Teacher

How has Jesus opened your eyes? Jesus opening the eyes of our hearts is growth in Spiritual discernment. We are able to see life in a new way and to appreciate and value what we may have never even noticed. We come to this as we examine, consider and then follow the model of Jesus’ life. The Holy Spirit provides us with direction, insight and encouragement to discover everything we can, and then the Spirit provides the power to see clearly. There’s an interpretation of Jesus’ life in which we see that he lived all the things that we lived, but did them in relationship with God, so he could sanctify us fully. One example of this is Jesus’ baptism. Jesus comes to the Jordan River, as anyone of the community of Israel who needs to dedicate their lives to God and to turn away from the world and toward God. Jesus took the same steps we do. John objected saying that Jesus didn’t need to do this, as much as John needed to do it. Jesus said it was appropriate for him. Then, something else happened. As Jesus came up out of the water, the voice of God spoke saying, “This is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.” As Jesus sanctified every part of life, bringing it back into relationship with God, he leads us into sharing the experience. We have been baptized and God is saying to each of us, “This is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus went through living every part of life that we do, sanctifying it, healing it, and bringing it back into relationship with God. He did this so that we could follow the footsteps of our teacher, learning to live the life he led the way into. As the Spirit empowers us then, we can see the world in a new way, every part of it. Blessings, Geoff