And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees, walking." Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. - Mark 8:23-25 ESV
One more thought to ponder from this passage: sanctification.
Sanctify means to set apart. We are sanctified, set apart for God, when we admit that we are sinners and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. From that moment on, my relationship with God is restored. This is called positional sanctification.
However, while my relationship with God was restored in that moment, I’m by no stretch of the imagination perfect. Even after over 40 years of following Jesus, I still mess up. But I am doing better than when I first started my journey with Jesus. This process of growing in faith is called progressive sanctification.
So why does this passage make me think of sanctification? Because it took more than one touch of Jesus’ hand for the man’s sight to be fully restored. It takes many touches from Jesus for me to grow in faith and spiritual maturity. These touches come through prayer and His Word, through fellowship with other Jesus followers, and through the Holy Spirit working in me.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence
but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. - Philippians 2:12-13 ESV
It's God who is working in me, helping to grow in faith and knowledge and understanding. My part is to stick close and let Him to do it. It's a process that will take my entire life, making a little progress every day.
Think About: How have you felt God's touch in your life recently?
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