I had the power and authority of the chief priests. Your Majesty [Agrippa], at noon, while I was traveling, I saw a light that was brighter than the sun. The light came from the sky and shined around me and those who were with me. All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in Hebrew, 'Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It's hard for a mortal like you to resist God.' "I asked, 'Who are you, sir?' "The Lord answered, 'I am Jesus, the one you're persecuting. Stand up! I have appeared to you for a reason. I'm appointing you to be a servant and witness of what you have seen and of what I will show you. I will rescue you from the Jewish people and from the non-Jewish people to whom I am sending you. You will open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God's. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and a share among God's people who are made holy by believing in me.' "At that point I did not disobey the vision I saw from heaven, King Agrippa. Instead, I spread the message that I first told to the Jewish people in Damascus and Jerusalem and throughout the whole country of Judea. I spread the same message to non-Jewish people. Both groups were expected to change the way they thought and acted and to turn to God. I told them to do things that prove they had changed their lives. For this reason the Jews took me prisoner in the temple courtyard and tried to murder me. "God has been helping me to this day so that I can stand and testify to important and unimportant people. I tell them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen. They said that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to come back to life and would spread light to Jewish and non-Jewish people." As Paul was defending himself in this way, Festus shouted, "Paul, you're crazy! Too much education is driving you crazy!" Paul replied, "I'm not crazy, Your Excellency Festus. What I'm saying is true and sane. I can easily speak to a king who knows about these things. I'm sure that none of these things has escaped his attention. None of this was done secretly. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe them!" Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think you can quickly persuade me to become a Christian?" Paul replied, "I wish to God that you and everyone listening to me today would quickly and completely become as I am (except for being a prisoner)." (Acts26:12-29, also note Acts 9:1-18)

  1Corinthians [KJV] 2:9-13 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.



  I’ve experienced impaired vision physically due to light, chemicals, injury and deterioration. The worst was when my right eye imploded in the rear. Wonderfully, surgery thru my eyeball regained much of my vision.

  Physical visual impairment pales in comparison to not seeing God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, self, people, things, with Biblical clarity. Something Saul of Tarsus experienced both ways as he was traveling to persecute yet more Christians.

  For professing followers of the Word living (Jn.1:1) and written (2Tim.3:16; 2Pet.1:20) non-Biblical vision displeasing God (Note Rom.12:1-3) results from mis-categorizing. (I’ll not enumerate as the list is long and dark.) If we do not think of people lost or saved (John chap. 3), spiritual or natural, we stumble with impaired vision.  

  Hopefully these truths I’ve learned and strive to apply will, if need be, help clarify your vision.

EBB4