1 Corinthians 13:11-12 – 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. (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 the doors of the French windows in our dining room. Earlier this year, I had the worst door window replaced, 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 today's verse. How easy it is to allow the fug — the fallenness — of the world to impede our view of our existence in the world with Jesus. We know that Jesus loves us and died for us so that we may see things more clearly, both in ourselves and also in the world about us for what it is: either for or against God's 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 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 Him 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. We can see the good more clearly for what it is and also the opposite for what it is, because the Holy Spirit is given to help us in our times of need, and also to enable us to rejoice in the good that we encounter and in which we share.

Like my windows, however, we need a good spiritual cleaning 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 that You are doing in us and in our world today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Send your feedback to the author