2Corinthians 4:3-4,6 - The Good News that we tell people may be hidden. But it is hidden only to those people who are lost. The ruler of this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of people who don’t believe. They cannot see the light (truth) of the Good News—the Good News about the glory of Christ...God once said, “The light will shine out of the darkness!” And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts. He gave us light by letting us know the glory of God that is in the face of Christ.
I feel sometimes that I'm writing negative stuff. I'm sure that must get tiring, but there is truth in what I write. My intent is not to criticize but to point to that truth...to open spiritual eyes to God's Word.
Yes, we are in a fallen world. Yes, days are looking more and more like what the Bible tells us are the last days, like a woman in labor experience birth pangs (Romans 8:22). The earth is experiencing a shift in society, technology, even natural disasters. God is not pleased with much of today's world. If a person doesn't believe God will judge us he will not begin to question why we are experiencing life as it is. His eyes will be blind to everything. God isn't causing what is happening, but He has removed himself to allow our own failures to take place.
God has a way out of what the world is going through. We may not escape physical disaster, but we can know spiritual relief. That is through Jesus Christ. Again, people have to believe in and have faith in Jesus before they can trust in Him. I've heard of many people who did not believe Jesus was who He said He was. Some have done extensive research (Lee Strobel for one) to find evidence against Jesus only to end up believing and now shares his beliefs. I've heard of Muslims and Jews awaking having seen Jesus in their dreams and converting instantly through the power of the Holy Spirit!
In order to receive the love, peace and hope of Jesus we must turn to Him with our lives. There's just no getting around that. It's all about what He can do in a person's life, how He's not some distant God, but with a person's action to devote themselves to Him, He will be as close as a call out to Him. Spiritual eyes need to be opened.
There was a blind man, Bartimaeus. Jesus arrived in the City of Jericho. A large crowd grew to see Him. But, being blind, Bartimaeus could do nothing but call out to Jesus. He said, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He was persistent. Even the crowd who wanted to silence him could not. He continued to cry out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Eventually Jesus responded.
This is like us. One who does not know Jesus personally is spiritually blind. If we are desperate to know Jesus personally, we can call out until He hears and takes away that blindness. As Bartimaeus called out, Jesus stopped in His tracks and commanded that he be called. Commanded. When He knows how desperate we are, nothing will stop Him from what He desires to do. This is how the story ends:
Mark 10:49b-52 - Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
There is a lot of blindness in this world. Some choose to live in blindness, some are not aware they are blind and some choose the Light of Christ to restore their sight. We're entering the Christmas season. Let the Light of Christ open your eyes if you have not done so. Give extra thought to the reason Jesus came to this earth, to be born, to preach about the love He has for all men and especially about how He voluntarily hung on the cross for our salvation. Call out to Him to be relieved of any blindness.
It really is as simple as calling out to Him and asking and if we don't... it really does remain hidden.
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