John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“Who will tell you the truth? An enemy who hates you bitterly, and a friend who loves you dearly.” –unknown
Perspective lends itself to an interesting viewpoint, it can be enhanced by greater understanding or diminished by fear. If you notice something that looks complex and unique it might bring a sense of appreciation or you might gain depth of understanding through study or knowledge, whatever the appraoch your sense of appreciation will grow.
The more I understand God’s Creation, the more I appreciate the glory of my Creator. I can look off into a sunset and be enamored by its beauty and splendor, but when I know who made its beauty, it increases the depth of my appreciation.
So it is with the Lord…
We can appreciate the magnitude of God’s love as expressed in the Word of God, but it’s not until we experience a personal relationship with Christ that we begin to fully appreciate the depth of His love.
Outward Perspective
For centuries, people lacked an intimate knowledge of Creation that modern science is still searching for today. They could witness the grandiose expanse of the heavens but their ability to study the heavens was limited.
Psalm 19:1 “The heavens are recounting the honour of God, And the work of His hands the expanse is declaring.” (YLT)
As men walked with God and knew Him, their perspective changed:
The beauty and majesty of God is illustrated in each facet of Creation, for those who know what to look for, they can now see His glory.
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.“
A quote by John Piper sums it up very well….
“The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. We were made for this.”
John Piper
Knowing and walking with God is uniquely experienced, a perspective that is axiomatic, or in other words, knowing and experiencing God is self-evident.
For those who look on from a standpoint as a casual observer, the perspective is only relatable to their experiences apart from God. If there is something of God that is good that can be seen or something that is bad that’s been experienced, the way an unbeliever defines their experiences are independent of their knowledge of God.
Take for instance an example in health care, when we treat patients we are constantly asking them what their pain level is at the moment. The scale of 0-10 is described as 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain imaginable. People can’t identify with anything apart from their reality, everything has to be relatable. One person may think their pain is terrible but it’s based off a previous sprained ankle while another may experience pain who once lost a leg, one persons 10 may be another persons 6, so if having a heart attack is the worst experience anything they have ever known they may say that their pain level is the worst possible pain. Their value based off what they know.
Our Experiences Now
There are two ways to experience the world: from a position as a follower of Christ or from a position apart from Christ.
Everything a Christian experiences in this lifetime will be as bad as it ever gets.
In other words, the reality of living in this world and all the evil, pain, loss, and suffering will be the worst period in a believers existence—yet in the midst of trial or attacks, the believer remains steadfast.
Psalm 3:5 “I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.”
Whether at night or during the day, the quiet confidence that comes with Christ remains consistent in a believers life.
Psalm 23:4 “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”
2 Samuel 22:19 “They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.”
When trouble comes, the believer knows that it was the Lord who is leading through the trial…there is no fear.
John 12:27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.”
The christian life is not easy, it wasn’t easy for the disciples and it certainly wasn’t easy for Jesus, but this world is not the christians ultimate aim, they live for a Kingdom that is not of this world.
Until God’s Kingdom is fulfilled, the trials of this world will persist, the striving after righteousness will continue as it always has, and the work of the gospel will go out until all who will respond to the call have been redeemed. Trials will come and go, and while death is always a reality for God’s people, threats and ridicule are common among those who profess Jesus as Lord. Through it all, the Lord never leaves His people, regardless of how bad it might seem, there is peace in the midst of the storm….
John 17:14 “I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
This world and all it represents is as bad as a christian will ever know. The corruption of the world will be burned away, the curse will be gone, sorrow and sighing will flee away, and satan and all who follow him will be cast into the lake of fire. God’s people will dwell with the Lord forever and everything will be made new.
The Worlds Experience
Everything the world experiences now is as good as it will ever be.
Cars, houses, food, relationships, power, prestige, knowledge, their careers, literally everything that people strive for in this world is the ultimate joy they will ever know, it only gets worse from here.
Matthew 16:1-4 “Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.”
The world cannot see past their ability to reason from a godless perspective. They cannot experience joy beyond the things this world provides. They cannot know the love or joy of the Lord, all they can do is mimic that which God reveals in perfection.
The Call
The sign of Jonah some say is the call to repentance. As Jonah went about the city of Nineveh proclaiming the soon and coming judgement of God, believers today are called to relate the law of God to unbelievers, helping them understand the magnitude of their sin and the only hope of restoration…Jesus Christ. Failure to repent of sin and accept the grace of God through Jesus is the sure path to Hell. The Ninevites responded to the message and put on sackcloth and ashes and repented of their sins.
For all who are of this world, all they will ever know is the empty promises the world continually gives, but there is a hope for all who accept the knowledge of Truth. Truth was revealed in Jesus Christ, His life was given as a ransom for many.
Romans 10:2-4 “For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.”
For the born again christian who is going through a trial, there is a hope that never fails.
Jesus gives hope.
The hope that arose from a hopeless world gives a greater perspective of a world that is yet to come. Believers are not left as orphans in this world, they have a Father who loves and guides them, they walk in the newness of Christ and in the joy of the Lord, sensing His pleasure through obedience to His leading. A christian is already getting a taste of things to come, their eternity has already began. The Holy Spirit who resides within the heart of a believer is the seal of God for great things now and to come.
There is hope and peace in this world of turmoil, it is offered freely to all who would come and drink of its life giving water. Believers must not grow weary sharing this hope, they must not forget where life is found and attempt to draw water from this world, all it offers is bitterness.
Walk in the freedom that Jesus bought with His life and be a light to those who have yet to experience it—and maybe Jesus will use you to save the lost from this hopeless world.
U.T. 