by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Seeing Jesus

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I have this picture of a snowy trail as the wallpaper on my laptop computer. It makes me feel cool in the heat of summer.

When I finished my devotions the other morning, I noticed something in this picture that I hadn’t seen before and it had nothing to do with temperature. I saw the tree at the very end of the tunnel. (You might have to enlarge this picture to see it.)

I’ve walked this path many times, taken multiple pictures at various time of the year, and have never seen that tree. Actually that’s not true, I’ve seen it, but I’ve not “seen” it. It has always been there but I haven’t noticed it.

It’s easy not to see Jesus at the end of the tunnel.

“The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.”
Proverbs 17:24 English Standard Version

The Christian community declares that Jesus is the Wisdom of God. To set our face toward wisdom is to remain focused on Jesus. Focusing on Jesus is not about a lifestyle, it’s about a relationship; a relationship that we have with him because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

The trees in the foreground of this picture loom big and distract us from seeing the distant tree. Both the good things on the right hand of our lives and the bad things on the left, distract us. It is easy to focus on the “ends of the earth,” on the distractions that keep us from seeing Jesus.

God intends that all our experiences, both the good and bad, point us to the One who is our wisdom. The day is coming when the trees will be cleared and all we will see is Jesus, basking in his presence, but until that day, may we not lose focus. May we keep our face set on Jesus the wisdom of God, and look to him as we face life’s joys and struggles.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado