Keeping Perspective
What keeps a man steady through the upheaval of the world? Though the mountains may quake, the storms rage, and the floods devastate, the challenge that we have is to keep everything in proper perspective. Our perspective is our point of view. According to Ephesians, God has seated us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We must view the world from the viewpoint of our heavenly perspective. We must learn to respond in the same way that Jesus would respond. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of this world where men call evil good and good evil, what would Jesus think, say, and do? The sons of Issachar understood their times and knew what Israel had to do. We likewise must keep our perspective from the word of God. Our opportunity is to set our affection on things above and not on the things of this world and to create an environment where men can enter into the presence of our loving Heavenly Father
How did we get to the point that America no longer identifies itself as a “Christian nation?” Like the frog in the pot on the stove, the heat was gradually being turned up and we didn’t notice it. The kettle is now on full boil and the popular culture is unaware that our world has been turned upside down. When the nation forsakes God, he removes his hand of blessing from the land. God woks in gradual events and also cataclysmic events. Either we will approach God on our knees voluntarily or he will bring us to our knees through trials and tribulations.
The “solution to the pollution” of this world is the Love of God. Loving kindness and tender mercy is the nature of God himself. First Corinthians chapter 13 contains thirteen powerful verses about charity, the love of God. As the Apostle Paul matured in the faith, he also matured in the love of God. Saul, before his name was changed to Paul started out as a Pharisee persecuting the Christians. In a life-changing encounter, he met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” God turned Saul’s heart in a different direction to channel his passion from persecuting the Church into his passion for building the Church. Jesus Christ is the perspective-changer. To repent means to do an about-face…to turn from the world and to turn our eyes upon Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus, the “hound of heaven,” is in hot pursuit of those whom God has chosen from before the foundations of the world to be holy and without blame before him in love.
God is in the business of changing men’s hearts. For when we were born again we were made a new creation in Christ. All things have become new. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. Isaiah 41:10 says that God will hold us up with his righteous right hand. He has called us as winners in the midst of the spiritual battle. To understand sin and the fallen nature of man is to understand the state of the world around us. We’re not fighting against the people of this world. They can’t help it, it’s the nature they inherited from Adam. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, but we must know him, love him and walk with him in humility and loving obedience.
First Corinthians 13 about the Love of God says that we accept others the way they are. This means that when God shows us sin in another person’s life, it’s so that we’ll know how to pray for them. They are not our enemy. However, they may be in the clutches of the enemy. They’re taken captive by the enemy at his will. Jesus came so that we could be set free and that we could set others free through the power of salvation. One theme of First Corinthians is that it’s not about me…it’s about loving God above all and serving others on his behalf. The love of God loves unconditionally regardless of the other person’s response. Tough love is living First Corinthians thirteen…to love the unlovable…to give up the rights to myself in order to serve God by serving others the bread of life. The love of God thinks no evil…it keeps no record of wrongs done. The secret to living life more abundantly is to love others with the same love wherewith our Father loves us.
Love brings us to the point that we acknowledge that we can’t do it on our own. To love unconditionally is to tap into the power of God in Christ in us. Therefore, as it says in Isaiah 41:10, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Loving and forgiveness go hand in hand. To love with the love of God is to love the unlovable. To forgive is to forgive the unforgivable. Prior to our encounter with Jesus Christ, we were unlovable and unforgivable. Our exhortation is “be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The devil’s job is to “rock your world.” However, though the storms of life may rage and the mountains may shake, we will not be shaken for our lives are founded on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ himself. No one can solve the problems of this world. For every problem there is a spiritual cause…for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Love conquers all. The solution to the pollution of this world is the righteousness of God according to the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation… He loved me ere I knew him, and all my love is due him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.
May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ
Michael