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"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13 ESV)
One of the positives from being incapacitated and not finishing the restoration upstairs was that I had some money left to employ someone to finish off the re-glazing of our French windows in the dining room. Earlier this year I have had one replaced in the worst door window but I could not afford to get the complete doors and side panels done at the same time.
Now just in time for winter the whole area has been updated. Hopefully this will lessen our fuel bills.
As I looked out of the new clean, clear glass on the one side of the doors I noticed that in the intervening spring and summer months there has been an accretion of fug on the other side. It made me reflect upon the above verse. How easy it is to allow the fug – fallen-ness – of the world to impede our view of our existence in the world with Jesus. We know Jesus Loves us, died for us, so that we may see things more clearly. This is both to see in ourselves but also to see in the world about us for what it is that is: either for or against the Kingdom.
Even as we are fully known by Jesus we are called to lay aside childish worldly, self-centred, ways and set our eyes on Jesus and His Kingdom of God here on earth and in heaven and to serve Him where we are placed. Sadly heaven is only a glimpse at the present. All we can know is what has been revealed in the Bible that Jesus came from there to bring us into His presence and to deliver us from falling into the hands of the evil one, if we trust enough to let Him be our saviour. Not that we avoid the world but that we do not succumb to its thrall by God's Grace in Jesus (See Romans 12:1-2). We can see more clearly the good for what it is and also the opposite because the Holy Spirit is given to help us in our times of need and also to enable us to rejoice in the good we encounter and are a part of.
However, we, like my windows, need a good clean now and then to enable us to see more clearly what is going on outside!
Prayer: Lord, thank You for cleaning us and redeeming us from our past. May we ask Your forgiveness and cleansing again today so that we may see more clearly what it is You are doing in us and in our world today, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Roderick Marshall
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