"This is what God the Lord says- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 'I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.' "
-Isaiah 42: 5-7

Open Your Eyes

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1: 1) When speaking to a group recently, I was asked if I had any doubt that God existed. For me the answer is easy, 'I HAVE NO DOUBT!' The evidence of God's existence is all around us. Just open your eyes and see. A favorite group of mine, Third Day, has a song, 'More To This,' that touches on the idea of 'opening our eyes.' Here are some of the lyrics to that song. "There's more to life, Than being born and dying, There's more to life, Than slowly growing old, If we are wise, We'll keep our eyes on Jesus, Or miss out on the very thing that, God has made us for." The chorus goes like this, 'Open your eyes, Open your heart, Open your arms and let the Spirit of the Savior set you free.' How true those words are. Do you have any doubts? Then set your eyes on Jesus. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith,..." (Hebrews 12: 2) And when you open your eyes, and fix them on Jesus, then look at what Isaiah 42: 5-7 (above) says. There truly is more to life than 'being born and dying' we, with God taking our hand, can be "...a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." With our eyes open and fixed on Jesus we can live a life of purpose for Him.

Open your eyes and have faith in God, for that faith will be rewarded. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11: 6) Are you earnestly seeking Him? There are so many things that easily distract us. That take our focus off of seeking God. But the reward for those that keep their focus on Jesus, that keep seeking Him, are tremendous. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you know you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him." (1 John 5: 13-15) Do you have that confidence? Are your eyes open? Is you heart open? Are your eyes fixed Jesus?

It is true that there is a lot of chaos in the world. Bad things happen and we don't understand why. Our faith, at times, can be shaken as we witness daily events that seem so sad. Yes, these things happen but if we open our eyes and fix them on Jesus, then we are able to hold on to our faith, hope, and love. I want to close with these verses found in the book of Isaiah. May they comfort you as they do me. A voice says, "Cry out." And I said. "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up high on a mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Isaiah 40: 6-11) Amen!

Take a moment and encourage someone this week.

I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have any prayer concerns or praises. Have a great week and remember to smile :), the Lord loves you!

In Christ,

Shan D. Hartsough

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." -2nd Corinthians 4: 18