#putyourloveglasseson
Saul who became Paul was a determined persecutor of the early followers of Jesus. Job lay in the street, covered with boils. Zacchaeus was “vertically challenged.” Noah was a drunken farmer. Moses stuttered. Daniel was a captive slave. Simon was called The Leper. Abraham came from a family of idol worshipers, and was undoubtedly an idol worshiper himself. The chosen disciples were just simple fishermen & tax collectors. Joseph was a teenager who became a slave and a prisoner. Rahab was a prostitute. Gideon was nothing more than a farmer. David was just a young shepherd boy. Esther was a common jewish slave. The mother of Jesus was a young peasant girl. The son of God was born in a stable… The people and the stories go on and on and on.
So… What do you see? Who do you see?
NOW, I wonder how many people could see what incredible plans God had for these “unlikely” folks? To have been able to see where they had come from, where they would go and who they would become. These are worthy stories to spend a little time getting to know!
To putyourloveglasseson is to put on the Mind of Christ, to see as He sees. That includes things, circumstances, and most of all ourselves and others. We have to go higher in our understanding of His Love in order to carry out the fullness of His will for our lives. We must be determined to know Jesus and the depth of His love and His plans for us. We must be desperate to see ourselves the way He sees us!
This is interesting: The word Bartimeaus means “son of value.” Yet in Mark 10:48 we read that he was a blind beggar, with no value, begging for his bread. He was surrounded by a sea of hopelessness. I wonder how everyone “saw” him? But He cried out: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” What did Jesus do? He gave him back value by giving him eyes to see because after that he no longer needed to beg. “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire… salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.” (Rev 3:18). Our hearts should long to SEE! When we choose to put our love glasses on, we step into a life of revelation! Our faith becomes manifest! Bartimeaus just stepped into what God had already spoken and had always spoken about his life: “Bartimeaus, you are a son of value”. He walked right into L.I.F.E. ( Love In Full Effect ).
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Matthew 6:33
Love…”bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” -1 Corinthians 13:7
Do you know who God calls you? Do you know what has God spoken over your life? If you discover the truth of who you are, and begin to see yourself through God’s eyes, you will also begin to see others how He sees. May God give us the grace to see things through His eyes so that we may have to courage to do His will. We have to see through God’s eyes and feel through God’s heart, to appreciate the value of every soul, including yourself. (Please see my Blog “Purity Testimony” for a list of scriptures that will help you with your vision!)
It is evident throughout History that God through His unfathomable love and unlimited grace chooses people with less than perfect standards to perform heroic deeds. God called people who by human standards were not wise, strong, or influential. Intelligence, charm, strength, wealth, wit, fame, power, are the things that make us put our faith in men. He chose the unworthy, under qualified, the broken and the weakest. God chose the humblest amongst his people and ignored the claims of the proud. I believe God sometimes deliberately chooses physical losers to accomplish His work so that when the job is done, there is no way they may touch His glory, that His amazing grace would be better understood. He doesn’t look for people who fit in or stand out, but for those who have faith and will stand up. He’s not interested in our ability but desires our availability! He’s looking for the willing and He is searching for the one quality we most often fail to see. The heart. “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16: 7
He teaches us that, facial features, height, weight, skin color, who they are, who they know, what they have, or don’t have, where they are from, what they can do… is not what matters, but what really matters is their heart’s desire to know and serve Him, to obtain a heart like His. A heart that is surrendered and aware of its need for His grace. He teaches us to put our love glasses on; to see as God sees and allow it to compel us to love as He loves. A love so great it causes us to speak blessings even upon our enemies.
I believe in God’s perfect timing many will be surprised when God dethrones some and raises up some and brings to the front lines the “unlikeliest” individuals who have a heart for God. They will advance the Kingdom and usher in a mighty move of God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s heroes are arising from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances. Is it you? It’s me! We ALL have a story! May we be the ones to cry out like Bartimeaus or David and catch the wave of His Glory that we may not miss the opportunity to SEE and BE the one He’s looking for! My hand is raised & I’ve got my love glasses on!
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. – 2 Chronicles 16:9
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. – Psalm 17:8
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame* the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. - I Corinthians 1:27-29
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. – Psalm 33:18
The prophet Zechariah reminds us not to “despise the day of small things,” for they will be observed by “the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth”- Zechariah 4:10
We do well to remember always that one of the great names of God is “Thou God sees me” – Genesis 16:13
Our problems, our selfishness, our earthly vanities, our anxieties, our prejudices, our lack of trust…are all like a closed curtain on a window. Without vision we limit God in our lives, but what an awesome privilege the Lord has lavished on us to see people as He does! He is notorious for opening the eyes of the blind!
David cries…” Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.” – Psalm
13:3
You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. -Isaiah 42:7
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. -Psalm 146:8
And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” – Matthew 11:4-6
Truth is there will be situations and circumstances that will come that can only be overcome by having our love glasses on! We need God vision to see the Hope in these times. The people who seem most unlovable, can only be loved through you, by you wearing His love! We need to put our love glasses on! There are so many needs God is waiting for you to see, if you would just put your love glasses on! He needs our hearts to trust and our eyes to see, all we need is to put our love glasses on! We serve Him best by “loving” one another.
crossing the bridge.
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