Thoughts from the Well
God is good. All the time!
I have recently come out of one of
the most difficult times I have experienced in my life. I had a growth one my right
eyes cornea called a "keratonous" that caused a distortion in my viewing
area. It gave me double vision that the Doctor said was in correctable. They fitted me
with a contact for that eye only but it caused its own problems. Because of the
growth it distorted my peripheral vision and made driving that much worse. All that was
left for me was to learn to make due with the eye as it was knowing that one day I would
probably need to have a cornea transplant.
How often we take some things for
granted! Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23, "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!" I now understand the metaphor that Jesus used in a whole new way. I was
full of darkness. I couldnt read much at all. The distortion was too great.
We all have a choice in this life.
We can choose life or death. Second Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping
his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Those who are living apart from Christ
are in total darkness.
Yet, God gives the world enough
light and knowledge of His existence that no one will be able to say to Him on the day of
judgment that they didnt know what the right thing to do was. The Apostle Paul said
in Romans 1:16-22 that, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith
from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness
of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world
God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although
they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their
thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be
wise, they became fools".
God has given the world enough
evidence of His existence to be convicted of His righteousness. But God doesnt want
any to be lost! They choose that for themselves.
God is patient with us and wants all
to come to Him for life. God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to die in our
place. Jesus, knowing His time was short promised to give us the Holy Spirit to help us
make the right decision about who He really was and show us that we can have a new life in
Him. John 15:26 says, "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the
Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."
When we trust in what Jesus did for
us we can have the assurance of eternal life. First John 5:11-13 says, "And this is
the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the
Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have
eternal life."
After nearly three months of living
in darkness with my eye being distorted, God decided to heal me. I woke up one day and the
"keratonous" was gone. I waited for a week and then went to see my eye Doctor to
tell him what had happened. He immediately took me into his room and examined my eye. He
was shocked. He kept saying that it was like looking at a new eye. I wasnt
complaining either! I was in darkness but now I can see again. You can choose right now to
accept Jesus as the leader and forgiver of your life. Or, you can choose to remain in
darkness and be lost for eternity. The ball is in your court. Choose Jesus and live!
In Him,
Bill Fritz
August 31, 2001
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Thoughts from the Well