The Seeing That Makes A Difference
A call to turn aside and look intentionally
Dear #DailyFollower,
Introduction
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my four-year journey of actively following Jesus is the power of intentionality.
Learning to be deliberate and purposive in my commitment to follow Jesus has significantly impacted my growth as a daily follower and positively impacted other aspects of my life.
My journey to being deliberate and purposive started with choosing to turn aside and look intentionally - to see.
I didn’t necessarily know how much of a difference my choice would make.
At the beginning of my journey, I only knew, “There has to be more.”
There has to be more for me in God, more possibilities than the ones that already exist in my life.
This thought planted the seed that informed my choice to see.
While I didn’t know the extent of the difference my choice to see would make, I saw examples in the Scriptures of what my life could be.
I’ll share two examples to encourage someone to see and start a journey to the manifestation of significant difference.
Example #1: The Moses Story
Exodus 3:2-4, EXB
2 There the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not ·burning up [consumed]. 3 So Moses said, “I will ·go closer to [turn aside to see] this ·strange [or marvellous; great] thing. ·How can a bush continue burning without burning up [Why does not the bush burn]?” 4 When the Lord saw Moses was ·coming [turning aside] to look at it, God called to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
Moses said, “I will turn aside to see.“ - that’s intentionality!
This story was fundamental in my journey to active daily following. Moses chose to turn aside to see. So, I did too.
Two things we see happen based on Moses’ choice to turn aside to see:
God saw; he will see you, too, as you choose to see Him.
God called; he will call you once He sees you tune into His frequency.
Moses’ life trajectory drastically changed from that day. The Scriptures extensively describe his journey, and his life is one to desire.
Like Moses, I want God to be able to count on me as a partner that He can use to establish His counsel in my generation.
That’s why I chose to turn aside to see (in God’s Word) and be more intentional about doing so every other day after the first day of 2020.
Example #2: The Zacchaeus Story
Luke 19:1-5, EXB
1 Jesus [entered and] was going through the city of Jericho. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus, who was a ·very important [chief; leading] tax collector [with oversight over other tax collectors, and so even more hated; see 18:10], and he was wealthy. 3 He ·wanted [was trying] to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because he was too short to see above the crowd. 4 He ran ahead to a place where Jesus ·would come [was about to pass], and he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him. 5 When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus hurry and come down! [For; Because] I must stay at your house today.”
Scriptures said of Zacchaeus, “He wanted to see.“ - that’s intentionality again!
It resembles the Old Testament account of Moses’ encounter with God. Here in the New Testament, another man with the potential to ignore the heart’s yearning for the more that exists in God for all of us.
Zacchaeus made a conscious effort to see Jesus. He ran ahead and climbed a tree to gain a vantage point to see Jesus.
Moses and Zacchaeus couldn’t have anticipated what happened to them based on their choices. But now, we know what could happen if we make the same choice, thanks to the authors of the books in the Bible!
Two things also happened in Zacchaeus’ Story based on his choice:
God (Jesus) saw [him]; he will see you, too, as you choose to see Him.
God (Jesus) called [him]; he will also call you once He sees you tune into His frequency.
While we know little about Zacchaeus’ post-encounter story, the much we know tells us that his encounter with Jesus marked the beginning of a new life for him.
Conclusion
All both men did was choose to see!
A woman in the Scriptures also comes to mind who chose to see. While in her account, the term “to see“ wasn’t used as with Moses and Zacchaeus, I believe that Rahab, in her plea for her preservation (and that of her family) from the coming destruction of Jericho, chose to see the God (whose many wonders her and the other citizens of Jericho have heard about) as “the LORD God who rules the heavens above and the earth below!” (Joshua 2:8-14, EXB)
Although she didn’t encounter God directly like Moses and Zacchaeus, God saw her and called her; she eventually became one of the women through whom Christ would come into our world.
Our choice to turn aside and see and take a deeper look into following Jesus would always yield lasting results that make a significant difference in our lives.
Dear #DailyFollower, choose to engage the seeing that makes a difference.
Yours faithfully,
John, a #DailyFollower.
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