Corona Devo 1093

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. (17) I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.  ~Matthew 13:16-17

Do we have our "Jesus eyes" open today?

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When I was little, my Papa would take us grandkids berry-picking.  Dressed in long pants and long sleeves in the heat of summer, we would step into the thorny thickets of berry hedges on the outskirts of his property or in the woods across the street.  When I first looked, I usually saw one, maybe two raspberries or blackberries hanging in the tangle of leaves and thorns.  

But then I would get my "berry-eyes" open.  The more I concentrated and the more I looked to see...the more berries I saw.  We would fill wicker baskets berry by berry and my Gramma would make the best pies and cobblers I ever had.  But first...we had to get our "berry-eyes" open.

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While on vacation in South Carolina, my husband took us to an island known for shark teeth.  When we first began combing the sand and coastline for a shark tooth, there were none.  But...as we walked slowly and got our "shark eyes" open...once in a while we caught a flash of something dark glistening in white sand.  And the more we looked (with our "shark eyes" open)...the more we found.  

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Sometimes it 's easy for us to hit "cruise control" on our days, or to be moving at such high speeds from one thing to another that we miss the people and opportunities that God has right in front of us. 

Or it can happen that our own pain, worry or self-consumption can be all that captures our attention.  But, as followers of Jesus, we must be purposeful to see the world and God's people as He does.  However, in order to do so, we must get our "Jesus eyes" open today.

Jesus saw people, and He had compassion on people.  Why?  Because He saw that they were lost, and they needed Him.  

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (37) He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. (38) So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."  ~Matthew 9:36-38

Let's open our "Jesus eyes" today.  If He gave us hope, direction, truth, forgiveness and love...we are now His workers-- called to go out into His fields to share all of that He offers to others.  He changed our lives--let's open our eyes to others that He may be seeking to encounter through us. 

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WHO are God's people in need of a Savior?  They are all around us and right in front of us.  Let's get our "Jesus eyes" open today, and listen to the words of our King:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. (35) For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. (36) I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’  

(37) “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? (38) Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? (39) When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  

(40) “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’  ~Matthew 25:34-40  

And a word-of-warning, and a wake-up call to those of us on Christian-cruise-control or Self-focus-life-mode...God sees the half-hearted ways that we slip into serving Him.  

We call it "busy", "focused" or many other things...but it adds up to a me-focus instead of a Kingdom-focus, and God is not fooled.  

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. (42) For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. (43) I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’  

(44) “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’   

(45) “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’...  ~Matthew 25:41-45

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Just like putting on long sleeves to pick berry patches, or sunblock to search for shark teeth, sometimes we (even) go through the preparations to serve/teach/connect with God's people (classes, training, prayer)...but unless we have our "Jesus eyes" open, we will miss the doors that He opens for us to walk through.

Today, let's concentrate.  Today, let's look to see

Lord, prepare our hearts and open them to serve You today.  May we adhere to the promptings that you give to our spirit.  Give us eyes to see the people that need You.  To You be all the glory, Father.  Amen.  

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com