At the writing of this blog, we are in our forty-sixth year of marriage; and there is no doubt in my mind that nothing can teach a person more about themself than marriage. We get to see ourselves through the eyes of another person, for both good and bad. Furthermore, we learn how we can inspire our spouse for the better or damage them for worse. By nature, I am content to spend much of my time in my studies alone. Then there is my wife, who makes Oprah Winfrey look like a complete introvert. My wife has a divine purpose; more than one, because of her, I learned how to care for others. No other person comes close to inspiring me to place the needs of others before my own than my wife. We have grown close over the years and become one in our desire to turn our home into an open door of hospitality to all who may need a hand. Whether its a meal, a movie with meaning, a place to stay, or the Gospel, our home is theirs.
THE GOAL
It is good to look over your life and realize that God is at work in your heart. It is even better to acknowledge the ultimate source of all good and lasting change. In the flesh that's prone to sin, it is difficult to live by saving faith. Apart from keeping our eye on the One that made and sustains all things, it is impossible. We must see Jesus! It is necessary to fix our eyes on a single point if we are to stay on track. Ever wonder how farmers get their crops so straight. They set their sights on a single spot and then never waver from heading straight for it. Therefore, the admonition, "...let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:1, 2) How do we know when our eyes fixate on Jesus? Of course, impediments and sins fall off, and we run the race well. We know we are fixating on Jesus when we see Jesus, and we see only Jesus. We can see this type of fixation in Paul if we think about it. "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:1) Know nothing? He didn't become an idiot. He became fixated with Jesus Christ and His death. My wife and I carve out a fruitful life, to some extent, wherever we go. However, it's not about us, its about Jesus. God is glorified when His people mirror Jesus, but there is only one Christ. The writer to the Hebrews said it this way, "...and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24) Undoubtedly, Abel's sacrifice was well-pleasing to God, but not like His Son. We need to keep these things straight in our minds, even after we realize that God is doing something through us. Especially when God is using us in the lives of others. Pray for your leaders!
THE GOAL IS THAT JESUS CHRIST GETS THE GLORY.
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