A Change in Perspective

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  Colossians 3:1-4

I once knew a person who always seemed to be rooted, grounded, positive and happy.  It was not because he had enjoyed a trouble-free life in the lap of luxury.  On the contrary, he had been through storm after storm, yet was an example of how to keep one’s head up and remain faithful.  It was not that he was a perfect man; far from it.  But he never claimed to be more than he was and always seemed to re-route any praise given him, to God.

Upon being asked how he did it, particularly in view of some significantly painful life events, he gave an answer that made all of the sense in the world but was no less amazing in that it involved the most basic of Christian principles.  He said, “I not only believe in God, but I believe Him.”  By that he meant that it was easy to acknowledge God’s existence but through the course of his life, he had come to have a significant level of faith in Him due to his experience with God.  He therefore made every effort to surrender his own will in favor of God’s.  This being the case, he went on to say, “God has told us that this life is just a vapor and that the things we go through in our day to day lives are not worthy to be compared with the things that will be revealed and experienced in an eternity with Him.  I believe that with my whole heart, and that long-term view makes the limited trials of this life bearable and temporary.”

Beloved, this is the perspective that all children of God should have.  This is not to say that in our human condition, we do not occasionally worry, fret, hurt, get anxious or angry, but that we should always be brought back to who God is, what He has promised and our faith in Him.  Further, we should conduct our lives as those who accept all He has told us as established fact. Paul told the church at Colossae, and by extension all believers, that we are to “set our minds on things above and not on earth…for our life is hidden with God in Christ.”  How powerful in the Lord would we be if we truly embraced this directive?  How effective would the church be?

Let us, as spiritual beings, diligently shift our perspective to spiritual things.  Our burdens will surely be lightened and hearts made glad.

Discipling,

Lee

Seeking Forgiveness

"Then they kept crossing the ford to bring over the king’s household, and to do what was good in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan.  So he said to the king, 'Let not my lord consider me guilty, nor remember what your servant did wrong on the day when my lord the king came out from Jerusalem, so that the king would take it to heart.  For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore behold, I have come today, the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.'  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, 'Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?'”  2 Samuel 19:18-21

David once famously packed up his household and many of his followers and left his home base of Jerusalem in an effort to avoid a war with his son who sought to supplant him by force as the new king.  During one of the lowest times of his life, a man by the name of Shimei came along and began to verbally abuse the king with words that were shocking for a commoner to use against his monarch.  He accused him of being a murderer and a wicked person and said that he deserved all he was suffering.  To add insult to injury, he threw rocks and dirt at the king and all of his company.

As it would happen, the fortunes of David would reverse.  Having put down the insurrection, the king and his cohort began to make his way back into Jerusalem to retake the throne and restore order.  As this was occurring, Shimei appeared and was contrite, humble and repentant as he confessed and asked for forgiveness.

Beloved, how often have we played the role of Shimei in our sinful behaviors?  We can all look back on times when we have done wrong to relatives, friends, acquaintances, co-workers and even members of the church.  In so doing, we shake the fist of rebellion at God by not obeying his command to love him with all we've got and to love others as we love ourselves.  Our behavior can be abhorrent when we are angry and hurt.  Fortunately for us, God is as patient with us as David was with Shimei.  Though well within his right, David did not take Shimei's life when he sinned against him, but let him go.  This gave him an opportunity to come to his senses and he eventually did.

The lesson here is that we must all come to our senses, recognize the wrong we have committed against God and beg for forgiveness with more vigor than that with which we sinned against him.  And we must not be afraid to approach him and ask.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  So often we are immobilized by our guilt and shame and decide that we are unforgivable.  This in and of itself is sinful in that we are not to put ourselves in the place of God.  It is he who has directed us to seek him and his righteousness.  It is up to us to obey.

We do not have a license to sin but we do have a remedy.  If you are overtaken in a fault, go to the only one who can fix it, then accept what he provides, or as Jesus said, "Go and sin no more," John 8:11.

Discipling,

Lee