Perspective

I once heard of a college president who, at the beginning of every year, would issue a memo to the entire staff concerning the new students entering school as freshmen.  He would outline historical events taking place within the typical 18 year-old’s lifetime, and those predating them.  The purpose of the note was to bring awareness to the teachers and staff of how the new student’s perspective on life may be different than expected.

“Do you remember where you were when…?” is a phrase that always brings back vivid memories of significant events of our lifetimes.  The thing we tend to forget is that our lifetimes will include events not experienced by younger acquaintances, and therefore, may not impact them as they do us. 

An 18 year old today will certainly remember the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but will not remember the first attack Bin Laden orchestrated against the north tower on February 26, 1993.  The Space Shuttle Columbia exploded in mid-air on February 1, 2003.  Our 18 year old would have been 9 at the time and would remember it pretty well.  There was another explosion of a Space Shuttle, the Challenger, occurring on January 28, 1986, before they were born.  I remember the deaths of three astronauts in a launching pad fire on January 27, 1967 and the subsequent near-disaster of Apollo 13, launched in April 1970 which made famous the phrase "Houston, we've got a problem". 

The fact that I vividly remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, the Watts Riots in the 60’s, and two of my brothers serving in the Vietnam War has an effect on the way I view the world around me today.  It’s the same for all of us.  Our world-view is shaped by the experiences we have had more profoundly than anything we have studied or read about.  I think this is partly what accounts for the so-called “generation gap” in our society.

Those of us who have been around awhile need to realize that our kids and grandchildren can only see the world through their own eyes unless we help them to understand the significance of our history.  To a young person Ronald Reagan is no different than George Washington.  The first Gulf War, the Vietnam War, the Korean Conflict, World Wars I and II are all history.  The Iraqi War and Afghanistan are experiential and real.  Understanding the significance of the first attack on the World Trade Center brings perspective to the second attack, and understanding the position of Israel historically brings new depth to today’s conflict.

As I see it, our job as the more mature members of our families and society is to find ways to communicate to a younger generation those things, which we hold dear.  Not just what we believe but why, and how the perspective of our parents influenced our own values

So, how do we keep from losing ourselves in the constant changing of perspective and understanding?  We have to hold our history in high esteem being willing to share it and gain understanding of others. Most importantly we have to settle on core values that are unchangeable in our lives.  The one constant, unshakable, and dependable perspective we can have throughout the generations is that of God’s, shown to us through His Word.  My view on life is necessarily shaped by my upbringing in a suburban Phoenix area mostly by a single Mom.  Others will be different.  Even my brothers and sister had a different life than mine but if I gain my life-perspective and world view from the Bible, and God’s principles I can have commonality with anyone else who holds to those same principles.  I can have a stable belief system to guide me while handing those values down to the generations.  When I espouse God’s eternal perspective as my own I see myself as an eternal being, born into an eternal family.  My view of everything around me will be influenced by the fact that I know this is all temporary.  I begin to make my life decisions based on that perspective as opposed to my experiences.  I can then bring spiritual influence on my world with eternal results, and live my life unencumbered by my past.  I know that noone here has complete control and lives, events, and the future can be changed by hooking up with the God in faith who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. 

In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said:

            “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Mark 16:15-18 gives us the final earthly instructions Jesus left with us:

            ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

He was telling us that we are responsible for influencing this world not the other way around.  We are supposed to be the salt, the light, the bearer of the perspective that God is a god of love, mercy, healing, provision, and forgiveness.  It is our responsibility to find ways to communicate these unchanging principles to those who don’t see them.  As such, when we express our own perspective, through relationships, social media, family interactions, political involvement on every level, it is most important to adhere to those things which we know transcend our own experiences and those of our ancestors.  It is most important to stand for those values that we know bring life as God has it (John 10:10) as opposed to what seems reasonable in our own minds at the time. 

I stand for the undeniable right of an unborn child to live regardless of external circumstances because I know that God is the creator of all life and He doesn’t make mistakes.  I remember a time when a mother would gladly give up her own life to save the life of her child.

I stand for freedom of speech because without it we are not given the freedom to express the eternal principles God has given us to teach and to share the history and perspective left to us.

I stand for freedom of religion, not because I agree with every religion, or lack of religion that exists but because I believe it is God’s assignment to preach the Gospel and to worship Him according to my understanding of Him.

I stand for the sanctity of marriage because Genesis 1:27 says: So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  The fact that God created men and women in a way that makes it possible to procreate only through an interaction of the two says to me that a sexual relationship is to be only between a man and a woman.  I don’t hate anyone but I will stand for God’s principles against any kind of perversion whether it is sexual or otherwise (I Tim 1:8-11).  Also, I’ve observed over my lifetime the deterioration of the family in our society.  I’ve seen the results of the gradual de-emphasis on honor, commitment, shared responsibility and influence of a father and a mother in a nuclear family on children. 

We have a lot to be thankful for in this nation but we are forgetting to honor our core values.  I believe our recent election was a statement about how we have become short-sighted in many ways concerning our immediate needs and desires and forgotten to hold to the long-term base values that are necessary to give generations to come the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Have a happy Thanksgiving

God Is Able

It’s no secret that we are living in a challenging time.  Uncertainty is the standard of the day and there is no telling how long it’s going to go on.  The good thing is that as a born-again child of God we can be confident that our lives do not depend entirely on what’s going on around us, the political climate, or the state of the economy.  The Word tells us that we are not of this world. 

Colossians 1:12-14 tells us:

¹²Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light.

    ¹³[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

    ¹⁴In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.(AMP)

We have been transferred into the kingdom of His Son.  We are no longer under the dominion of this world and it’s conditions.  We are subject to the dominion and conditions of the kingdom of Jesus.  The quality of our lives is dictated by His ability and not our own.  It is extremely important for us to realize that we live by a higher standard that allows us to succeed when all around us are failing.

Eph. 3:20 says:

 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (NKJV)

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—(AMP)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it says that we cannot even imagine what God has in store for us and what He can do through us.  We are all called to be ministers of the gospel in different ways.  What we don’t realize is how much God can do with that calling in our particular place with our particular gifting. (Eph. 4:16)  Our biggest problem is that we don’t imagine big enough!  Our dreams are too small! 

Think about Moses as he’s standing before the burning bush, in the middle of the desert, after 40 years of believing he’s messed up the call of God on his life.  Having handled his ministry in the wrong way at the beginning, he was, no doubt, discouraged, dejected, and dysfunctional in his approach to life.  He must have felt that there was no way that God would ever be able to use him again, or that he would ever be any more than a shepherd.  He must have felt tremendous guilt and responsibility for having destroyed his ministry through one act of violence.  How many of us have felt the same way, believing that something we did has disqualified us from our calling.  We feel like we are totally useless to God and destined to now live out our lives in survival mode just to do whatever good we can do until we finally get to go home. 

Then comes the bush.  God gives us His Word that tells us we’ve been transformed!  We’re not just the sum total of our actions or even our own talents and giftings.  We are the potential deliverance power of God in this earth!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people in ministry say that they never imagined that they would be involved in the ministry they are in today.  They never imagined it would be as far-reaching and effective as it is.  What they did was to just take a step into the footprints set before them, following the leading of God in pure obedience.  What they didn’t realize at the time was that God had a plan, and all He needed was obedient action. 

Moses had a choice to make.  Respond to God’s call on his life or turn and go about his business as usual.  What if he had been a small thinker, like so many of us are?  Would Israel have been delivered?  Would God have found someone else?  We certainly wouldn’t be talking about Moses today.  How many of us choose not to respond to God’s call as a result of our small vision and lack of imagination?  If we had any idea what He can and will do through us we would be motivated to do whatever it takes to be obedient.  You may say, “Well, Moses had a burning bush, if I saw a burning bush it would be different.”  But I would say, you have a burning bush!  It’s The Bible, the written Word of God given to you as a guide, and manual for your life.  The burning bush is the revelation we receive from the written word.  When we study His Word it transforms us from this kingdom of darkness, defeat, and destitution world into a kingdom of unimaginable, fulfilling possibility.  Moses had a choice when he saw the bush burning.  You see it’s not that unusual to see a bush burning in the desert.  It’s so dry and hot that from time to time spontaneous combustion will take place and the odd, dry bush will just go up in flames on it’s own.  But this one was not consumed! Moses had to be paying attention.  He had to have his eyes open.  He could have just passed on by but instead he turned to investigate. (Exodus 3:3)  God met him there, and God will meet us as well.  When we look into His Word, and pay attention, He will meet us where we are, and reveal His ability in us. 

He is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly more than we dare ask or even imagine!  What is that in you life?  What is it in my life?  Only God knows at this point.  I believe that even those of us who believe we are directly in the center of God’s will for our lives, fulfilling our purpose in Him, would be amazed if we knew how far beyond our comprehension His plans go. 

The first step though is to realize that He is able.  Regardless of your present situation or circumstance, God is able to do far more than you can imagine.  This applies to every aspect and need in you life.  Pay attention!  Look into His Word so you can see the burning bush.  Give Him a little of every day.  Be aware of His presence, and don’t just keep walking when you see something unusual.  Expect God to reveal Himself to you in an intimate way and you will begin to see the bush and hear His voice.