A Minute Meditation

The human eye is a wonderful thing. Blind people think a lot more about eyes and sight than those with normal vision because it is common to take for granted the many blessings we enjoy and only think about the things we want and do not have.

Although most of us are blessed with vision of some degree, yet we all possess what are commonly called blind spots. These are two areas located on the right and left side. An eye doctor can draw the exact size and shape of our blind spots by use of a curved black flannel board and a little pointer with a white dot on it. Within these blind spots we cannot see a thing.

We all know extremely intelligent people who have a wonderful knowledge of mathematics or physics, who can explain the workings of intricate machinery, who are diligent in business and skillful in some sport but who know nothing, absolutely nothing about the Bible; and what’s more, they don’t want to. Religion is their blind spot.

When we turn our hearts to God, we do not lose our blind spot, we just become blind to different things. If we can only learn to become blind to the evil that is around us instead of focusing our eyes upon it, how wise we shall be. The lust of the eye is one of the three causes of sin and if we can only learn to have eyes for the things of the Lord and not look upon evil, we shall avoid many of the pitfalls that make others fall.

Unfortunately, our blind spots are not limited to evil things. Our blind spots are usually those faults which we possess and others can see so clearly and we can’t see them at all. We all have them, and if only we can learn to see them, then they won’t be blind spots any more.

In the natural, we can change the position of our blind spot by turning our head moving to get a different slant on things. If only we will train our spiritual vision to compensate for these weaknesses, we can avoid stumbling.

Peter and Paul are outstanding examples of faithful followers of Christ who at one time had a serious blind spot. Peter’s trouble was he acted first and thought later. One minute he refused to let Christ wash his feet and the next he wanted him to wash also his hands and his head. One minute he pulled out his sword to defend Christ and the next he denied that he even knew him.

Saul (Paul), on the other hand, was so wrapped up in what he thought was right that he wouldn’t listen to reason. When confronted with the wisdom of Stephen, he became violent and consented to Stephen’s death.

Both of these men were rescued from the blind spots by the Lord. Jesus will also rescue us from ours if we will but turn to him for help. Jesus prayed especially for Peter that his faith fail not, and Peter was able to strengthen his brethren as well. In the case of Paul, Christ personally appeared to him to convert him and it is interesting to notice that Paul was struck blind for a time. It seemed to take natural blindness to make Paul see spiritual things.

We all have blind spots. Let us get busy pulling the beam out of our own eye so that we may see clearly. Jesus teaches us that it is the beam in our eye that causes us trouble, not the mote in our brother’s eye. The trouble is we can see his fault and can’t see ours. Let us busy ourselves looking for the beams in our eyes so that we can remove the blind spots that cause us to stumble.

Long before Abraham Lincoln became president, he had great compassion for the plight of the slaves. On one occasion, he was passing the slave market just in time to see a young black girl being auctioned off. He noticed a man he knew, who was noted for his cruelty, bidding on this particular girl and Mr. Lincoln was constrained to stop and enter the bidding himself. He won the bid and walked away with his “property.” There was a sullen angry expression on the black girl’s face because she knew in her heart that here was another white man who had bought her and would abuse her.

As they walked away from the slave block, however, Mr. Lincoln turned to the young girl and said, “You are free.” “What does that mean?” she demanded. “It means, you are free,” Mr. Lincoln replied. “Does it mean that I can be what I want to be?” she asked. “Yes,” Mr. Lincoln said, “you can be what you want to be.” “Does it mean that I can say what I want to say?” she asked, her anger softening. “Yes, you can say what you want to say,” Mr. Lincoln answered. “Does it mean,” she went on, “that I can go where I want to go?” “Yes, you can go where you want to go,” Mr. Lincoln reassured her. “Then,” her lips turning into a smile for the first time, “Then, I’ll go with you!” she said happily.

Being purchased, she chose to follow. Peter tells us that “forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ.”

We, too, were born into slavery. We were born into sin. “Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death…or of obedience unto righteousness?”

We had no power to redeem ourselves; we were in a hopeless condition without Christ. Mr. Lincoln purchased the girl with silver and gold but the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us with his precious blood. The young girl, being free, chose to follow the one who had purchased her freedom. Do we willingly, gladly, and thankfully follow the Lord Jesus who has redeemed us?

Without Jesus, all we could look forward to was abuse as a result of sin. As Paul put it, sin was reigning in our mortal body and we obeyed it in the lusts thereof. All we had in our future was sin and death. Not a pretty picture, but a true one. Then Jesus redeemed us — for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Do we respond to the love of Christ by following him the way we should as a result of his giving his life that through him we might have life and have it without end?

Do we thank God, that we were “the servants of sin, but we have now obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto us that being now made free from sin we have become the servants of righteousness?”

“Now that we have been made free from sin, and become servants to God, we have our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We have a brand new grandson who was born in Canada while we were in Australia. We have never seen this cute little eight pound bundle of joy but we already love him. We love him although he does not yet love us. John tells us that “we love God because he first loved us.” God knew and loved us before we were aware of Him. We love our little grandson before he is aware of us. In time, we hope that he will come to know us and love us, as we all should come to know and love God.

When our little grandson was born, he cried and his family and friends rejoiced. We should try to live so that when we die, our family and friends may cry, but our next conscious moment will be a time of rejoicing for the Lord Jesus Christ will be inviting us to inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.

Solomon tells us that “a good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” This is true because as Solomon also said, “the righteous hath hope in his death.”

We should live in hope and die in hope. Paul tells us that “none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

What a wonderful way to live! By living each day for the Lord, we can live each day to the full with no fear of the future or of death. None of us is ever going to get out of this life alive, so we can leave the future to God and live each day for Him.

But do we? How do we live each day? What takes our time and attention? Do we allow things to upset us that are not worthy of the agitation? Poor Martha was upset because Mary was not helping her serve. What difference does it make now whether or not that dinner was served on time or if the soup was hot or the biscuits burnt? It mattered to Martha and spoiled her enjoying the company of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We sometimes laugh at the tears of a child whose troubles seem so insignificant to us. From God’s viewpoint, our tears may seem just as inconsequential to Him. Yet we allow things to take up our time and draw us away from enjoying the blessings God is wanting to bestow upon us.

We need to learn to relax and realize that God really is in charge and, if He is in charge, then we are not. It is foolish for us to take the responsibility for things that God has not asked us to assume. We need to take to heart words we know but don’t always live by: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Our little grandson will shed many a tear before he is old enough to learn that the things he cries for are not worth the tears shed. Let us hope that we have learned so that we can live as we so often sing, “If thou but suffer God to guide thee, and hope in Him through all thy ways, He’ll give thee strength what err betide thee, and bear thee through the evil days…God never yet forsook in need the man that trusted Him indeed.”

When George Gershwin was a young struggling musician, he applied for a job at the office of the already famous and well-established composer, Irving Berlin.

Berlin looked over the qualifications of his young applicant and said to him: “I’ll pay you double the salary that you are now making to come and work for me. My advice to you would be to turn it down. If you accept, and become my employee, you will become a second rate Berlin; but if you will persevere and continue to struggle on your own, you will become a first rate Gershwin.” Gershwin did turn down the offer and went on to become a famous composer in his own right.

All young people are tempted to admire the characteristics of someone older and to attempt to copy their style, their delivery as a speaker, their mannerisms, perhaps even their material. By doing this, they become a second rate copy of the one they admire. They should realize that no two people are made alike, not even identical twins.

God does not want us to compare ourselves to one another. We can always find someone to compare ourselves to who makes us feel superior; we can also find someone to compare ourselves to who makes us feel inferior. When we look at the one, we think: “Well, I am not so bad after all.” When we look at the other, we may conclude: “I can never play the piano like him or sing like her or speak as he does, so why try.” Paul tells us that “we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

God only expects each of us to do our best for Him. He does not expect us to do someone else’s best, for we are not someone else. We are different. God made each of us different and He knows that there is someone who can do anything we do better and someone who can not do as well. All He asks of us is that we do the best we can do for Him.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we doing our best? If not, why not? We cannot justify our poor job by saying: “Well, I just cannot do this as well as so and so.” This is not the question that is being asked. Are we doing the best that we can do? God will not be pleased with a half-hearted effort when He knows we could have done better.

Unfortunately, we live in an age of mediocrity where it is uncommon to find people doing their best at anything. “Do just enough to get by” seems to be the motto of our age; this attitude can become contagious and become our way of life in our service to God.

We might deceive others into thinking that we are doing our best, we may even fool ourselves, but we will never deceive God. He is watching everything we say, think and do and He knows if our efforts on His behalf are half-hearted or our very best.

Let us resolve to give God the best we have to give. We must not compare ourselves to others for we do not want to be a second rate someone else. We want to be the best person we can possibly be in the service of our king.