TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. (Proverbs 4:25 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I despise our vacuum cleaner. Not the actual act of vacuuming… But the vacuum cleaner itself — it’s horrible. It’s awkward and cumbersome. Plus, there’s too many attachments and we can’t figure out where they go. So out of frustration, Wayne and I agreed to buy a new vacuum.
I decided to shop for one on Costco’s website and found one that was on sale and had fabulous reviews. It arrived on Tuesday. Since Wayne got home before I did, he brought in the Costco order and called me.
“Denise, I have good news and bad news.”
I braced myself.
“The good news,” he continued, “is that the new vacuum came in. The bad news is… you ordered the exact same vacuum we’re trying to replace.”
Good grief. Insert a major facepalm here.
Sometimes we don’t pay attention. We miss the obvious and by doing so — we miss opportunities such as:
- The chance to show kindness.
- The chance to be generous.
- The chance to recognize another’s need and fill it.
- The chance to rejoice in simple things.
- The chance to share the Gospel (Yikes! An opportunity we should never want to miss!)
We also miss blessings from God because we aren’t paying attention.
God gave us observational skills. The Bible even says nature itself is designed to show us God’s glory so we can observe His attributes (Romans 1:19-20). He wants us to use our hearts and eyes to see all He’s done for us, but too often, we glaze right over it all, failing to take notice.
He also gave us observational skills to protect us. Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He wrote this warning to be observant of danger from personal experience—after all, it once took three crows of the rooster to get his attention.
God’s goodness is worthy of our attention. But the world is out to distract us. Our only hope to stay observant to God’s work is to stay in step with Him.
Proverbs 4:25 admonishes us. “Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.” Be focused. Seeking God. Seeking what is right and good without being derailed by the world.
As one who has a raging case of Shiny Object Syndrome — I know how important this wisdom is. Let’s pair this Proverb with Psalm 119:37, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.”
What if went about our days this way? What if we’re purposeful in our observations? What if we looked at the ways the earth shows the fingerprints of God and took note of every blessing He has given us? What if we used the gift of observation to show others the hands and feet of Jesus? What if we guarded our hearts against the things that want to distract us and instead, keep our focus on Jesus?
How would those choices impact you?
It’s a tall order. We’re not perfect. We can’t do this on our own, but we aren’t expected to… We aren’t made to do this alone. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We walk in them when we abide in Christ. That’s precisely why Jesus called Himself the Vine and us the branches (John 15:5). Branches don’t flourish when they get distracted and wander away from the vine. The wise branch knows its survival is based on clinging to the Vine.
We have to be holding tight to Jesus in order to stay focused and be observant of God’s blessings. He gave us a gift of observation and wants us to pay attention. And sometimes, He will even use the accidental purchase of an unwanted vacuum cleaner to remind us…
Today, as you pray, thank Him for the gift of observation. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be aware and ever mindful of His might and power and goodness. Ask Him to help You see and know His direction. And most of all, pray for the ability and the wisdom to cling tight to Jesus in all things, knowing that when you do — you will be better equipped to be kind, be generous, and ready at all times to share the good news of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15).
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
