09.25.04

burning bushes

What kind of vision do you have?

As a kid, I remember that I could hardly wait until I needed glasses!
My dad wore them and my sisters wore them and I wanted some, too!

Well, I got my glasses. . . then in high school I moved on to contact lenses. . . then 4 years ago I had Lasix surgery . . .

Many of us need some type of corrective lenses in order to see clearly. Our eyesight tends to deteriorate with age. My husband John, just got his first pair of glasses!

Our eyes lead and guide us in the direction we are to walk.

In the same way, God has given us "spiritual eyes" to help guide us in the realm of the Spirit.

Paul spoke of this . . .

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.

Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

The Holy Spirit enables the "eyes of our heart" to see clearly in order that we may know God's perfect plan for our lives and the "incomparably great power" of God.

This was God's intention for us when He created mankind.

how is your vision?

James 4:8

Hebrews 11:1

Ephesians 1:18

2 Corinthians 4:18

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes -
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Everyday you walk past bushes afire with God,

Everyday God has a parable He wants to share with you.

Everyday God wants you to see His face.

pipecleaners?
or bushes on fire?

Put on spiritual glasses.

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him"
but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things,
even the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 2: 9-10 NIV

Let the Holy Spirit open
the eyes of your heart.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal...
we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 4:18 & 5:7 NIV

We must open the eyes of our heart to the Spirit of God
and follow His leading.
God has a perfect destiny for us
and we can only see it through the
eyes of our spirit,
focused intensely through the Holy Spirit.

We need to "fix", or continually focus,
the eyes of our heart on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
It is then that we are able to live by faith
and not by what we see in the natural.

grab bags of parables

See the Gospel burning
in everyday items,
everyday bushes.

the gospel from the zebra

the gospel from the tea bag

the gospel from the empty boot

the gospel from the wash cloth

Share the message.

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Matthew 13:16-17

The earth is crammed with heaven . . .

Look around you--

what do you "see"?

God has a message for you.

He is here right now.

"Take off your sandals,
for the place where you are standing
is holy ground."

Exodus 3:5

update:

starting to come together!!

check out previous red worships--archive

Resource List for 09.25.04

The Holy Bible (Message, NAS, NCV, NIV, NLT)
online