W2D3 New Eyes

READ THE BIBLE

Acts 9: 3

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’

‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked.

‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’

The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

2 Corinthians 4: 4 & 18

The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (message of good news about Jesus) that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

REFLECT ON WHAT IT SAYS

Some years ago scientists conducted some experiments on the way people see things. They designed special visors with mirrors to change the way people see the world. They they asked for some volunteers to wear these visors for many weeks.

One set of visors changed right to left and left to right. Another set of visors made everything turn upside down. Over time the people wearing them slowly adjusted to their new view of the world and got used to it and better at coping. When the day came to take them off and go back to normal vision, guess what happened? All of them were confused at first and kept reaching out to touch things in the wrong directions. Some of the ‘upside-down’ group even fell over and couldn’t walk at first.

Their altered view of the world had become their new ‘normal.’

It’s a curious thing how we as people see and understand things. We can adapt our sight and tell ourselves what we see is normal and correct even when it isn’t! The same thing happens for our spiritual understanding. What we have become familiar with over the years becomes normal to us and seems right - even though it may not be!

This was how it was for the man in our reading called, “Saul.” He was seeing the world, and God, in a way that he thought was right and normal. But it wasn’t that way at all. It was like Saul was wearing a spiritual “visor” that changed the way everything in life looked. The worst of it was that he never realised this. Later on, when he changed, he tells us that Satan, the Devil, actually distorts things to the point where he ‘blinds’ people who don’t believe to the truth of who Jesus really is, (2 Corinthians 4:4) They simply can’t see it!

You might be thinking, “Surely that’s not how it is for me? I think I would know if it were.” Did you know that you are seeing the world upside down right now? That’s right, your eyes see the world upside down and that’s how it is for a newborn baby. In a short while, though, the brain adjusts and is able to turn the image of your eyes up the other way so it looks right. Everything you see now as normal has already been altered in this way. So what about seeing spiritual things about God and Jesus?

When Jesus comes into our lives he gives us new insight and new understanding about himself and spiritual things. You will see in the story about Saul, that Saul become temporarily blind for 3 days, but after this God healed him, so he could see again. It wasn’t just his natural eyes that were opened though; Saul began to see spiritually in a new way as well. Things he never understood before suddenly became clear to him, he had a whole new way of seeing, himself, God, and life.

He also had a sudden new insight into the spiritual world that he never had before. He understood things like healing, faith, the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit, angels and other spiritual powers. It all became so real to him he could say that he lived his life now by fixing his eyes on the unseen spiritual things, (2 Corinthians 4:18).

These things, that to most people are unseen, are actually more solid, more real and more

long lasting that the things we normally see around us. God gave Saul “new eyes” to see new spiritual things for the first time and to see old familiar things in a brand new way. And God will give us these same new eyes as well, when we believe in him and give our lives to Jesus, like Saul did.

RELATE IT TO YOUR LIFE

Can you think of any ways that your spiritual insight has changed or is changing? Has the way you see yourself changed in any way?

Since you have been reading the Bible and learning about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, has your understanding changed in any way?

RESPOND WITH A DECLARATION

Here are the words of a really famous hymn, “Amazing Grace” to say out loud:

“I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind but now I see.”