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Ralph "Doc" Scherer,
Pastor
A & D Biker Ministries
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Doc's Blog
February
6, 2012
"FIX YOUR EYES!"
Hebrews 12:2
"Let us fix
our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God."
When our daughter, Katie, was young she had
what the eye doctors called "a lazy
eye". A muscle in one of her eyes was
not quite strong enough to keep the eye
looking straight ahead, so it would
sometimes 'wander' and look off in a
different direction than the other
eye. The doctor told us that when this
would happen (whether we were playing,
praying, eating, or whatever) to simply say,
"Fix your eye." By consciously
refocusing her wandering eye, Katie could
bring it back into alighnment with her other
eye. We were NOT being harsh or making
fun of Katie when we'd say, "Fix your eye"
(although I think that her brothers did
enjoy immitating their daddy and, sometimes
sternly saying, "Kathryn, fix your
eye!"). We were extending grace to her
. . . working to help her . . . because each
time that she did "fix her eye", she was
strengthening the weak muscle and helping it
to eventually become as strong &
straight as her other eye. (By the
way, the "fix your eye" routine DID WORK to
correct the lazy eye !}
Perhaps no other Bible story better
illustrates God's
providential grace in our
lives than the Old Testament story of
Joseph. Even in the most unlikely of
times in Joseph's life, God WAS at work -
using weak & unfair things in Joe's life
to turn out o.k. for God's purposes.
(It took 13 years - fiiled with suffering,
evil, injustice, and failures - but God
remained faithfully at work in Joseph's
life.)
A Review of Joseph's Life
As a
teenager, Joseph clearly saw things of
God that his brothers just could not
see. So, they sold him! ( Genesis
37)
As a slave in Egypt, Joseph refused to
cheat with the wife of his
Master. So, she lied and put him
in prison! ( Genesis
39)
As an inmate in prison, Joseph
faithfully served and helped many
others. They forgot all about
him! ( Genesis 49)
Remaining faithful to God, Joseph was
made Governor of Egypt and prepared
his country to be saved from
famine. This fulfilled God's
purpose for his life! ( Genesis
41-50)
As we
look at the life of Joseph, we see
this TRUTH:
God IS able to work out His
purpose . . . even through the
sin,
failures, and blunders of human
frailty!
NOTHING in the life of a follower
of Jesus Christ is so accidental
or incidental, so foolish or so
evil, that God is not able to use
it for His providential will.
Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things
God works
for the good of those who love
Him,
who have been called according
to His purpose."
An Optometrist will tell us
that 20/20 is perfect
vision. People often
say that hindsight is
20/20. God, The Great
Physician, has the final
word . . . and He tells us
(through Joseph's life) that
"50/20" spiritual
vision is the best
vision!
Let's unpack what
that means:
Genesis
50:15-21
15
When Joseph's brothers
saw that their father
was dead, they said,
"What if Joseph holds a
grudge against us and
pays us back for all the
wrongs we did to
him?" 16
So they sent word to
Joseph, saying, "Your
father left these
instructions before he
died: 17
'This is what you are to
say to Joseph: I
ask you to forgive your
brothers the sins and
the wrongs they
committed in treating
you so badly,' Now
please forgive the sins
of the servants of the
God of your
father." When
their message came to
him, Joseph wept.
18
His brothers then came
and threw themselves
down before him.
"We are your slaves,"
they said. 19
But Joseph said to
them, "Don't be
afraid. Am I in
the place of God?
20 You
intended to harm me,
but God intended it
for good to accomplish
what is now being
done, the saving of
many lives. 21
So then, don't be
afraid. I will
provide for you and your
children." And he
reassured them and spoke
kindly to them.
HOW DOES
50/20 SPIRITUAL
VISION WORK?
50/20
Spiritual Vision
Sees Beyond The
Actions Of The
Enemy (vs.
15-17 b)
Joseph's brothers
wanted him extinct;
God wanted Joseph in
Egypt!
Potiphar's wife
wanted Joseph's sexy
body; God wanted
Joseph to be
spiritually better!
The Chief Cupbearer
forgot Joseph; God
forged ahead for
Josheph!
Pharaoh put Joseph
in charge of his
palace; God gave
Joseph HIS plan!
The guys' father,
Jacob, is
dead. The time
for mourning is
past. Joseph
& his brothers
are back from the
funeral in
Canaan. The
brothers were
afraid. They
wonder, will Joseph
seek revenge?
So, they made up a
story: " This is
what dad said
before he died . .
. have mercy on
your brothers."
Isn't it interesting
that they had
already been
forgiven (Genesis
45:1-15), but they
still carried their
guilt. (Have
you been
there?) Only
Joe could relieve
their anxiety, and
only Jesus can
relieve ours!
The Enemy
of our soul
intends to harm
us (even
with false guilt) ,
but God intends
His good plan to
be accomplished!
50/20
Spiritual
Vision Helps
Us To Respond
From Our Heart
(vs. 17 c
-21)
When Joseph
heard the
message from his
brothers, look
how he responds
from his HEART
and not
his head:
Joseph
wept.
(He was deeply
hurt that his
brothers thought
that he would
hurt them!)
Joseph wanted faith
from his
brothers, not fear!
Joseph refused
to take
advantage of his
brothers with
his God-given
superior
position in
life!
Joseph confronted
and comforted
his brothers with
TRUTH!
The HEART
that knows
God is at work -
no matter how
frustrating /
tragic / evil /
or painful the
circumstances -
is a heart that
responds in
love,
longsuffering,
and forgiveness.
50/20
Spiritual
Vision Watches
. . . As God
Fulfills The
Dream He's
Given!
To live out
God's plan /
dream for our
lives, we must
have 50/20
vision. That
only happens
when we have:
A YEILDED
SPIRIT
- we are
visionary but
not unrealistic
/ optimistic but
not offensive.
Some will say, "God
does NOT need
our sins,
mistakes, and
blunders . . .
or the sins
that others
commit against
us . . . in
order to work
out His plans
and purposes."
Of
course He
doesn't.
But in this
sinful and
imperfect world,
those are about
all the
materials that
God has to work
with!
A
FORGIVING
SPIRIT
- a resentful,
revengeful heart
will never be
able to see God
at work in all
things.
That is a vision
which is bound
by grief and
blind to
God! FORGIVE!
A
TRUSTING
SPIRIT
- a resentful,
revengeful heart
will never be
able to see God
at work in all
things.
That is a vision
which is bound
by grief and
blind to
God! FORGIVE!
Philippians
1:6
God is the one
who began this
good work in
you,
and I am
certain that
he won't stop
before it is
complete
on the day
that Christ
Jesus returns.
We don't need
20/20
eyesight . . .
we need
50/20
vision!
50/20 VISION
SAYS:
"This
may have been
meant for evil
(to harm me),
but God
is going to
use it for His
good!"
LET JESUS . .
. "FIX
YOUR EYE!"
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