Blind Guides

My grandpa Johnson was blind the whole time I knew him, and I had some great adventures on some of my times "leading" him. We would go to downtown Koshkonong, Missouri, where he lived. He had a path he walked, and he knew every little bump or rise to avoid, and avoid he did. I actually had a hard time keeping up with him, but it was fun to watch him navigate every little bump in the road. He relied on his memory of where the hazards were on the trail, and his memory did not fail him.

We, born-again believers, are blind without God's Word to tell us how to live, and it also tells us of hazards that are on our faith walk. If we don't read and study the Word, we are still blind even though our eyes have been opened when we receive Jesus. This should not be, and God has provided clear insight about how to live and what that life does for His kingdom. We cannot rely on our own religion, which is based on what we know, but we must rely on "who" we know, and that would be Jesus! In a very narcissistic world, we believe in self-reliance as our guide for our life, but we are called to put self on the back burner and rely on the perfect Word of God only. What or who are you building your hope on? I am relying on Jesus and God's Word and the Holy Spirit, making it all come to life!!

The Jews relied on the Mosaic Law, or most of it. Paul scolded the Jews for changing it and making it situational theology, which is weak at best. Here is what he told the Jews in his letter to the church in Rome. Romans 2: ¹⁷ You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. ¹⁸ You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. ¹⁹ You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. ²⁰ You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth. ²¹ Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? ²² You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? ²³ You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

God's grace deepens our "resolve" when it comes to living the spirit-filled life we are called to live. His grace doesn't give us a more liberal license to sin, but it is like a bomb going off in our soul that snaps us back to the reality of who we are, and that is a born-again believer of Jesus Christ. If anything, God's grace firms our commitment and keeps this ship sailing forward on the sea of forgiveness and keeps Satan at bay, on the bay, and in our rear view mirror. God's freedom to live our lives victorious is sealed with a heavenly kiss called freedom in Christ, and Paul spoke to this freedom in 2 Corinthians 3: ¹⁷ For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. This freedom makes us "more" like Jesus, not less, and the Holy Spirit confirms each moment of God's grace with a newer life every time that is intent on being more like Jesus, not less.

When we grow closer to God, He moves closer to us as "deep calls to deep", and we are able to see life from a heavenly perspective, which is what He wanted all along. Colossians 3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ² Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. ³ For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. ⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. When Jesus becomes our life, we truly come alive, and God shows us more and more of His glory as we grow in His grace. We will not be blind guides, as the Jews were in their thinking, but we are fully equipped guides for those who need to see. If there had been a change in the path to the downtown and my grandfather hadn't been told about it, he would have slipped and fallen because he couldn't see it. God shows us and prepares us for the pitfalls along the way so we keep going without looking back. Share who Jesus is with others, and you will never be called a "blind guide" because you SEE what Good sees and it is good and strong. See life with a new vision that is God-centered, and you will really see LIFE!!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren