“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Matthew 13:43 NLT)
While on a mission’s trip to Mexico a few of us decided to maximize our free time by climbing a mountain. Our time was limited so we wanted to get as high as we could in the time we had. At first it was slow going as we made our way through heavy foliage, but when we finally emerged into an open area we were above the clouds and could see for miles.
C.S. Lewis in The Magician’s Nephew wrote: “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.” So often in the pursuit of our days activities we don’t take time to evaluate where we’re standing, in terms of our vantage as a child of God. While one person may see a setback, a person of God may see a window of opportunity.
As children of God there are two very important lessons we need to learn and the sooner we learn them the clearer our vision of God becomes. First, nothing enters our lives except it passes through the filter of God’s permission; therefore, for a child of God there is no such thing as an accident. And, secondly, there’s never one second of our life that God is not with us and for us.
Whether we view our lives from the perspective of standing alone or with God makes a world of difference in the interpretation of what we see, hear, and experience as children of God. When your marriage fails, you lose your job, a person you love leaves, gets sick, or dies, we’re passed over for a promotion – the list is endless of ways Satan seeks to cause us to believe we’ve been abandoned and are now alone.
To the extent you believe his lies, to that extent Satan will render you useless in your effectiveness for the Lord. Janel Breitenstein is a frequent contributor to the Family Life devotional I read each day. She writes: “Maybe your marriage as a whole has not turned out to be what you hoped. But what if at least parts of it are worthy of appreciating? What things in your marriage do you take for granted that would be someone else’s vacation, someone else’s greener grass? Perhaps you can find gratitude in that your marriage is based on Judeo-Christian values, rather than oppressive value systems still in place in other parts of the world. Or your family can eat regular meals and every member is literate, or you have married by choice.”
From where I stand, I have the best wife, best kids, most beautiful granddaughter, best friends, I live in the best neighborhood, serve together with the best believers at the best church in the best city in the world. My great Savior maximizes my life to enable me to see the best in people and take advantage of the best opportunities to be the best man of God I can possibly be. What’s your view?
Is your tendency to see the proverbial cup half full or half empty? Do you feel like everyone, including God, owes you? Do you believe you deserve much more appreciation, a much higher level job, marriage, place in your company, your family, your church? If that’s the case, you’re not following the Jesus I know. The Jesus of the Bible washed dirty feet, put everyone else ahead of Himself, went hungry so others could eat, loved so passionately He laid down His sinless life so that scoundrels like me and you could have a shot at living a life we don’t deserve.
May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see the grandeur and majesty of our Savior, that we may see the undeserved and unparalleled privilege we have to be His slave.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 