Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: Today's Passage

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

There's an important principle for the believers to live on earth, and that is we ought to live by faith. People of the world are the opposite, for they don't understand how to exercise spiritual faith, and since they don't have anyone to have faith in they often build faith on themselves, which is so-called confidence, or believing in oneself. When things are going well, they feel successful and thus become confident; when things are not going well, however, they feel like a failure. Such confidence changes according to their feeling and circumstance, or is established on past experience. Nevertheless, the world is constantly changing, and when unexpected events happen their confidence collapses. To Christians, we have true faith that is built upon our God who's with us yesterday, today and forever. James 1:17 says that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." In other word, even when the circumstance and relationships change, God's grace and His principles will never change, so Christians' faith is built on a solid and unshakable foundation. So, why do we need to shift our eyes from what is "seen" to the "unseen"?

First, what we can see is temporary, and everything that we can see will sooner or later change. Nothing in the world is everlasting; not only would value of assets change, the value of fixed assets will change too, and even those whom we admire may change as well. Remember the trial of O.J. Simpson? A little boy said: "He was my hero yesterday, but now he's a criminal." What we can see is truly only temporary.

Second, what we can often deceive us. Back in the Old Testament time of Elisha, King Aram sent the army to attack the city of Dothan. The servant of Elisha saw multitude of soldiers surrounding them and became fearful, and he asked "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" Elisha answered: "Don't be afraid... Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Elisha then prayed for the servant, and the servant's eyes were opened and he saw angels and army from the heaven surrounding them! What we can see often make us unable to see in the spirit what's really happening, and we overlook the fact that God is still sitting on the throne and in control of all things. Are we living by faith or by sight? Hebrew says that "without faith it is impossible to please God," Let us choose to live by faith everyday!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you because you are the author and perfecter of our faith. Please put true faith inside us through the Holy Spirit, and help us to live daily not by sight but by faith. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!