A Matter of Perspective
Last week we examined what it means to be steadfast. Steadfast means firmly fixed in place. About what should we be steadfast? We should be steadfast about our Master and about the gospel of salvation. Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” To be steadfast in him we must have the self crushed out of us. Repentance means to turn from myself and to approach God’s throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart.
What is the cost of following him? It’s not about the cost, it’s about the value. What is it that you value most? The first of the Ten Commandments says, “thou shalt have no other gods between your face and God’s face. In coming to him, we must grasp the nail-pierced hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There’s a story of a pig farmer who decided to visit a church near his house. After the service, he was moved to action and called the church. “I want to speak to the “big hog” in charge,” he said. The receptionist replied, “We don’t speak about our pastor with such disrespect.” He said, “I meant no respect ma’am, That’s what we call the boss in the pig farming industry. I wanted to speak to the preacher so that I could donate $50,000 to your church.” She said, “wait a minute I think I see the big pig coming this way.” What’s the difference between a term of disrespect and a term of endearment? It’s just a matter of perspective.
According to Isaiah 55:6-11 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
- For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
- For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
God is faithful to his word. He will bring forth the abundant blessings of the fruit of his righteousness. Our job is to meditate upon his word…. To make his will our will and his word our word. The word of God says seek the Lord while he may be found, Seek him while he is near.” When Jesus calls, he calls us to know and understand the nature of God himself. God’s nature is faithfulness, loving kindness, and tender mercy.
Every revelation needs an application. Jesus said, “he who loves me keeps my commandments.” Therefore be ye doers of the word and not hearers only. Isaiah 55:7 says, Therefore let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts. To turn to God and the things of God is to forsake our own ways. Repentance is to turn from self and unto the Lord. A man of God comes to the revelation that God’s best interest is high above my own best interest. The safest ground is to trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In him is the solid foundation. In Matthew 7:24-25 Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Jesus Christ is the true foundation. He himself is the rock of ages.
The book “Voices from the Edge of Eternity,” records the last words of people on their death beds. Many people when being administered “last rites” to confess Jesus as Lord say, “It’s too late.” However, when Jesus woos us, he bids us “taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” He says, “now is the acceptable year of the Lord.” To those he has chosen, he reveals his word. If any man is in Christ he is a new creation…old things are passed away, all things are become new.
Gary Stubblefield said, “Christianity starts with an invasion of God into our lives. The harder we run, the greater he pursues us. Life’s cataclysmic moments, when we are broken by running to escape God’s hot pursuit, are our “come to Jesus moments.” Come to Jesus… and live.” The real life change is when he opens the eyes of our spiritual understanding…. when we come to the revelation that we’re forgiven of our sins. We will understand what it means to love God when we understand that he first loved us. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Salvation is all of thee and none of me. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast….. There’s nothing I could ever do to earn salvation. It’s not of my works but of the completed work of Jesus Christ on my behalf….for he who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Our Father shows compassion to his children even when they stray. God is a god of loving kindness and tender mercies. The kindness and goodness of God leads a man to repentance. We undervalue the power of kindness. God will get ahold of our hearts when we forsake our own sinful nature and turn to his loving kindness.
God instructed his prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute to teach the nation of Israel a lesson. This was an example of God’s loving kindness and mercy to Israel even when they kept on committing adultery with other gods. How many times should we forgive? Jesus said, not seven times but seventy times seven. The prodigal son when he returned home rehearsed his speech to his dad, “I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired servants.” The parable of the prodigal son is the parable of the forgiving father. He didn’t allow his son to finish his speech. We’re loved not because we’re lovable. We’re forgiven, not because we deserve forgiveness. Love and forgiveness is the nature of our Heavenly Father. When the prodigal son was afar off, the forgiving father ran to meet him, embraced him and restored him to an upright position.
Psalm 34 says, “Therefore let not your good be evil spoken of. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Jesus said, “Blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven.” Loving kindness and tender mercy is the nature of God himself. Therefore recompense to no man evil for evil….be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael