• Home
  • Daily Devotional
    • Daily Devotional
  • Daily Reflections
    • Daily Reflections
  • Thoughts
    • Thoughts
  • Sermons
    • Christian Sermons
  • Bible
    • Bible
  • Prayer
    • Prayer
  • Daily Prayer
    • Daily Prayer
  • Christian Books
    • Christian Books
  • Quotes
    • Quotes
  • Biographies
    • Biographies
  • Christian Life
    • Christian Life
ourdailydevotional logo
christian devotional
  • Home
    • Home
  • Sermons
    • Christian Sermons
  • Devotional
    • Daily Devotional
    • Thoughts
  • Reflections
    • Christian Reflections
  • Prayer
    • Prayer
    • Daily Prayer
  • Bible
    • Bible
  • Books
    • Christian Books
  • Quotes
    • Christian Quotes
  • Life
    • Christian Life
  • Biography
    • Biography


HOME
DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Magnifying Glass of Faith

Philip Yancey 68

In my spiritual journey as well as in my writing career I have long lingered in the margins, pondering unanswerable questions about the problem of pain, the conundrums of prayer, providence versus free will, and other such matters.

Jesus expresses the essence of God in a way that we cannot misconstrue.

Jesus expresses the essence of God in a way that we cannot misconstrue.




Magnifying Glass of Faith | Daily Devotional by Philip Yancey

Hebrews 11:1, ESV: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

I also envision Jesus as the “magnifying glass” of my faith, a phrase that needs some explanation. I am the proud owner of The Oxford English Dictionary, which contains every word in the English language.

By joining a book club, I obtained a special one-volume edition for only $39.95. It contains the full text of the dictionary, with the one drawback of typesetting shrunken so small that no one on earth can read it unaided.

Next, I purchased a splendid magnifying glass—the kind jewelers use, the size of a dinner plate, mounted on a swivel arm. With that, and the occasional assistance of another, hand-held magnifying glass, I can pore over the shades of meaning of any word in English.

I have learned about magnifying glasses, using my dictionary. When I train the glass on a word, the tiny print shows up crisp and clear in the center, or focal point, while around the edges it grows progressively distorted.

In an exact parallel, Jesus has become the focal point of my faith, and increasingly I am learning to keep the magnifying glass of my faith focused on Jesus.


In my spiritual journey as well as in my writing career I have long lingered in the margins, pondering unanswerable questions about the problem of pain, the conundrums of prayer, providence versus free will, and other such matters. When I do so, everything becomes fuzzy. Looking at Jesus, however, restores clarity.

I admit that many standard Christian doctrines bother me. What about hell? What of those who die without ever hearing about Jesus? I fall back on the response of Bishop Ambrose, mentor of Augustine, who was asked on his deathbed whether he feared facing God at judgment.

“We have a good Master,” Ambrose replied with a smile. I learn to trust God with my doubts and struggles by getting to know Jesus. If that sounds evasive, I suggest it accurately reflects the centrality of Jesus in the New Testament. We start with him as the focal point and let our eyes wander with care into the margins.

By looking at Jesus, I gain insight into how God feels about what goes on down here. Jesus expresses the essence of God in a way that we cannot misconstrue.


Image of Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey

He currently has more than 17 million books in print, published in over 50 languages worldwide. In his new memoir, Where the Light Fell, Yancey recalls his lifelong journey from strict fundamentalism to a life dedicated to a search for grace and meaning, thus providing a type of prequel to all his other books.

Cover book of Grace Notes

Grace Notes

philip-yancey
Grace Notes pulls together 366 daily readings taken from the writings of Philip Yancey. All have been edited for length, and in addition some have undergone minor editorial changes for the sake of transition and clarity.
He wants to give you more wisdom so you can make better decisions.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Think the Way God Thinks

Joel Osteen
Begin today to think the way God thinks. The Bible says, “The path of the righteous grows brighter and brighter and brighter.” Think increase... Think big... Think expansive! Start expecting the unexpected and look at life through your eyes of faith.
God leads you through a progressive path, but the ultimate goal is to be on Mount Carmel and to be fruitful.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Wisdom in Building Up

T.D. Jakes
WE can build up ourselves, cultivate a sense of expectancy about the coming of the Lord, have compassion on those who have fallen, and be moved with zeal to make a difference in the lives of those who have spotted their garments.
In the depths of our spirit, we can learn to recognize that voice and distinguish it from all others

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

My Sheep Listen to My Voice

Chris Tiegreen
Jesus knows how confused we can be. That’s one of the reasons He gave His followers an illustration about shepherds and sheep. Sheep learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd so that when he calls to them.
Clearly, John wanted everyone to know Jesus was not merely a man. Jesus was the eternal, all-powerful God who existed before time, created everything, and gave life.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Jesus Lives and Creates

David R. Veerman
John and his brother James became two of Jesus’ original twelve disciples and, along with Peter, enjoyed a special relationship with Jesus. At times Jesus called just the three of them to see an important event, such as his Transfiguration.
To know that my name, according to Luke, is a matter of celestial conversation causes my mind to explode!

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Personal Tag

Rick Christian
To know that my name, according to Luke, is a matter of celestial conversation causes my mind to explode! Are you sure, Luke? My name recorded in God’s Book of Life? I suppose God could keep roll more efficiently by using my social security number or bank account number.
Our Daily Devotional Logo
followmeusa.net@gmail.com
OURDAILYDEVOTIONAL.NET
"We follow Jesus"
Sitemap | Sitemap | Sitemap Bible
Follow us on Youtube