Wise Eyes

Two young boys, brothers, walked up to the banks of a river while on a camping trip. Surveying the wide river they both imagined themselves playing in the water. Just as the younger brother kicked off his shoes and started for the water, the older warned, “You’d better not go in; remember what dad said.”

Hesitating, the younger brother replied: “It looks pretty good to me. I don’t see a problem.”

With another reminder from the older brother, they stopped and spent their time skipping rocks on the water.

What stopped them from going in?

They were the ones at the river. They had firsthand knowledge. They could see no dangers. Yet, they hesitated. They stopped. They listened to the voice of their father echoing in their ears.

We are often like the young boys. We might approach life like a wide inviting river. We want to kick off our shoes and wade in without a care in the world. Our eyes are open. We see no dangers.

We stand at the side of life's river. We can see that everything is safe. But our heavenly Father has warned us.

The boys could not see the dangers their father knew to exist. The same is true of us. We often cannot see the dangers that our heavenly Father knows to exist.

Fear stopped the boys, fear of their father. There was an element of scared fear, but they were not simply afraid. They knew their father and held him in high esteem. There was trust and respect and an understanding of potential consequences for disobedience. Fear. Respect. Honor.

Reverence and awe are not merely worship words. They are descriptive of our view of God every day and in all circumstances. Reverence and awe for God and His word will direct our feet to safety and steer us away from evil.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

--Proverbs 3:7

Do you have wise eyes?

Mark Stinnett

February 23, 2025

Where Are You Living?

Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
--Ecclesiastes 7:10

Looking Back
This verse is about looking back. When life’s trials loom before us (job loss, family issues, lengthy illness, death, etc.), it is easy to drift in to the past. Missed opportunities can also weigh heavily. “Yesteryear” was easier. Life was simpler then.

Who do you know that often relives the ‘glory days’ of high school or college? Every conversation soon turns to that ‘great’ event of the past or the way it was.

“Those were the good ol’ days.”


This kind of thinking, Solomon said, does NOT come from wisdom.

Looking Forward
The other side of now is also addressed in Scripture. James wrote about those who make future business plans without taking into consideration the brevity of life. As an alternative to boasting about one’s future:

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” 

--James 4:15

The emphasis is not as much about the planning as it is the uncertainty of life. You do not know if you will live until tomorrow. Tomorrow is in the Lord’s hands. So, boasting about tomorrow’s plans is futile. Some people live in tomorrow pouring their thoughts and efforts into uncertain outcomes to the extent that they forget to live today.

Ah! Vacations!
You may remember vacations that would qualify as “the good ol’ days.” Each day’s agenda: play, play, eat, play. There were no responsibilities.

Ah! The early years!
What about the first few years of marriage? New wife, new job, bright future, great vegetable garden, new baby, good friends. What was so good about the early years of marriage? We remember the good but hardships and mistakes are often remembered with laughter.

Ah! The prospects of tomorrow!
Planning for the future can be quite fun, but speculative. Why? It has its feet firmly planted in...“if.”

Ugh! Today!
Many people are weary of the reality of today before it even beings. Today is filled with responsibilities and obstacles of many kinds. That’s no fun.

Wisdom From Above
Solomon teaches us that it is unwise to live in the past, while James reminds us of the uncertainty of tomorrow, that it is also unwise to live in the future. We are not taught to shut our eyes to the past or to the future. We should learn from the past. Whatever our future on earth holds, we can look forward in hope to our eternal home. Yet it is important to live now.

Look back! Laugh. Evaluate. Enjoy memories. Just don’t live there.
Look forward! Dream. Make plans. But don’t live there either.

The past is gone. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Today is reality. Today is your residence. Today is where your friends and family exist. Today is life. Meet the challenges and responsibilities of each day head on.

For a New Testament perspective on past, present and future, read Romans 5:1-5. Then, persevere through the hardships and consider how God is refining you into someone better.

Today, where are you living?

Mark Stinnett

February 16, 2025

Awesome!

Years ago some college friends and I took a trip out west. I had grown up where the tallest mountains were the nearby Ozarks of northeast Arkansas. (My friends had grown up with similar 'mountain' experiences.)

We were all anxious to see real mountains. While the Ozarks possessed their own charm, they could not compare to the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. From many miles away we saw the distant Rockies on the horizon as the seemed to grow larger and larger.

Still miles away we became more and more aware that the Rockies were far more beautiful, far more majestic, and far more breath-taking than anything any of us had seen before. We leaned forward in the car and looked from side to side to try and take it all in.

Peppered in among long periods of silence were brief expressions: “Awesome.” “Incredible.” “Amazing.” We were still far away.

At some point there was only silence in the car. Our language failed to provide adjectives suitable to describe what our eyes beheld. We were overwhelmed. We could only gaze.
____________

I think that most people in the world are rather unimpressed with God. I wonder if many people, even some Christians, just look at God somewhat at a distance. I wonder if we are just too busy to look at God. Many are busy working out doctrinal questions. Some are busy serving others or planning and doing church work. Some are just busy. Much of our ‘busy-ness’ is important. However, do you ever stop...and just gaze at God?
____________

My friends and I reasoned and agreed that it is impossible to fully capture the majesty of the Rocky Mountains through a camera lens. There are many stunning photographic representations of the Rockies. Yet, none capture the essence of beauty seen by the human eye.
____________

I think many people look at God through a lens of doctrine or a lens of service or a lens of kindness or a lens of judgment or perhaps some other lens. Their view may be true, but limited. Sometimes it is worthwhile to stop…
     ...and without a lens
     ...and not trying to figure something out
     ...just gaze toward God.


   You can see God in His creation.

        You can see God in the Law of Moses.

             You can see God in his anger.

                  You can see God in his mercy.

             You can see God in the prophets.

        You can see God in Christ.

   You can see God in His church.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

“Then the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground...
...and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”
—Genesis 1:1; 2:7

Stop and gaze…
     What do you see?


Mark Stinnett

February 9, 2025

The Backdrop

Science is wonderful. Science has helped us understand the laws of nature, the elements, our solar system, and the known universe.

Through the pursuit of scientific discovery we have enjoyed many benefits through inventions and processes that have helped us grow food more efficiently, mechanize repetitive tasks, enjoy better health; explore farther into space, deeper into the oceans, and into infinitesimally small particles of matter.

Our lives are easier than the lives of our parents and grandparents. We have harnessed the power of water and electricity and the atom, although we have not explained all their mysteries. We continue to advance new discoveries, amassing libraries of knowledge in every aspect of our existence, all because of science. Yet, even with such advancement and tremendous progress, we are still mesmerized by science and scientists.

We are beholden to the latest scientific report that has advanced a medical treatment, probed the human mind, explained a societal trend, or explained a mystery from our past. We are still learning and we accept these reports as factual information. Science.

Science is not at fault for our idolatry; we are. Only a few centuries ago mankind moved from thinking dominated by superstition. We moved into a rational way of thinking about our world and have been conditioned to accept the results of scientific inquiry for quite some time. After all, science does not allow an individual’s personality, whims, preferences, or mood swings to influence it. Science boasts the removal of emotion, subjective impressions, and anything bordering on fantasy. Science is neutral. Science is honest. Science is true.

Scientific discovery is based on the scientific method that demands the unbiased observation and analysis of measurable things. For many years our society has worshipped this presumed objectivity to the point of believing almost every declaration made by modern science.

In this way, for generations, science has been the backdrop against which man understands himself and his universe.

However, since science is not equipped with instruments with which it can observe, measure, and analyze beyond the material universe, a tension exists between science and religion. Many, perhaps, most scientists have concluded that God is a myth conjured up by ancient man to explain things not understood. Spirituality, some say, is little more than a psychological phenomenon to explain or pacify one’s anxiety.

Science is wonderful, and yet, it leaves an emptiness within every person. Science cannot answer basic questions about reality found in the heart of man, questions such as...

• Who am I?
• Why am I here?
• How/where can I find meaning?
• What is good? Is evil really evil?
• Does anything exist after death?

In truth, it is God who stands as the backdrop against which man finds understanding of himself, the universe, and his place in the universe. It is not man who explains God, but God who gives meaning and understanding to man. It was not man who created God, but God who created man And revealed himself to man….

In the beginning . . . God!

Mark Stinnett

February 2, 2025