Our perspective defines the way we live. That's why obtaining His perspective is so important. Even as Christians, we may sometimes tend to get caught up in the perspective of our flesh more than we realize. And we know it's a flawed way to live. Our flesh is always tempted to get caught up in serving itself and getting what it feels it deserves. But the truth is that what we all deserve is to be lightening roasted and basted with our own selfishness. It's only by the grace and mercy of a forgiving and loving God that we are given an opportunity for anything else. Not because we deserve it.
Our perspective dictates what we value and what we value dictates what we give the most priority to in our lives. To what we value most in life, we give the most of every thing we have. For those things we show the most emotion and we give the most of our time. We're obsessed with them and they become the recurrent topic of our conversation. We give them our money, our thoughts... our everything. So if we truly had God's perspective, I think we might still see some things that would be pretty disturbing about ourselves through His eyes. What does He see from His perspective as He looks jealously into our lives?
As our Lord watches and listens, we're continually sending messages to Him not only by what we say, but more clearly by what we do. It's easy to speak words of loving devotion. It's easy to speak the words "you're the Lord of my life", but the truth is made clear by the living response to what we claim to believe. If we don't live out what we say, then are the words really true? If I tell someone that I love them dearly, but then ignore them or treat them callously, what speaks louder to them - my words ... or my actions? Which is the proof of the value I place on them? What are we proving to our God every moment of every day? He's watching and listening and we're speaking to Him with our lives. What are we saying? Have we really thought about it?
His heart cries out to us, desiring to be the greatest love of our lives. He's done more for us than any human being we have ever known could do. If another human being gave their life for us, we'd be moved and affected dramatically. We probably couldn't get it out of our mind or forget it. But this isn't a human that we're talking about. It's a holy and all powerful God that has no reason or need to do what He's done, other than to prove what He chooses to value. It's a God who's greatness and power is so far elevated above our own that we should have no reason to expect Him to care. Who are we that He should even remember or notice us? But He's a God pouring out His heart to us unashamedly. And He lives now waiting for the proof of our response. Do we choose to continue to break His heart by giving greater priority to other things in our lives? Are we too weak and ashamed to respond in return with the most of everything we have and are? We daily prove the truth in our choices and actions. The tougher the choice, the louder the statement. We're speaking with our lives - what are we saying to Him?
He watches as we enjoy our favorite hobbies, habits and recreational activities. We spend a lot of time, money, energy and emotion on these. After all they bring us pleasure, relaxation and enjoyment - but the God of all creation, stepped down from His heavenly throne, took off His royal robes and sacrificed Himself to carry our sin and shame to the cross where He hung to His death. What do we value more? Really? Do we prove it by the way we live?
He sees and hears as we scream and yell for our favorite sports teams. We'll celebrate, throw parties, spend money buying tickets, jerseys and anything else to show that we're a fan. After all, they gave us a good time - but He rose from a death meant for us to give us eternal life. Do we really show greater enthusiasm for our God than we do for them? What do we really value most? Do our lives prove it?
When a close friend or family member gives us a really amazing gift, we may be deeply moved and grateful and we might even show it with tears. But when we come together in fellowship and worship, are we continually moved by, and grateful for the fact that the one who desires to be closer than any friend has given us everything? He gave us the earth, even His life. Do we show the depth of our eternal gratitude in worship? Or do we sit stoically afraid to give our God what He more than deserves because someone might see? What do we value more? Our response to Him? Or the fact that someone else might know it? Are we even grateful? Where is our passion?
When He looks into our lives, does He see us unwilling to forgive someone else for something they did knowing that He forgave us for sin that was punishable by death? Each of us, deserves the greatest punishment imaginable. Are we humbly forgiving the far lessor errors and offenses of others in our lives? Mk 11:25-26 "And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any, that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven, forgive your trespasses". What does He see?
Does He ever see us scoff, ridicule, look down on, or lack compassion for someone who's downtrodden, suffering or not as fortunate - forgetting that He holds our own lives in His hands? (Then having the ignorance to wonder why we don't seem to be walking in God's favor in our own lives?). Or does our heart break for them like His does because we value what He values (because we have His perspective)? Are we remembering that they're just as precious to Him as we are?
From each of us, what He sees will be something as different as we are. But whatever our lives, our hearts and actions are, He sees it all as He searches every secret place and every thought. He knows everything that can be known. He knows what we really feel about someone else, even what we feel about Him. He even sees things that we don't see about ourselves. He sees it all. The most hidden intimate details of our lives are not news to heaven. He sees the reasons behind the excuses we make. He sees the truth despite anything and everything we say and He knows... everything.
These things that tell Him the truth of our faith, devotion and what we value most. We can say anything to Him and think that we mean it, but the proof of what we say is in the action of our response. His heart is affected by our response because it speaks the truth and He's allowed Himself to be deeply in love with us. It's the urgent desire of His heart that we'll respond to Him with the same interest and value that He has placed on us. Even when we reject Him He remains faithful, but His heart is broken. Still, He watches and moves in our best interest constantly in the hope that we'll realize how very much He loves us and be moved to love Him. That we'll give Him the same priority in our lives that He's given us in His own. No one could ever do or care more for us than He does. But what we show Him in response may lack the deep passion that He's shown us in everything He's affectionately done to draw our hearts to His own. Are we choosing to place higher value on other things in our lives over Him and demonstrating this to His face? He's waiting so patiently for us to gain His perspective and to respond to His heart with proof of our convictions. Proof of a response worthy of His passionate courtship of us.
What we love most ... should never be given cause to wonder. What we value most ... should be held as the highest standard and dictate how we live. What we honor most ... should be given the highest place in our lives and be known to all. What we value enough to worship ... should be worshiped with the deepest passion ... let these be our God! Pray whole-heartedly to gain His perspective and to be changed by His heart. For this, I seek Him still, for this ... is my will.
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