This Sunday we were blessed with multiple speakers at our gathering, and in different ways they spoke of the benefits of gazing into the eyes of God (You can watch the full message here).
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Psalm 119:37 ESV
I was particularly taken by the imagery around the ‘woman caught in adultery’ from John 8:1-11 shared by Richard Tiddy.
“And then, uncertain and all alone, she looked into his eyes. At that moment there was no one else in the courtyard, or the city, or even the universe, just them. And she knew he could see everything, including her guilt. And then the second miracle. Gazing into his eyes, she could see his heart, his wisdom, his compassion, and his power to forgive. As they beheld each other he embraced her and saved her.”
Richard Tiddy
Isn’t that a beautiful way to share what an intimate relationship with Jesus looks like?
Looking into the eyes of Christ is simple, but I’m not convinced it’s easy. It means recognising your worries, sins, and where you are out of alignment with God, and exposing those things to him. It means humbling yourself, exposing yourself, and even when we know who God is, it can be difficult to allow yourself to be opened up to the kind of scrutiny that full exposure allows.
If, and when, we can come to Christ and allow him access to every part of us, maybe we can also then echo the sentiment of Psalm 119:37, turn away from the things that don’t matter and live a life that follows his plan for our lives. Imagine what life will look like then.
Karla