POINTS OF VIEW!

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

POINTS OF VIEW!

Rom 12:1-2

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

           Suppose that you were a police investigator at the scene of a crime or accident. It is your job to interview witnesses so that you can determine what actually happened. It will not be long before you realize that each of the witnesses will tell the story from his or her point of view. For the believer in Jesus Christ, it not only matters what we see but HOW we see it. That is why Paul urged us to allow the Holy Spirit to change our minds.

           Our prospect is the first thing to change! The word prospect is a mental picture of that which is to come. The Christian simply has a different outlook. The unbeliever’s prospect is judgment (Hebrews 10:27) while the Christian is looking for the blessed hope of Christ’s glorious appearing (Titus 2:13).

              To become a Christian is to accept an extra dimension to life. From the Christian's point of view the notable thing about the unbeliever's world is how much "smaller" it is. The unbeliever is imprisoned in a decaying universe. Imagine you took a child to the theater to see some tragedy like, say, Hamlet, at the end of which the stage is littered with corpses. And suppose you had difficulty comforting the child afterward, so distressed was he at the spectacle of the deaths. "But the man who played Hamlet is not really dead," you explain. "He is an actor. He also lives a life outside a theater. He has a wife and family and, far from being dead, he is probably now at home with them enjoying a late supper."

   -- Harry Blamires in On Christian Truth    

           We need to add the word introspect to our daily routine. Introspection is a reflective looking inward. It is an examination of one’s own thoughts and feelings. For the believer it is important that our thinking be made to conform to the mind of Christ. “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15)

           For the believer, every aspect takes on a spiritual dimension. Paul was able to say: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” (Phil 3:7) The smallest of details in a believer’s life is not overlooked by the providence of God.

           In retrospect, we are able to see every painful thing as part of God’s overall plan. Joseph was able to explain to his brothers that God had turned their evil intentions into something good. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Gen 50:20)

All The Way My Savior Leads Me

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.

          

Dear Lord, whatever happens to me today, let me see with a proper point of view. AMEN