Monday, February 6, 2023

           Maybe you have heard the expression “keep things in perspective.”  This advice is good to remember.  At times, we all lose perspective.  We make a major deal out of minor things. Emotions take over and we react and recoil.  Our faith can help us to see clearly and to keep a good and biblical perspective on what we may experience in life.  Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).  Paul was telling us not to lose our head, heart or faith over these present-day battles and trials.  If you are a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ, you know that you will encounter trials in life.  And if you belong to Christ, you can keep your head.  Guard against worries, doubts, bad ideas and bad theology.  Keep your heart—do not let fear, dread or bitterness take over.  Hold on to your faith.  The Lord is with you.  And the Lord is waiting for you on the other side of this life.  You are His today, tomorrow and always!
            The Bible contains a lot of promises.  Some speculate there are as many as 7000 promises.  While some of God’s promises were given to specific people or for specific occasions, most of His promises are generally applicable to His people today.  And that includes you and me.  These promises come without any expiration dates.  We can keep things in perspective if we hold on to His promises.  You may need to dig into Scripture to determine some “go-to” promises that you will cherish and treasure when your head, heart and faith are tempted to get out of perspective.  Write down these promises and read them.  Review them.  Display these promises so you can see them when you need them. 
            When we fail to have a healthy perspective, we can find ourselves getting angry at the wrong people and for the wrong reasons.  We can become petty and jealous.  We can become a burden to those who mean us well.  We always have to remember that the goal of life is not what we can accomplish on this earth or take away from it.  Our destiny is with the Lord—forever and ever!  A glory will be revealed one day, Paul wrote, that dwarfs the trials and battles we may face here and now.  Jesus refused to yield to Satan’s temptations in the wilderness because He knew eternity mattered more than the earth.  John struggled through isolation and exile on the Island of Patmos as the last surviving disciple of the original twelve because He knew God had him there for a reason.  And this elderly and lonely John became the recorder of the final Revelation. 
            A faithful perspective means we do not always get what we want and when we want it.  So, we surrender to the Lord and serve Him in the midst of where we are and what we have.  God often hands us a cup or a role to fill and calls us to be faithful with it.  When we take what the Lord has for us, we discover that what He has is good and His plans for us are good.  A healthy perspective reminds us that we want to bring a full and faithful life to the Lord some day for His glory.  A full life is a life that has less and less of self and more and more of Him.  A faithful life is a life that has not insisted on its own way but become content with the portion and cup that the Lord has allocated. We are usually most content and joy-filled when we are focused on Him and what He has for us. 
            We can always remember to declare the words “but God” over anything we may
be facing.  Circumstances that look bleak and bewildering to us can change when we see them through the lens of “but God.”  Those words and that mindset, “but God,” can quickly change the perspective we have.  Always live in view of eternity.  Circumstances change but Christ is always there.  Set apart Christ as Lord over everything that comes your way.  Have a great Monday and remember you can worship throughout the week at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.