Advice #3

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ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU

Ralph Sorter

   Have you ever gazed into the setting sun?  When it’s low on the horizon, the atmosphere dims its brightness, making it tolerable to look at.  There’s still a danger. When staring at the large sun, everything in the background fades.  Then when you look elsewhere, there’s a blind spot for a moment.  You have to blink a few times to adjust from the brightness where everything else in the background cannot be seen.

   I see a spiritual parallel.  If my eyes stay focused on Jesus, the Light of the world, everything worldly, its temptations, worries, fears and hurts are pale compared to His brightness.  If we are focused on Him, everything in the background is out focus, and that’s the perspective I want to have in this world.

   That means to have a pure heart, I need to have a single-minded vision of Jesus.  This reminds me of a song and a passage of Scripture.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and grace.

 

“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it.  Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is.  See things from His perspective.” (Col. 3:1-2 The Message)

   I don’t know about you, but when I’m wise to Satan’s deceptions, I am more alert to avoid his temptations.  Not all of his temptations are big, huge stare-you-in-the-face things.  It’s compromise in those little areas that lead to bad moral decisions later.  It’s applying strength and courage in the small things that make the big decisions easy.

   So take a lesson from the SON – what you stare at will determine what fades into the background!

A Message from HOPE’S

Marriage and Family Ministry

ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU

Ralph Sorter

   Have you ever gazed into the setting sun?  When it’s low on the horizon, the atmosphere dims its brightness, making it tolerable to look at.  There’s still a danger. When staring at the large sun, everything in the background fades.  Then when you look elsewhere, there’s a blind spot for a moment.  You have to blink a few times to adjust from the brightness where everything else in the background cannot be seen.

   I see a spiritual parallel.  If my eyes stay focused on Jesus, the Light of the world, everything worldly, its temptations, worries, fears and hurts are pale compared to His brightness.  If we are focused on Him, everything in the background is out focus, and that’s the perspective I want to have in this world.

   That means to have a pure heart, I need to have a single-minded vision of Jesus.  This reminds me of a song and a passage of Scripture.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and grace.

 

“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it.  Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is.  See things from His perspective.” (Col. 3:1-2  The Message)

   I don’t know about you, but when I’m wise to Satan’s deceptions, I am more alert to avoid his temptations.  Not all of his temptations are big, huge stare-you-in-the-face things.  It’s compromise in those little areas that lead to bad moral decisions later.  It’s applying strength and courage in the small things that make the big decisions easy.

   So take a lesson from the SON – what you stare at will determine what fades into the background!

A Message from HOPE’S

Marriage and Family Ministry

ADVICE DAD NEVER GAVE YOU

Ralph Sorter

   Have you ever gazed into the setting sun?  When it’s low on the horizon, the atmosphere dims its brightness, making it tolerable to look at.  There’s still a danger. When staring at the large sun, everything in the background fades.  Then when you look elsewhere, there’s a blind spot for a moment.  You have to blink a few times to adjust from the brightness where everything else in the background cannot be seen.

   I see a spiritual parallel.  If my eyes stay focused on Jesus, the Light of the world, everything worldly, its temptations, worries, fears and hurts are pale compared to His brightness.  If we are focused on Him, everything in the background is out focus, and that’s the perspective I want to have in this world.

   That means to have a pure heart, I need to have a single-minded vision of Jesus.  This reminds me of a song and a passage of Scripture.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and grace.

 

“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it.  Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is.  See things from His perspective.” (Col. 3:1-2  The Message)

   I don’t know about you, but when I’m wise to Satan’s deciptions, I am more alert to avoid his temptations.  Not all of his temptations are big, huge stare-you-in-the-face things.  It’s compromise in those little areas that lead to bad moral decisions later.  It’s applying strength and courage in the small things that make the big decisions easy.

   So take a lesson from the SON – what you stare at will determine what fades into the background!

A Message from HOPE’S

Marriage and Family Ministry

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