Gospel With JD GreearSample

Gospel Discovery

What we eat, wear, drive, read, and buy is almost always governed by how pleasing it is to our senses. If an eight-ounce filet mignon looks hot off the grill and smells of melted blue cheese crumbled on top, I’ll eat the entire thing with a big grin. If, however, that same cut of meat is rotten and maggot-infested, I’m repulsed! What I see determines my desires. My desires then dictate my decisions. 

In the same way, my spiritual senses, namely spiritual sight, inform my beliefs. The apostle Paul called this spiritual sight the eyes of the heart (see Eph. 1:18). What I sense to be most valuable, most beautiful, and most desirable is what I’ll order my life to obtain and retain. Paul’s prayer, which must become our prayer, is that we begin to see the riches and beauty of God, found most prominently in the gospel. Gospel change is being overwhelmed by the glory of God to the extent that it brings into captivity all your other passions.

In Exodus 19 the Israelites were overwhelmed by the magnitude of God’s size, holiness, and grace. What they saw changed them forever. In Christianity, change begins with sight. The gospel message isn’t confined to just a few verses tucked away in the first four books of the New Testament. It’s the rushing river of God’s salvation story that runs straight through the heart of the entire Bible. From beginning to end, the love of God for His children is intended to motivate us to obey Him. Realigning our hearts will realign our lives.