DEVOTION – DAY 472

2 Corinthians 5:7 “Living By Faith”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

There is a popular saying, “Seeing is believing.” Many people today believe in this saying. They would only trust in what their eyes can see. They mistrust everything else as false news, fake news, scams, lies, tales and so on. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor.4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 

It is true that our own experiences and circumstances are visible to us, but it is equally true that these experiences and circumstances are temporary. If we were to allow our circumstances and experiences to define and affect us – we would be swayed by our emotions and feelings. We would always be affected by things that we cannot control. Paul instead tells us to fix our eyes on the unseen realities – just because we cannot see them visibly does not mean that they are not real. Paul tells us that they are eternal. 

What does this mean? We know someone who was diagnosed with cancer. By the time of her diagnosis, the cancer had spread. What was visible was her medical report and the doctor’s assessment of her chances of survival. If she allowed that to dictate her, she would have given up hope. She would be an emotional wreck, be filled with self-pity, anger and rage as to why she had contracted cancer. 

But as a Christian, she chose to focus on the unseen instead. Whilst her chances of survival were not high, she knew that her life did not end in death – death for her only ushered her into eternity with the Lord. So, she was able to accept her condition better, for she had hope. She believed that if the Lord wanted her to remain in this world, the Lord would enable her to respond well to the recommended treatment. She was an example of someone who lived by faith and not by sight. In the end, she survived 8 years as she went through multiple rounds of treatment that gave her remission from her illness. She enjoyed each day as a gift from the Lord. She always remained positive and cheerful. She chose to focus on God’s many blessings on her, and not on her physical sufferings. She is now home with the Lord. Her life had been a good testimony of what it meant to live by faith and not by sight.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we praise you, for you are gracious, loving and faithful. Thank you for being our Shelter, Shepherd and Friend. Please help us to walk closely with you and remain faithful to you all the days of our lives. We humbly pray in the great name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. How do you look at life’s circumstances and experiences? Do you allow them to affect your feelings, emotions and attitudes about life? 
  2. What does it mean to you, to live by faith and not by sight? 
  3. Share of an incident or event in your past where you had to live by faith and not by sight.
  4. Why does God want you to live by faith and not by sight? Discuss.