I can remember it like it was yesterday, I was sitting in my fifth grade class at Oakwood Christian School, "Mr Gibbs I think his problem is that he can't see the board." said Mrs Brown my teacher. "Son can you see the board in class?" asked my dad, " I can see the board" I said. "But can you READ the board?" he continued. "Well.......i think i can" i said. "He needs to have an eye exam" said Mrs Brown. You can imagine the terror I had as a fifth grader worrying about a future of being called four eyes. I went to the doctor who asked me a series of questions. You know the drill..."can you see better with 1 or 2... now 1 or 2.....how about now is it clearer with 1 or 2". After a few minutes of this stuff I realized for the first time in my life, I could not see clearly. As the doctor continued to make the eye chart clearer and sharper with a series of lenses i was amazed at what i was missing. The fear of wearing glasses faded in the fact that with them i could see!!!!!
Time passed and I wanted to play sports. Now if you wear glasses you know the limitations of glasses when it pertains to the sharpness of the peripheral vision. My doctor suggested that i may want to consider contact lenses. I went in and got fitted and wow what a difference being able to see everything including the sides of your field of view. Yesterday morning i did something for the last time that i had done everyday for the last 16 yrs of my life, i put in my contact lenses. Lord willing in April I will have Lasik vision correction surgery. I now have to wear my glasses for two weeks. I can soundly declare that i have no use for not being able to see clearly out the sides of my eyes. You see glasses are good, contacts are great, but the fact still remains...... I can't see. The real solution to the problem of lack of good vision, (which is result of sin by the fall of Adam), is a complete change in the shape of my eye. My eyes aren't shaped right its that simple, any solution short of a complete reconfiguration is only a patch.
This is very much like my life. Our lesson this week is found in Exodus 20. Its about the Lord giving the ten commandments to Moses. You see mankind needed an "eye chart" with which we could see that we are blind to our sinfulness. The worst part is that most people are like me in the fifth grade. "I can see just fine" they say, "I'm a good person, I ain't never done anything real bad" They may think they keep the commandments but they are deceived. Flash forward to Jesus time and he said things that brought the problem sharply into focus with the accuracy of a laser. He said if you have even though these things it is as if you have already committed the sin. Not only was i born without being able to see well I was born dead in trespasses and sin. I tried the glasses and contacts of fake Christianity. I went to church, youth events and so on. I thought "now i can see" but i remember the day the Holy Spirit showed me that i was just patching the problem of my heart. The fact was i still couldn't see!!!!!! I was still dead, still lost. The Holy Spirit preformed something far greater than Lasik surgery for eyes. He brought life from death. He dealt with the heart of the problem which was the problem of my heart. The law is a good eye chart to see our sinfulness but when Jesus speaks it cuts deep, to root of the problem. As you study the lesson this week ask yourself, do i have on the glasses.... maybe its the contacts........or have you be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
As always if i can ever help you just let me know.
I love each one of you
I prayed for you guys today
Brian P Gibbs
