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Transcript

A SECOND LOOK · THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

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  Speaker 1: Good morning. Thank you for joining us today on our
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  Speaker 1: Monday morning edition of This is the Life podcast. Getting
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  Speaker 1: ready for our morning moments with Jesus. Hope you had
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  Speaker 1: a great weekend. Hope you had a great day of
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  Speaker 1: worship yesterday. Just looking forward to a great week. The
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  Speaker 1: Lord comes to us today out of Mark chapter 8
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  Speaker 1: verse 23 through 25 as he encourages us to take
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  Speaker 1: a second look. Whether it be a decision you have
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  Speaker 1: to make, a situation you're going through, or just as
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  Speaker 1: you start your week. the Lord says to us out
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  Speaker 1: of Mark chapter 8, it says, And he took the
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  Speaker 1: blind man by the hand and led him out of
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  Speaker 1: the town. And when he had spat upon his eyes
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  Speaker 1: and put his hands upon him, he asked him if
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  Speaker 1: he saw aught. And he looked up and said, I
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  Speaker 1: see men as trees walking. After that, he put his
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  Speaker 1: hands again upon his eyes and made him look up.
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  Speaker 1: And he was restored and saw every man Clearly. I
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  Speaker 1: got to looking at that. You know, when Jesus touched
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  Speaker 1: the blind man of Bethesda, the man could see, but
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  Speaker 1: everything was still a little blurry. Now, he could make
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  Speaker 1: out people moving around, but they look like trees is
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  Speaker 1: what the Bible records here. Then Jesus touched his eyes
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  Speaker 1: again and the man saw clearly. Now, I have wondered
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  Speaker 1: what that moment must have felt like. After living in
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  Speaker 1: darkness for so long, the man could finally see something.
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  Speaker 1: And he might have even been grateful enough for that.
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  Speaker 1: And that will do. He may have said, you know,
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  Speaker 1: that's good enough, Lord. I couldn't see it all and
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  Speaker 1: now at least I can see it a little bit.
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  Speaker 1: So that's good. But when Jesus asked him what he saw,
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  Speaker 1: the man was honest with him. And sometimes we need
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  Speaker 1: that same honesty. We may understand part of a situation
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  Speaker 1: and then automatically assume we understand the whole thing. We
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  Speaker 1: hear just a few words of something from someone and
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  Speaker 1: decide exactly what they must have meant. But that's not
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  Speaker 1: always the case, is it? Sometimes we may face difficult
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  Speaker 1: parts of the morning and then decide the entire day
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  Speaker 1: is going to be that way. But sometimes we even
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  Speaker 1: look at ourselves through the lens of one mistake and
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  Speaker 1: then forget all the ways that God has helped us
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  Speaker 1: grow through that mistake. I think the Lord is trying
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  Speaker 1: to tell us this morning, perhaps this morning, We just
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  Speaker 1: need to take a second look at our lives and
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  Speaker 1: at our situations. See, the person who seemed distant and
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  Speaker 1: sharp to you may be carrying a burden you know
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  Speaker 1: nothing about. The interruptions in your day may just be
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  Speaker 1: an opportunity for you to help someone if we just
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  Speaker 1: slow down long enough to recognize that. And even the
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  Speaker 1: tasks that we have done a hundred times may have
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  Speaker 1: something different and good to provide for our lives if
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  Speaker 1: we would just pay attention. Yeah, taking a second look.
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  Speaker 1: doesn't always mean we missed something the first time. It
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  Speaker 1: may mean that you need to just look at the
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  Speaker 1: same thing in a different way this morning. See, the
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  Speaker 1: blind man told Jesus exactly what he could see and
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  Speaker 1: what he could not. And we can bring God the
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  Speaker 1: same honest answer. Lord, maybe you need to say this
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  Speaker 1: this morning. I know I've had to say it in
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  Speaker 1: the past. Lord, this is how it looks to me
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  Speaker 1: right now from my viewpoint. But help me to see
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  Speaker 1: it more clearly. Help me to see it. the way
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  Speaker 1: you want me to see it. Because if we're honest
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  Speaker 1: about it, we can do that for ourselves, but we
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  Speaker 1: can also give others the room to do the same. See,
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  Speaker 1: when our plans change, you can pause before calling the
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  Speaker 1: whole day a loss just because one little thing starts
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  Speaker 1: out wrong. Doesn't mean you have to speak that over
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  Speaker 1: the whole day. And when you feel discouraged by your
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  Speaker 1: own progress, and sometimes we do, Maybe you can't remember
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  Speaker 1: where you were a year ago and how God has
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  Speaker 1: brought you through. It may not be as far as
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  Speaker 1: you wanted to be, but praise God, you're not where
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  Speaker 1: you used to be. Jesus stayed with that man until
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  Speaker 1: he could see clearly. He was attentive to the man
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  Speaker 1: that was standing right in front of him at that moment.
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  Speaker 1: Of all that Christ was going through, of all that
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  Speaker 1: he had coming up in his life, he paid attention
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  Speaker 1: to this man at this moment. And he is doing
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  Speaker 1: the same for you today. And that is a comforting
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  Speaker 1: thought for all of us this morning. We can bring
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  Speaker 1: Him our first impressions, our unanswered questions, and yes, even
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  Speaker 1: the things we don't understand. So before you settle on
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  Speaker 1: what this day means, take a breath and take a
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  Speaker 1: second look. And ask God to show you the day
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  Speaker 1: that's in front of you, the good within your reach,
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  Speaker 1: and the faith to say, this is the life. And Lord,
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  Speaker 1: I will be grateful for it today. So today you
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  Speaker 1: be safe, be strong, and you be blessed. Lord's will,
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  Speaker 1: we'll see you back here again tomorrow. And until then,
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  Speaker 1: you have a great day.