"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
In Focus
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Fast Focus
“I have a
point of view. You have a point of view. God has view.”
—Madeleine L’Engle, A
Wrinkle in Time
Another fascinating fact of
the eye is its ability to fast focus from very distant objects to very close
objects almost seamlessly and instantly. Accommodation is what allows the eye
to accomplish this in less than 350 milliseconds. When looking at distant
objects, the crystalline lens of the eye, which sits behind the pupil (the
iris) is considered to be at rest and in focus. However, when we look at close
objects, more magnification power is needed to put them into focus and the
crystalline lens responds by changing its shape by means of ligaments attached
to a muscle, which increase its curvature and ability to focus at near. As we
get older, our accommodation ability decreases (presbyopia) and we begin to
need eyeglass lenses to help us focus at these close distances.
Despite our amazing ability
to fast focus at so many differing distances, we all have a singular
perspective and point of view. So too, it is, with our experiences and journey
through this life. We all have our unique perspectives and points of view. With
God, however, His view is all-encompassing and complete, seeing everything
throughout eternity—past, present, and future—perfectly from every angle and
perspective. Nothing escapes His watchful eye and He already knows the end from
the very beginning.
Take heart in knowing that
He is always watching over you and is just waiting eagerly to pour out
bountiful blessings upon you. Here is a comforting psalm, Psalm 121, a psalm of
God’s watchful eye and protection covering you:
“I lift up my eyes to the
mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker
of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you
will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor
sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the
sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you
from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your
coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm
121:1–8 NIV
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
In the Blink of an Eye
Sunday, February 18, 2018
In the Twinkling of an Eye
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We
will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For
the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with
immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 NIV
“In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye.”
The twinkling of an eye is simply an antiquated way of saying a blink or a
wink. And fast it is, indeed. The orbicularis muscle surrounding the external
eye is responsible for closing the eyelids and the levator muscle of the upper
eyelid is responsible for elevating or opening the upper eyelid. Those two
muscles (and a few others) working synergistically together are some of the
fastest twitch muscles of the human body. In fact, the typical blink lasts only
100–300 milliseconds. That means you could potentially blink almost four times
in a second, and that brings a whole new meaning to “batting your eyes”!
We blink primarily to
resurface the tear film on the eye, which is critical for not only clarity of
vision but also for the health of the ocular surface. On average, we blink
about 17 times per minute (once every 3.5 seconds), but that drops to about
half that when we are reading or concentrating on a computer screen. That’s why
our eyes can get so dry during those particular activities. Blinking is also
obviously a protective mechanism. (That’s why your eyes always close when you
sneeze!)
When Christ comes to take
home all believers at the Rapture, it happens in midair in the blink of an eye.
When Christ comes, He brings with Him the souls and spirits of all believers
who have died and were in heaven with Him. In midair, the dead bodies of all
those believers are instantly resurrected and reunited with their souls and
spirits in a new glorified perfect body to live out the days of eternity. Next,
those believers who are alive at the time of the Rapture will immediately be
caught up in the air with Christ and also be transformed into glorified bodies.
Yes! Some of us will never taste death! Then we are all ushered back home to
heaven till we come back down to earth with Christ at His Glorious Appearing!
Now that’s a blink I can’t
wait for! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Fix Your Eyes on Jesus
He is the pioneer and perfecter of your faith. He endured the scourge of the Cross just for you. Come to the Cross and lay your burdens down! I'm praying for you!
#hebrews12:2 #fixyoureyesonjesus #crossofjesus
#hebrews12:2 #fixyoureyesonjesus #crossofjesus
"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2-3
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Trusting in the Unseen
The smallest packet of light
energy is called the photon. The rod photoreceptors of the eye are so sensitive
they can detect just one photon of light. Under optimal conditions at night,
the human eye can see a flickering candle almost fourteen miles away! Birds of
prey, such as the eagle and hawk, have 3-4 times better daytime acuity than we
do—able to see rabbits and rodents at two miles away. And the kings of
nighttime vision are, of course, owls and cats.
As incredible as our vision
is, our sight still has limits and we can never see what tomorrow will bring. That’s
what faith, hope, and trust are for, and God tells us in Psalm 32:8 (NIV), “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should
go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” If we keep our
senses and eyes focused on Christ and on the spiritual things of God above, He
promises to be attentive to our prayers, and bask us in His unfailing love; “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on
those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”
(Psalm 33:18 NIV) and “The eyes of the
LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;”
(Psalm 34:15 NIV).
Therefore, beloved child of
God, we live in a world that is temporary and full of illusions, and as
wonderful as our visual system is, it can be deceived like a mirage, so focus
on the spiritual in your mind’s eye, just as we are admonished:
“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.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
NIV
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The Apple of Your Eye
You are the apple of God's eye; His most beloved and cherished child. May God be the apple of your eye too! I'm praying for you!
Deuteronomy 32:10
Psalm 17:8
Proverbs 7:2
Lamentations 2:18
Zechariah 2:8
Sunday, February 4, 2018
The Apple of His Eye
Vision is an amazing miracle
from the hands of God. The eye is second only to the brain in complexity and
almost half of the brain, the visual cortex, the entire posterior portion of
the brain, is dedicated to our visual perceptions and understandings. Each eye
contains over 120 million rods dedicated to our peripheral and night vision and
7 million central cones (red, green, and blue receptors) dedicated to the full
spectrum of our color and central detailed vision. Incredibly, our visual
system can perceive almost 10 million different color shades and 500 different
shades of gray. The eye is ever instantly prepared to receive a light signal,
initiating a chemical change in the receptor’s photopigments, creating an
electrical signal, which flows down certain of the over 100 million optic nerve
fibers, ultimately and almost instantly being analyzed into a visual image by
the visual cortex of the brain. The process is continual and ongoing until our
eyes are closed.
You, beloved child of God,
are created in His image with His loving eyes always upon you, just as David
wrote in Psalm 17:8 (NIV), “Keep me as the apple
of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” Be strong and
take courage for He is ever with you and will always see you through. “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right
hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NIV).
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