Friends:  The ‘reason’ that people cannot see or know the beauty and glory of God ‘is because’ they are unable to do so.  It is not that they are unwilling…no.   It is that they are unwilling because they are unable.  Today, please pray for 2 people who are in your circle of relationships who are unable to see our glorious God.  Pray that God will remove the veil that the dark side has placed over their spiritual eyes ‘so that’ they can come to know and see Him who is our God and King.   

2 Corinthians 4:1-4  Spiritual blindness

Today’s devotional is from pastor David Niednagel.  David uses the S.O.A.P. method in his daily devotional time (study, observe, apply, pray).

4:1 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. ² We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. 3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. ⁴Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.NLT

Paul’s message of the New Covenant was “veiled” to some. They didn’t understand it and rejected it, but Paul did not change it to get more people to accept it, because he knew there was nothing better! This New Covenant where God met all the requirements and offered people all the benefits sounded too good to be true. It was so different from the Old Covenant where the Jews had to be obedient to everything first before they received the blessings. Here the blessings came first, and obedience was the heart response of all those who understood what God had done.

The “veiling” was not lack of intelligence, but spiritual blindness. Satan did not want people to know who Jesus really was/is, or to understand grace. I don’t think any other religions, then or now, have a God who is both righteous and gracious. Some have a god who forgives, but there is no record of any other God who humbled Himself and took the punishment of the people, where He maintained His righteousness and paid the price for forgiveness.

Lord Jesus, You are amazing! Thank You for Your sacrifice for us while maintaining Your righteousness. Thank You for removing the veil from my eyes and giving me the privilege of telling the message to many others. I pray You would give me many more opportunities to declare that, and in every case, for You to go before me and remove the veil and blindness from the hearts of those who hear it, so they can call out for Your grace and forgiveness. Amen