Opened Eyes, Closed Mind

Sir Isaac Newton is generally recognized as the most original and influential theorists in history. His impact on physics and mathematics was profound, and he is the one who also discovered gravity.

One day a visitor to his study remarked, “Sir Isaac, I don’t understand: you seem to believe the Bible like a little child. I have tried, but I can’t. Many of the statements mean nothing to me. I can’t believe, and I can’t understand why.”

Sir Isaac replied, “Sometimes I come to my study, and in my absentmindedness, I attempt to light my candle when the extinguisher is over it. I fumble about trying to light it but cannot. But when I remove the extinguisher, then I am able to light the candle.”

“I am afraid the extinguisher in your case is your love for sin. It is deliberate unbelief that is in you. Turn to God in repentance, be prepared to let the Spirit of God reveal His truth to you, and it will be His joy to show the glory of the grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.”

It is unbelief that keeps the truth of God’s Word from entering our minds, hearts, and lives. Reading and doubting are the opposite of reading and accepting. If we expect God to speak to us from His Word, we must first take Him at His Word, and the truth that is in His Word: “For by grace are you saved through faith.”

“The Lord,” said the Psalmist, “gives sight to the blind.” He will open our eyes if we open our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to the grace You offer us through Christ and our eyes to see the truth in Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 146:8a The Lord gives sight to the blind.

Opened Eyes, Closed Mind

Sir Isaac Newton is generally recognized as the most original and influential theorists in history. His impact on physics and mathematics was profound, and he is the one who also discovered gravity.

One day a visitor to his study remarked, “Sir Isaac, I don’t understand: you seem to believe the Bible like a little child. I have tried, but I can’t. Many of the statements mean nothing to me. I can’t believe, and I can’t understand why.”

Sir Isaac replied, “Sometimes I come to my study, and in my absentmindedness, I attempt to light my candle when the extinguisher is over it. I fumble about trying to light it but cannot. But when I remove the extinguisher, then I am able to light the candle.”

“I am afraid the extinguisher in your case is your love for sin. It is deliberate unbelief that is in you. Turn to God in repentance, be prepared to let the Spirit of God reveal His truth to you, and it will be His joy to show the glory of the grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.”

It is unbelief that keeps the truth of God’s Word from entering our minds, hearts, and lives. Reading and doubting are the opposite of reading and accepting. If we expect God to speak to us from His Word, we must first take Him at His Word, and the truth that is in His Word: “For by grace are you saved through faith.”

“The Lord,” said the Psalmist, “gives sight to the blind.” He will open our eyes if we open our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to the grace You offer us through Christ and our eyes to see the truth in Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 146:8a The Lord gives sight to the blind.

Finally Free

A clerk in Birmingham, England was placing a package on a shelf in a post office. As he was lifting it from a cart, it broke open and out fell what appeared to be a pair of “heavy-duty” handcuffs that were unlocked.

Jokingly, he said to an associate, “I dare you to try these on for size.”

“I’ll take the dare,” he said, put them on and locked them. After a few laughs, they went to the box to locate the key to unlock them. To their surprise, there was no key.

They hurried to the police station to get a key to release the lock. They inserted it properly, but when they turned the key, it broke. What was once comical now became serious. The broken key either had to be drilled from the cuffs or the thick, heavy handcuffs sawed apart.

But, it was Sunday, and no one could be found to help them out of their predicament. Finally, they went to the police chief who said, “Well, this looks like a good time to teach you a lesson. You’ll have to go to Derby, explain your problem to the person who made the handcuffs and then come back and we’ll remove them. You need to learn a lesson about playing with things that can harm you.”

What a picture of sin. At first, it promises to bring pleasure and enjoyment - a time of fun and laughter. Then, it takes one “captive,” and one is no longer free. But, we know there is one who can free us: Christ our Savior. “The Lord sets prisoners free,” proclaimed the Psalmist.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to accept the freedom that can be ours through Your Son. May we place our trust in You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 146:7c The Lord sets prisoners free. 

Finally Free

A clerk in Birmingham, England was placing a package on a shelf in a post office. As he was lifting it from a cart, it broke open and out fell what appeared to be a pair of “heavy-duty” handcuffs that were unlocked.

Jokingly, he said to an associate, “I dare you to try these on for size.”

“I’ll take the dare,” he said, put them on and locked them. After a few laughs, they went to the box to locate the key to unlock them. To their surprise, there was no key.

They hurried to the police station to get a key to release the lock. They inserted it properly, but when they turned the key, it broke. What was once comical now became serious. The broken key either had to be drilled from the cuffs or the thick, heavy handcuffs sawed apart.

But, it was Sunday, and no one could be found to help them out of their predicament. Finally, they went to the police chief who said, “Well, this looks like a good time to teach you a lesson. You’ll have to go to Derby, explain your problem to the person who made the handcuffs and then come back and we’ll remove them. You need to learn a lesson about playing with things that can harm you.”

What a picture of sin. At first, it promises to bring pleasure and enjoyment - a time of fun and laughter. Then, it takes one “captive,” and one is no longer free. But, we know there is one who can free us: Christ our Savior. “The Lord sets prisoners free,” proclaimed the Psalmist.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to accept the freedom that can be ours through Your Son. May we place our trust in You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 146:7c The Lord sets prisoners free. 

One Powerful Promise Keeper

“Promises are like pie crusts,” begins an old proverb. “They are made to be broken.” Not so God’s promises.

Read this amazing statement: “The Maker of heaven and earth, the seas and everything in them, the Lord...remains faithful forever.”

Behind God’s promises are His past performances. He is a God of truth and will not forget or forfeit His Word. Whatever He said He would do, He did. Whatever promise He made, He has kept. If He said it, He meant it, and He will do it!

Behind His promises is His passionate love. He is the very definition of the word, love. Whenever we doubt the fact that God loves us, look at Christ on His cross. Unfortunately, we tend to only look at an empty cross. But, never forget that Jesus, our Savior, at one time hung on that cross for three painful, lonely, humiliating hours. How can we ever doubt God’s love?

Behind every promise is His power. As the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, all of the laws that govern it are under His control. No one or no thing can stand in the way of the fulfillment of the laws that govern His universe - His creation. And if that is not enough, look once again into the empty tomb. He has the power to do whatever He said He will do.

On a very special occasion, Alexander the Great gave one of his loyal supporters a generous gift. Said the recipient, “This is too much for me to receive.” Said the giver, “But it is not too much for me to give.”

Prayer: Forgive us, Father, for those times when we have doubted Your promises, passionate love or power. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: The Maker of heaven and earth, the seas and everything in them, the Lord...remains faithful forever. Psalm 146:6