July 29 – Spiritual Sight Discerns Spiritual Things

Hope for Today: A Daily Devotion from Reasons for Hope*Jesus

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“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” Psalm 119:18

“Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Psalm 13:3

“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” Psalm 36:9

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46

“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.” Psalm 146:8

Many imagine that their eyes are opened and that they have clear notions of religion — but they see just like Eve after eating the forbidden fruit. Their hearts, being corrupted, are destitute of Christian simplicity and godly sincerity. For he that does not understand the word of God by the light of the Holy Spirit, through faith and prayer — but only through his natural reason, is certainly blind still (Revelation 3:17), and one plausible temptation to error and sin is enough to break the strongest chain of human reasoning. It is only faith that one gets the victory (1 John 5:4). The Spirit that inspired holy men to write the word must teach us to understand the word, or we shall never enter into its meaning, feel its power, or illustrate its truths. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” We must have spiritual sight to discern spiritual objects.

Devotion by Karl Heinrich von Bogatzky (1690—1774)