Thursday, October 12, 2006
When I was new to this business of wearing glasses, it took me a while to adjust to those new things on my face. But I had to get them. It was easier to get glasses than to get longer arms, and the glasses were cheaper. Sometimes when I'm real busy, I start noticing clouds developing between me and what I'm trying to read, and I see strange little spots. Then I remember I'm wearing my glasses which I have neglected to clean for a few days. When I hold them up to the light, I can see the source of the fog and the spots: dirty glasses. It's amazing how much better you can see when you clean your glasses! The world looks so much clearer!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Smudged Glasses."
You may be at a point in your life right now where you really need to be able to see clearly - to see God, that is. You've got important decisions to make, and you really want to be able to figure out God's leading; to see where God is going so you can follow Him into His will for you. You don't want to make a mistake on this. But maybe you're having a hard time seeing God right now. It could be time to clean your glasses.
In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described the kind of people who would be able to see God, which you may really need right now. If you're having a hard time figuring out what God wants, seeing where He's going in your life, these words of Jesus may help you improve your vision. He simply says in our word for today from the Word of God, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." That's Matthew 5:8. If you can't see God, you're going to wander around confused and unsure. And if you're not pure in your heart, you won't see God clearly. There's dirt on your glasses. You've got some cleaning to do.
You may be doing all kinds of good things to get God's guidance; you're reading His Word, you're praying for His direction, and you're seeking godly counsel. But if there's something impure in your heart, it will block the view. That may be why no answer has seemed to come. God is waiting for you to clean up what isn't pure.
Notice, this ability to see God comes from being pure in heart. This is the stuff inside where no one can see it but God. The bitterness and the unforgiveness that you may be harboring, the mind that keeps wandering into lustful fantasies, the pride that's been growing in your heart, the compromises in your integrity, in your truthfulness, or that idol in your heart that's been drawing you slowly away from your first love for Jesus.
God sees that junk inside and He's saying, "I have so much I want to show you, but I can't show it to you until you get rid of what's coming between us."
Could it be that you haven't been able to figure out God's leading because of dirt that's been accumulating on your spiritual glasses; that's your heart. Isn't it time you dealt with what the real problem is; that would be the impurity in your heart. Once you clean your spiritual glasses - once you are what Jesus calls one of "the pure in heart" - you'll be amazed how clearly you'll finally be able to see that God who has all the answers you need.