"Now I See!"

 "He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25 KJV) 

  "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." (Titus 2:11-14 NLT)

 You really can't refuse this, as being something special! "I was blind, now I see!" I can totally see where this man is coming from, because when I was saved, immediately, the scales had been removed from my eyes, whereas I could not understand the Bible and the message of the Gospel, and then I could see clearly the Message, because the Word of God was placed within me! 

 Hopefully that is what many of you experienced also? Because when the Spirit of God lives within you, you will know more about God's word, just by association and the new fellowship you have with God. It is meant to be just like that, because that is what we must allow for God to do within us! 

 I was reminded of that simple truth last night, as Pastor Nathan explained James 4:5, in what many might think to be totally and completely misunderstood. When James says, "What do you think the Scriptures mean," he really isn't quoting a specific Scripture, he is basically speaking about the entire Book! From the very beginning, God said, "Let us make man in our image," which was God's longing jealously for the human spirit that He has placed within us, that we might be one! 

 The Scriptures also say that Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross, was established before the creation of the earth; so, it proves that God's plan of redemption was already in place, opposing our envy! Then, when we received His wonderful grace, God's Spirit, living within us, is at work in us, doing that very same thing: opposing our envy! 

 Those three things Paul shares about to Titus, "Wisdom, Righteousness, and Devotion to God," are pretty much a counter to those three sins, "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life!" As this was also the three things that Eve saw in that tree: "that it was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise." (Genesis 3:6) 

 I really appreciated the message that Nathan gave regarding Deuteronomy 8, where he illustrated the principle that Moses showed the people; What should happen, what could happen, and what will happen, if could happens, instead of should... 

""But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshipping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. Just as the LORD destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the LORD your God."" (Deuteronomy 8:19-20 NLT)