Unseen and seen

DEVOTION

ROMANS

UNSEEN AND SEEN

Rom 1:14-15

14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.

NIV

What system do we as people use to determine who has more worth then another? Paul certainly is saying that is does not matter to him what nationality people are, or their state of mind, he is obligated to share the good news with them. But do we think that same way? Do we have a tendency to divide people by types? Do we put people in different categories? Do we see people based on their education or professional level of achievement? Perhaps we might value a person more because of their financial success, the size and location of their home, what kind of car they drive and he label of their clothes. We might even value someone more based on their position in the body of Christ. But what is certain, we the bulk of humankind, use some system based on the outward evidences. Do we think more highly of ourselves because we fit into one of those valued categories?

1 Sam 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

NIV

God does not, he looks at the heart of each person. It does not matter how smart or rich we are. It does not matter how fat or skinny, tall or short we are. Nor does it matter if we are young or old, good looking, or not so good looking. It does not matter what language we speak, nor the color of our skin. It does not matter what country we were born in. It also does not matter how much we do. What matters to God is the condition of our heart. What does our heart look like? What does that mean?

Prov 23:7

7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

NASU

This gives us the clue to the meaning of the condition of our heart. It is how we think? There is a connection between what is called our heart and our mind. Of course our heart is but a muscle which pumps blood, but it is our mind which is our thinking center where we devise all our plans, desires, and goals. It is our mind which decides to yield to a temptation or resist it. It is in our mind that we accept the teachings of Jesus or reject them. So God looks at our mind, he looks at the inside of us the real us, not the one we project to others. We might think that our façade gives us a great appearance and others can only see that outward façade. God examines how we truly believe in our mind, how we truly think about life, about him and about others. He sees if we have any envy or greed. He sees if we have any prejudices. He see if we have any bitterness or jealously. Yes, he looks at us through the blood of Jesus. Because we are in Christ, he has declared us holy and blameless in his sight. Yet he still sees the condition of our heart, our mind. He is in the process of renewing our mind. We are being renewed into the image of Jesus.

2 Cor 4:16-18

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 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.

NIV

 But that requires his working in our life, which in some sense is the unseen, although eventually  it should be seen in that which is seen.