Spiritual Sight

Deus caritas est! “…God is love.” 1 John 4:16

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, let’s rediscover God calling to His children, revealing His goodness, and transforming each one with Perfect Love. "This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10) ~ Donna Oswalt

 For the grateful man knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference. Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude (p.33)

Jesus hears about the Pharisees throwing the formerly-blind beggar out of the synagogue. He finds the man and asks, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" The man does not recognize Jesus having been blind when they previously met. Jesus invites this man to become part of the Kingdom. With a desire to know Jesus, he accepts. His roadside experience begins with at physical healing, but the real transformation, the spiritual sight, happens on the inside.

Then Jesus told him, "I have come to judge the world, I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind. John 9:39 NLT

The Pharisees present are indignant that Jesus would suggest they are spiritually blind! And once again, we find ourselves dressed as a Pharisee. Yes, we believers can be spiritually blind when we choose our desires instead of being obedient to God's will, when we justify our busyness inside the church instead of reaching outside the church walls into the community, when we rationalize our sins instead of acknowledging that the world has us in its grip. Only through Jesus can we overcome spiritual blindness!

READ John 9:35-41

consider this!

- Read verse 35; what gives you comfort?

- Explain who these two groups of people are that Jesus refers to as "the blind" and "those who think they see".

- What experience with God makes me grateful?

God of might and mercy, You find us, care for us, love us. Your compassion exceeds our needs, heals our wounds, offers us tenderness. Our response to can be one of humility and gratitude or self-righteousness and self-assurance. Forgive my blindness, my egocentric bows to the world's applause. It is YOU, and You alone, I long to see clearly. Amen. -dho

All rights reserved; copyright 2017 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook