Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday November 24, 2010

There seems to be a guerrilla type warfare among believers concerning learning to see beyond the current circumstance to God's better tomorrow. Most of us use our imagination to see something better.

Biblically speaking the imagination can and often does get us into trouble, some of it very serious. Hence the sobering passage in 2 Corinthians 10:5:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

We know from other passages that the imagination can be "only evil continually," and thus we must learn to compare the imaginations of our heart and mind to the clear Word of God, for an inner vision of the things of God involves a sanctified image. A.W. Tozer commented on this positive imagination:

"A purified and Spirit-controlled imagination is the sacred gift of seeing, the ability to peer beyond the veil and gaze with astonished wonder upon the beauties and mysteries of things holy and eternal."

God says of Moses in Hebrews 11:27:

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

The same book speaks concerning Abraham with this poetic phrase in Hebrews 11:10:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Affections focused on this life are too often "vain" imaginations, and thus evil. When our hearts are set on God's will, God's settled life in contrast to the nomadic life of Abraham, then our visualized desires are as Dr. Tozer stated, "The sacred gift of seeing beyond." An older friend of mine, (there aren't many of my older friends left) usually asks people, "I will try to help you if you will honestly tell me your dreams, the images of your imagination." What you "see" with your imagination is the key to current inner state. I think my older friend is on to a neglected biblical truth.

I really care about my younger friends, but I cherish my older ones as there are fewer and fewer as the years roll by.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2010 Use with credit.

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