Week Eleven, 2018
THE VIEW WITHIN
By John Grant
That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith. – Ephesians 3:17
Our refrigerator has been in our kitchen for almost twenty years. She has served us well, but with age, she is in failing health. Our eggs are freezing and the compressor grunts and growls. So, in order to avoid a total shutdown, off to the appliance store we went.
As I walked around the showroom, I saw features I would never have imagined. One refrigerator in particular caught my attention. It had a giant tablet built into the door. From it you could play music, order groceries or do anything you wanted to do on the Internet. I played a demo and it showed a camera inside that allow you to view the inside without opening the door. Not only that, but there is a phone app that allows you look see the inside of the refrigerator on your phone anywhere in the world. My, isn’t that amazing?
Then I thought of another see through application and that is Jesus. He can see into our hearts anywhere we are in the world. Nothing escapes His knowledge or attention. He knows our every move.
I the Lord
I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve. (Jeremiah 17:10).
He sees right through us. The inward parts of us, every room and corner in us; and know the thoughts of us; all our intents, purposes, designs, contrivances, and imaginations; all the secret motions of us, and the wickedness that is in us.
The heart is deceitful, but (we) cannot deceive Jesus, because He judges not according to outward appearance. He sees and knows our hearts far better than we ourselves. Only He can see right through us.
***
SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
1. He Came to Bring Identity to Your Struggles • Jesus Understands More than You Think.
2. He Came to Bring Sympathy to Your Pain • Jesus Cares More than You Know.
3. He Came to Bring Glory to Your Weakness • Jesus Can Do More than You Realize.
—Ken Whitten
***
DIRECTION:
The story is told of the great British explorer, William Edward Perry, who led an expedition to the Arctic Ocean in the early 1800’s.
They wanted to go farther north to continue their charting. So they calculated their location by the stars and then started a very difficult and treacherous march north.
They walked the whole day. And then totally exhausted, they finally stopped for the night. They took their bearings again from the stars. And they were shocked to discover that they were farther south than when they had started. They then discovered that they had been walking on an ice flow that was moving south faster than they were moving north! They were drifting in the opposite direction.
If we’re not careful we can find ourselves drifting spiritually. Walking, we think in the right direction, but actually failing to move in the direction commanded by the Lord.
—Thepreachersword.com
***
QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Being close to Jesus makes you want to be close to someone far away from Jesus. Ken Whitten
Before we can be old and wise, we have to first be young and stupid.
The past is in the past. The future has yet to unfold itself. Enjoy today. Kathy Merlino
***
Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com and Thoughts-About-God.com. You can subscribe directly to those on their respective websites.
Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018
©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618