Prayer Journal
Friday, August 11, 2000
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7b
If we were to look carefully at our lives and be honest, we would recognize that most failures we've known are the result of a wrong focus. If we had listened to God and seen things as He did, we could've surely saved ourselves alot of self-inflicted misery. Seeing things like God is only possible through redemption and prayer. By redemption we "know" God. By prayer we "grow" through our personal relationship with Him.
Most people take the "water in a glass" test and fail miserably. You know the question when looking at a glass half-filled with water, don't you? "How much water is in this glass?"
Many view this as a test of optimism. For the Christian, it is a good test of spiritual discernment. Same naturally say, "It's half empty!" or, "It's half full!" The natural response of a grateful Christian might be something else entirely, "It's just enough!" or "It's more than I deserve."
You see, for the child of God, the real question is, not so much how much water is there, but where it came from and what's the proper way to use it. Why? Christians give thanks for everything, right? How can you give thanks without knowing the origin? Also, knowing everything the Christian owns actually belongs to God, the natural question is, "Father, is this intended for me or do you want me to give it to someone else?"
I hope I haven't created anxiety in you toward drinking water. But our view of "little" things reveals the level of our discernment toward everything. The Bible says we became a new creation in Christ Jesus when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us (2 Cor 5:17). That being said, should we not see things differently than when we were "of" the world?
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor 2:14
"Lord, when I begin to see like You do, I realize I'll need Your Spirit to teach me to think like You do. In absolute surrender, I promise afresh today to listen when You talk and follow when You lead." WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
