Today’s Scripture: 2 Peter 1:9, ESV- “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Urgent distractions come upon us at increasing rates. The next text, email, phone call, or even a thought can change our perspective and direction in a millisecond. It is amazing how quickly we can turn from prayerful and loving to vile. I have caught myself in traffic from being peaceful to enraged in a flash.
How do we get back to where we should be? We can turn back and seek God’s face and His qualities. We must be constantly reminded of 2 Peter 1:5-7, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” (ESV)
As non-believers are convinced that there is no God, there is plentiful evidence of who God is, if we care to investigate it. An atheist can confess they have read the bible or flipped through its pages. However, if we spend more time in God’s Word and keep looking to Him and His qualities, we find the peace that passes all understanding.
As 2 Peter 1:9 warns us, we can become so self-focused and nearsighted that we lose sight of God and His qualities. The wonderful news is that God, through Jesus, has already cleansed us from our sins. God is not shocked at our natural proclivities as He is the One who created and wired us.
However, it is not OK for us to keep our eyes on our feelings and understanding. Our God and His qualities should be our focus. Let us just turn back and seek God’s face. As we are instructed way back in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (NIV)
So, the formula is simple, yet mandatory. As Peter instructed us in 2 Peter 1:8, as we possess God’s qualities in increasing measure, we become more effective and productive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Humbling ourselves before God, reading His Word, and seeking His face is not a one and done experiment to prove a point. Returning to God often turns our sights and our hearts in the correct direction.
The proof of the direction of our sight is obvious to all. When we lose sight of God and His qualities, we can become ungodly very quickly. So let us set our sights on the LORD and be reminded to turn back humbly and persevere to be who God has created us to be.
Where will you look today?
Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and Your servants that remind us of the qualities You created us to possess. LORD, You know us better than we know ourselves. Redirect our vision LORD and call us back to You to fulfill Your calling and live Your qualities. Help us to look beyond our circumstances to see You always. Help us to be more productive in our knowledge and actions for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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