Open your eyes

To grow in the faith, you must:

1. pay close attention to God's Word (not to treat it mechanically)
- we do christian duties
sometimes like the pharisees, without understanding but only out of habit and practice
-OR-
sometimes like the disciples, who experience Jesus but do not understand clearly

2. open our heart to the Holy Spirit (not rely on ourselves for understanding and obedience)
-the Holy Spirit is there to show us where to go, but we
often, like the pharisees, follow custom or depend on intelligence
-OR-
often, like the disciples, trust in our association to Jesus

3. always check our spiritual health (and not assume that you are always well)
-we may seem okay outwardly, but
like the pharisees who are blind, we may have eyes but actually could not see
-OR-
like the disciples, we may have eyes that do not see clearly

4. remember what God has done for you (and not forget His love and grace)
-regarding strong and clear experiences with Jesus Christ, we may be
like the pharisees who have seen Jesus' earlier miracles but refused to recognize Jesus as the Messiah
-OR-
like the disciples who have been with Jesus through the miracles but forget them when it counts

*based on Mark 8:11-30
by Rev. Dr. David Go