A Vision For the Future | Thursday | 9/24

Train Your Eyes

Philippians 1:9–11.

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.

Paul's prayer for the Philippians' future is fascinating.

He doesn't pray that they'll have a perfect plan.

He prays that their love will grow “with knowledge and all kinds of insight” so that they can “decide what really matters.”

Paul wants them to develop discernment.

He wants them to learn what to look for.

That's part of why Christians pray, worship, read Scripture, receive communion, gather around tables, and serve our neighbors. These practices don't make Jesus appear.

Jesus is already present.

They train us to notice Him.

It's like crouching in the grass looking for crickets. At first you see nothing. Then your eyes begin adjusting. You notice the movement of a blade of grass. You catch a little flash underneath a leaf. Eventually you wonder how you didn't see them before.

The more we encounter Jesus, the more our eyes become trained to recognize the signs of His grace.

Reflect: 

What practice helps you slow down enough to recognize God's presence?

Pray: 

Jesus, train my eyes. Through prayer, Scripture, worship, community, and service, teach me to recognize what really matters and notice where you are already at work. Amen.