NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

February 5

Scripture focus: If our message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 MSG

If we think that following God means that we get everything we think we want and need out of life, then aren’t we turning God into nothing more than a glorified tooth fairy, Easter bunny or Santa? God promises to give us what we need (see Psalm 23:1), but that has very little to do with what we want.

* Following God means bothering to believe a truth that we can’t see.
* This requires that we continually acknowledge our stone-blindedness.
* Part of coming out of the darkness into his wonderful light requires that we give up our secrets and trust God and others with our shame.
* We identify our problems through our perceptions of what we lack. Perhaps we’d be better off if we studied what we perceive we lack and use that information to acknowledge our longing for darkness rather than the light.

Our sin and shame may currently define us in our own eyes, but God sees us clearly through his own eyes. Oh, how I pray that we will seek his view of us. This will require us to believe truths that we can’t quite see yet, as we trust God’s view of ourselves and the world we live in.

Click on the word comments below and join our conversation!

© Copyright 2010 NorthStar Community

---