When You Look, What Do You See?

 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

 

As you know by now, I love thinking and pondering.  And as a result of this, there are times when my mind and I have an internal debate.  Yes, I talk to myself and answer myself.  And one think my mind and I agree on is the fact that we can seldom take anything at face value, because there's always more than simple 'yes' or 'no.'

 

We, my mind and I, agreed that if I didn't like something or didn't agree with something, I had the option to change the matter, change my perception of the matter, change my perspective about the matter, or leave the room.  

 

You see, there are things I cannot change. I cannot change the way I look (handsome though I may be) on my own.  I can have surgery to alter my appearance, but I cannot simply decide that I no longer wish to be taller, nor can I change the fact that I am older than many others, for a couple of examples.  

 

That being said, I CAN change how I react to others; how I think about others; how I choose to interact with others.  I can decide to be kind to others. I can decide to be helpful to others. I can decide to be encouraging. 

 

My Grampa, who was full of wisdom, told me that "Every coin has three sides."  I thought he had lost his marbles because I could only see 'Heads' and 'Tails', that is until he turned the coin so I would see the edge.  THEN it hit me! Everything is not cut and dry!  Not every situation is us versus them.  Change our perception! Change our perspective! 

 

See others as God sees us...  

 

 

Are We Listening?

 

A truly wise person uses few words;
    a person with understanding is even-tempered. 

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
    with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

Proverbs 17:27-28

Ever notice how we, as a species, seem to have lost the ability to not talk?  Something gets said and suddenly there is a cacophony of voices responding with no one listening. Why is that?  

One of my favorite hobbies is people watching (and, yes, it involves coffee). People watching involves sitting quietly and observing.  It's amazing what one can discover when one is quiet and observant.  Sadly, because we like to talk so much, we shouldn't be surprised when people know our business without us having to directly tell them.  Ever had someone comment on something you were discussing and you were offended that they overheard you?  

Let me share an adage my Grampa shared with me: "If you are dumb enough to tell your business I'm smart enough to listen."James 1:19 states: "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger." 

We tend to get these ordered steps out of order in that we are quick to speak (usually without having all the information), slow to listen (because we think we have something to say and it's coming out baby!), and quick to anger (because we didn't listen first).

The old saying is true, "God has gifted us with TWO ears and ONE mouth so we may listen twice as much as we speak."

 

We Fear...Why?

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Worry is like seeing a lightning strike and dreading the moment it might hit you. It is a waste of the life you've been given. Make your perspective one of gratitude and see how God works. Thank Him for all He has done (yes, even the bits we didn't like) because He is making us into His masterpiece.

Why Be "Normal"?

When orthodox solutions don't solve the problem, try unorthodox thinking.
* When the wedding feast was running out of wine, Jesus turned water into the BEST wine.
* When Jesus told His Disciples that He would meet them on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus strolled across the Sea to meet them.
* We got tired of sleeping on stones, so someone came up with mattresses.
* We wanted to get a jump on the day, and coffee was the result. 

What was the focus of Jesus' thinking? People and their relationships.  Jesus had a method to His sermons, and it's called "Three S System" - Say it, Shut up, Sit down.  If you read any of Jesus sermons and teachings, they could be delivered in less than 15 minutes.  He didn't feel the need to go on for hour upon hour.  Jesus was unorthodox!  Jesus was not "normal" and I am so glad of that!

 

One of the things I love about Jesus is His way of thinking "outside the box".  Think about it!

What message did He leave for us?  Love God! Love Others! As you are going through life, Make Disciples!  Very simple message! Simplicity...make it the new "normal".

 

  

Fearful of the World?

 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me.

Psalm 23:4 

 

 There was a program I used to watch that always began with the creepy voiced presenter, Vincent Price, asking, "What are you afraid of?"  Then there would be 3 vignettes consisting of tales meant to scare the viewer.  As a child, their ply worked!  I would hide under my bed, that is, until one of the tales included a critter crawling out from under the bed to wreak havoc. Yet, I was right there every Friday evening watching this program and getting scared again. Perhaps there was something wrong with me that I kept going back to the source of my fear instead of remembering it was merely a television program. 

 

Now, this is NOT a political commentary, I write this solely to present some points to ponder.  If we look at our nation, we begin to fear the future.  We seem to be tearing our nation apart.  Night after night there are riots and there seems to be no end to the violence.  But WE have a choice, we can hide under the bed or we can kneel before God.  Sometimes, in the midst situations we see on the news and social media, it's easy to wonder if God knows what's going on.  Let me assure you, not only does God know what's going on, He already had a plan in place before time began for just such a time as this.

 

We NEVER read in Scripture where God tells us that we will have a nice, peaceful, uneventful stay on this planet.  In fact, over and over we are reminded that while we are here we WILL have trouble; we WILL have trials; we WILL have tribulations!  But best of all, we ALREADY have God on our side walking with us through this dark valley of chaos.  And you what? That fact ticks our enemy off!

 

Let's do something: When you see something on the news that is frightening, stop right at that moment and talk with Abba! "I don't know why this is happening, Abba, but I am trusting YOU to deal with the situation. Take my fear, my worry, my stress, my anxiety and fill me with the peace beyond understanding YOUR word promises. I leave it in Your hands."  

• When you see a Law Enforcement Officer, smile and pray for them right then and there! 
•  When you see children, pray for them right then and there.  
• When you see someone in need, help them if you are able and pray for them right then and there.

When we learn to pray immediately for others, we will find our fear disappearing and we will see God moving!

What Do You See?

Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye,
but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?
Or how can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’
while there is a beam in your own?
You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye,
and then you can see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother’s eye.
~Matthew 7:3-5

There is a scene in 'Silence of the Lambs' where FBI Agent Trainee, Clarice Starling, is trying to convince Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter to take part in an interview to help set up a criminal profile. The scene twist comes when Lecter tries to turn the tables on Agent Starling:

* Lector: You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you’re not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you Agent Starling? And that accent you’ve tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What’s your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of olean? While you could only dream of getting out…getting anywhere…getting all the way to the FBI.

* Starling: You see a lot, Doctor. How about if you turn that powerful focus on yourself?

It is at this point that Doctor Lecter abruptly terminates the conversation.

Let's be honest...we are VERY good at picking out the flaws and faults in others. Some people actually relish the opportunity to point out (sometimes publicly) what they perceive as flaws in others.

Why is that?
- Could it be that, in pointing out the flaws in others, we can take attention away from our own?
- Could it be that degrading others makes us feel better about ourselves?
- Could it be that we're really that cruel and hurtful?Only you can answer that for you and I can answer that for me.

For me, it would be the first option. But what does Scripture tell us? That we are FIRST to clean our own yard before pointing out the weeds in someone else's.

Are you willing to "turn that powerful focus on yourself"? Imagine how different our lives would become if we spent more time encouraging others instead of degrading others.

Worthy?

Remember the movie "Wayne's World"? Wayne and Garth got backstage passes and their famous line from that movie is: "We're Not Worthy!" Come to think about it....that's become our mantra.

Don't believe me?
* When was the last time you experienced REAL forgiveness (the guilt lifting kind)?
* When was the last time you experienced REAL joy and worship in Christ?

We have been trained and taught, falsely, that unless we carry around a concrete cross and flog ourselves every moment of every day with guilt of our sin, then we are of no good to God. That religious box has imprisoned us for far too long!

Have you made mistakes? I have. More than I dare to count! Have you asked forgiveness for them? If you haven't, what's stopping you? If you have, are you still carrying the guilt around like a badge of honor? God promised that if we ask for forgiveness that He will forgive us and make us clean (1John 1:9). So why do we still believe that we're not worthy?

Think about this:
^Abraham was "too old" and a liar.
^Sarah was also "too old" and even laughed at God's promise.
^David was a murderer and an adulterer.Job went bankrupt.
^Jeremiah was a weeper.
^Timothy was "too young."
^Paul was "too religious" and "too uptight."
^Peter was "too hardheaded" and denied even knowing Christ.

^Lazarus was DEAD!

So unless you are worse than dead...

Let me share what Martin Luther said:"So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: 'I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is, there I shall be!'"

"But after Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, forever, he sat down at the right side of God. And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. With one sacrifice he made perfect forever those who are being made holy." ~ Hebrews 10:12-14

Go Forth!

Jesus came and told his disciples,
“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands
I have given you. And be sure of this:
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”~Matthew 28:18-20

The first time I remember hearing this passage, it terrified me! Why? Because I was led to think, by the pastor, that I was expected to drop everything and head off into the wilds of some forgotten place to share the Gospel with people whose language I could not speak, and any effort less than that meant I was not a "true believer."

I also felt very ashamed because I didn't sense God calling me to venture forth into the unknown. As a result of hearing this type of teaching for YEARS, I had lost my identity in Christ. Was I truly not a Christian because I didn't believe God was leading me to other lands? After many, many years of guilt and shame, I finally spoke with someone I truly respected about the issue.

The first question this person asked was, "So the pastor said true believers are supposed to leave everything and go off amongst the wilds of the world to share the Gospel regardless whether God has called you to do that or not?" I admitted that was the message I got. The next question stunned me, "Then why was the pastor in the pulpit instead in the middle of the swamps of Central America or the snake infested jungles of Africa?"

DING DING DING!!!!

We talked many times over the course of several days, and what I got out of our discussions made sense in a way nothing else had: As we are going about our daily lives, we are to sow the seeds of the Gospel everywhere we go. At the grocer, at the office, at the DMV, at the library, at the coffee shop (:D), wherever we find ourselves IS our mission field!

Where's your mission field today?

How Do You Eat A Whale?

Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on. Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on.

Numbers 9:21-22

I have a rather odd confession to make...I LOVE Shark Week.  In fact, I'm addicted to it! Why? Because I love learning.  My head is so full of seemingly insignificant information my Bride is amazed I can remember my own name.  Did you know, the shark in this photo is the largest shark in the world?  Her name is Deep Blue! She was photographed dining on a whale carcass near Hawaii. She was taking HUGE chunks of whale of about 400 pounds worth of flesh!

As big and as hungry as Deep Blue may be, she could not devour the entire whale carcass.  Which reminded me of an old adage: How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time. 

Now, what does that have to do with anything?  Well, look at today's passage.  The Israelites had left Egypt and were following God through the wilderness.  When God stopped, they set up camp. When God moved, they broke camp and moved.  Sometimes they would stay in one place for a year, sometimes just overnight.  Why didn't God just transport the Israelites to the Promised Land? Had He done that, would they have been grateful?  Would their faith have been strong?  Would they be appreciative of God and His provisions?  Probably not.

Now think about your own journey. If God merely popped you into the place He had planned for you right off the bat...Would you appreciate it? Would you be ready for it? Would you be prepared for it?  Probably not.  Our lives are difficult. Our journeys will be challenging. We will face sorrows. We will face tough decisions.  We will face problems.  Our faith will be tested. Bur remember, God is growing us! "A diamond cannot be made without pressure, nor man perfected without trials."

Ponder that for a moment.

Prayer Moves Heaven

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Philippians 4:6

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

As a child of the King, you can turn to Him at any moment. He never tells His children, “Wait a minute, I’m busy. Let me finish this first THEN we can talk.” He LOVES the sound of your voice. And He already knows what you need even BEFORE you ask.

I can hear it now, “So why pray if God already knows what I’m going to say and ask?”  You see, prayer is really for your benefit. It lets you come to Him in faith because of what you know about His character. When you pray in specific ways (for particulars of your problems) and you see God respond in specific ways, your faith grows. That’s how trust is built with the King of Kings.

When we place our problems, anxieties, concerns, sins into His hands and remind Him (and us) of His promises, we will find that He responds SO THAT He fulfills His promises and, in so doing, our faith becomes stronger!

“The prayers of faith touch the heart of God and activate the angels of heaven. Miracles are set in motion.” – Max Lucado