2 Corinthians 4:13-18 NIV “It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 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.” For this Bible study we will focus on verse eighteen. “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.” When we look with our eyes, we can see a lot right now. On TV there are numerous channels showing us the latest bad news or people arguing about what is going on. On the internet there are numerous websites that show negative things. We can see the effects of the pandemic. We can see the violence going on in our communities. Even if we look at newspapers instead of digital sources, there is negativity in newspapers. A lot of the things we see are temporary. How much negativity are we looking at daily? How does what we look at daily affect us? How important are our eyes? Jesus said that our eyes are very important. Matthew 6:22-23 NIV “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Jesus knows we need to look at the right things. What we look at most will determine what is inside our hearts and minds. So many people look at things that hurt them. I used to look at movies, websites, TV shows, and other things that weren’t good for me. It took me years to understand these verses will help me if I apply them to my life. We have so many people dealing with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. We have people overdosing on drugs and others dying from suicide. We also have people dealing with anger and using guns in ways that are harming others and themselves. There are people dealing with loneliness and looking at pornography that is harming others and themselves. We need to remember that what we see on this earth temporary. There are things we can’t see yet that are more important than the things we see right now. Too many times we compare what we have with what someone else has. Too many times we covet what someone else has. Too many times we are disappointed with what we have, who we are with, and where we are in life. We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but it can have a positive impact on our lives. Hebrews 12:2-3 NIV “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus saw sin and the negative effects of sin firsthand. He came down here, died on the cross, and rose on the third day to provide the answer to the problem of sin. We can’t see Jesus yet, but we can see the results of what he did while he was on the earth in the past. All the negativity that is on TV, the internet, and in newspapers is a lot. It can be overwhelming at times. When we add the things we personally shouldn’t look at, to that, it seems like life is hopeless. Thank God he sent Jesus to be the answer we need. Thank God our faith is in Jesus and what he did. He provided us a way to be forgiven for all the times we sinned. He provided us a way to have hope for a better future than the present we are living through. He provided us a way to experience perfect love that drives fear out of us. Will we fix our eyes on him? Will we believe in Jesus and what he did for us? How can we be certain if we didn’t see it with our eyes? 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” Paul wrote that there were over five hundred people that saw Jesus after he rose from the dead. That’s a lot of eyewitnesses! I may not have seen him then, but I believe the ones that did and the ones that wrote about it. I will continue to place my faith in him and fix my eyes on things unseen. How do the things you look at daily affect you? What are some things you can’t see, but know are real? Is your faith affected more by what you see or what you can’t see?
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