THE MOVIE FROM HELL!
Merry Monday by Parris Bailey-
I think all of us were shocked and grieved to hear about the shootings in Colorado at a movie theater this past week. I listened to the many accounts of the victims that were in that theater. The latest interview was of some Baton Rouge girls that “just happened” to be doing a cross country road trip and of all places decided to catch a movie in Colorado. She tells the story about how she was hiding under the seat when she felt what seemed like a 2 by 4 hit her leg. She had been shot, and while lying in the hospital she begin to praise God and express her thankfulness that she was alive to tell her story for His Glory. Wow! The scripture in Hebrews 11:26 come to mind concerning her story: “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.” This word respect in Greek means aphoran which means to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on some one thing; to look at attentively; to look with steadfast mental gaze.The word also means “to turn one’s mind to a certain thing.” She had seen “the invisible”, she turned her gaze from the horror and fixed her eyes on Jesus who became the author (aphor) and finisher of her faith. Would you have been able to do this?
Tozer in his book the “Pursuit of God” says; “When the habit of inwardly gazing Godward becomes fixed within us we shall be ushered onto a new level of spiritual life more in keeping with the promises of God and the mood of the New Testament. The Triune God will be our dwelling place even while our feet walk the low road of simple duty here among men. We will have found life’s summum bonum (higher good) indeed.”
“Outer court worshippers little know what belongs to the inner sanctuary, or surely they would press on until the place of nearness and divine familiarity became real to them.
“He wishes us to know him, and by his Word and by his Spirit he puts himself before us. Ah! it is not his fault if we do not know him. It is our own carelessness.” (Mary B. M. Duncan, in “Under the Shadow”)
We all should by now realize that we live in a time that the unspeakable can happen. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus with a steadfast gaze. He will bring us to the desired haven in due time all for His glory and His good. I don’t want to live in the outer courts were I will be tossed about with every emotion and circumstance. Most of us need to use our God given eyes to lay hold on His eyes and let Him move us into a place that we will never see this earth again. Even so come Lord Jesus!