[Membersandfriends] Monday, September 27, 2004

Sun Sep 26 22:02:35 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Monday, September 27, 2004

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EYES OF THE HEART
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Ephesians 1:15-23 (NRSV)

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
-- Psalm 119:18 (NIV)
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BUT, Ma'am, these are top-of-the-line eyeglasses," the saleswoman informed me as I put the new spectacles in front of her.  I explained again that I couldn't adjust to them and that they weren't comfortable.  I was satisfied with the plain, old bifocals I'd had for years, and I couldn't understand the advantage of struggling with new ones.

She replied, "I know how you feel, but a week's not long enough.  I know this because ten days after I got my new glasses, they suddenly 'worked'; and now I wouldn't go back to my old pair."  She pleaded with me to give my new spectacles more time.  I reluctantly agreed; and within two days, the new glasses suddenly "worked" for me also.

There are parallels to this in our spiritual vision.  We all have spiritual eyesight.  With my old understanding and unknown prejudices, I can read and reread passages from the Bible.  But with time, these can take on new meaning.  Without my knowing it, God's Spirit makes needed adjustments so that I can see at new and deeper levels.  I have no desire to go back to my old glasses or to my old way of spiritual seeing.  I'm ready to see much more of what God reveals to me.

Prayer:  Dear God, give us the desire to read more of your word, to pray for more insight, and to talk with others about what you reveal to us.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Time spent with God helps us to see the world with new vision.

-- Valerie L. Runyan (New Mexico, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those with failing eyesight

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RELATED READING ...

In PRAYER AND OUR BODIES, author Flora Slosson Wuellner invites us into a new relationship with our bodies.  In guiding us to pray both for and with our bodies, she introduces a greater awareness of the interaction between body, mind, and spirit.  Using prayer and guided meditations centered on the healing Christ of scripture, Wuellner explores how the body can identify inner stresses and hurts.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12545

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.