Are we going to walk through life always looking at the bad side? Or are we going to find that there is a positive side to every single situation? In other words, are we going to focus on the world and what it tells us, or are we going to focus on what God tells us? Now, I'm not saying that with God everything will be peachy, flowery and rainbow-ey. I'm saying that God works good out of every situation for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28.)
Having said that, today I was reading through the scriptures and I came across this passage in Colossians.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:1-2.
It made me think... If we are truly born again into the family of God and into the things of heaven and not of this world, why do we focus on things from a worldly perspective so often? Some of you might say to yourself, "Well Jack, its because we live in the world, DUH!"
I will be the first to admit that I'm guilty of using that excuse at times too, but I would argue that excuse is a complete cop-out to living in a Godly way. Now obviously changing this is something that way easier said than done, but i believe that it is what God is calling us to do as his disciples!
In John chapter 18, Jesus is about to be arrested, and then one of his ding dong apostles (Peter) chops a dudes ear off and then proceeds to deny Jesus three times. Lets just say that He is probably in a rough spot in His life. Nearing the end of this chapter, as Jesus is being tried and sentenced to death by the people, he replies to a question by Pilate saying this in verse 37:
"My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." John 18:37
The way that Jesus responded in this situation speaks volumes to who He is and what perspective He calls us to have. Jesus, who is about to be unfairly tried and murdered (which he already knew), had a perspective that doesn't look at His situation or at anything the world has to offer. Instead, I hear a sense of calmness and peace in Jesus' voice when He says that His Kingdom is "not of this world". Jesus was not phased because He had His eyes on heaven and the hope God provides for us in heavenly things. He was able to see the hope in this situation, and it's because of the perspective that He lived out. I completely believe that we as Christians can have that same perspective, but it is not going to be easy or come naturally. We need to fight to maintain a Godly perspective amongst a culture that tells us to find our identity in world.
If you are reading this, I want to challenge you to take a renewed and Godly perspective into your daily walk with Christ! Pray through these scriptures, confess worldly struggles you deal with, and trust that God is willing and able to change your perspective to bring you closer to Himself!
Peace. Blessings. Joy.
Jack
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