Seek What Is Good

What do you see?

I bet we would be amazed by what some people first notice in this picture. For some, it will be a sunrise, for others, a sunset. Someone will notice the clouds, someone else the blue sky. One person will key in on the birds on the right, another will pick out the people standing on the hill to the left. You may perceive an empty road, or a path to unknown opportunities. The guardrail, the town in the background, the bare rock, the vegetation . . . There's much to see here.

What's amazing is that we all see the same thing, but many of use will focus on different aspects. That's the difference between what we see and what we perceive, and much of that depends on what we're looking for.

You may not even know, consciously, what you're looking for. Your perceptions are influenced by a myriad of factors. For example, how you feel is often going to dictate what you see. In a good mood, you'll probably see the sun. Day not going so well? Those clouds could be bringing in a storm. Where the road ends might be a cliff, or perhaps a gentle descent into a glorious villa lit by the sun.

Each of us can look at the same picture and see something different. And believe it or not, we can choose to see what we want.

Life is the same way.

We could each have the same experience, and perceive it a different way. It happens every day. I could have one person say something negative and ruin my whole day. On the other hand, you might brush off that comment as no big deal and instead focus on 10 other things that person or someone else said, and call it a great day. It depends, in large part, on what we're looking for.

That is a choice. We cannot always choose what we see or what we experience, but we can choose how we perceive it. We can choose what we focus on. We can decide what's really important to us.

Here's what the Bible says.

Philippians 4:8 reads, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Read that again. Paul says that we should think about the good things in life. That's all about picking through everything we see and experience and focusing on the positive. Whatever is true. Whatever is honorable. Whatever is pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise. These are the things we are to look for in life. These are the things we are to focus on. These are the things we are to see.

There is a conscious effort involved here. Paul is telling us to choose. In this life, we will see good and bad. He tells us to choose to dwell on what is good. And the bad? It's not worth thinking about. Let. It. Go.

Paul tells us that as we go through our days we shouldn't focus on the negative. Don't fret about things which are not true. Don't stew over what is dishonorable. Don't mull over injustice, or obsess over impurity. Do not let what is unlovely block out what is lovely, nor allow the contemptible to push aside the commendable. Never allow the inferior to outweigh the excellent, or permit something unworthy of praise to occupy your mind. Do not waste your energy on these things. Let them go. They're not worth your time.

Seek what is good.

Choose to see beauty rather than ugliness. Focus on what is positive, not the downside. Live your life thinking about those things which are worth thinking about, and leave the rest to rot like the garbage it is. Life is full of those things which are true and honorable and just and pure and lovely and so on. All you have to do is look, and you will find them.

Today, seek what is good. In the verse that follows the one above, Paul says, Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Seek what is good, and the God of peace will be with you. That's sure to change your day.

That's worth remembering!

 

Perspective Matters

What is perspective?

Imagine you look out the window and everything is a blur. Objects move by so quickly they become indistinct blobs. Your eyes don't have time to focus, to pick out one object distinctly before it is gone, replaced by another. From your point of view, the world is rushing by at breakneck speed.

Now imagine standing by a train track as a train races past. Again, your eyes don't have time to focus on one object distinctly before it is gone, replaced by another. Your point of view tells you, once again, that the world is rushing by at breakneck speed.

From both points of view, your immediate environment is still as the world rushes past. Whether seated on the train or standing on the road, you don't seem to be moving, but are you? Your perspective tells you that you're still in both, but in reality in one case you're moving through the world, in the other the world is moving by you.

Our perspective doesn't always give us the whole picture.

Everything we experience, we experience from the perspective of who and where we are. Our perspective is influenced by our life experiences, our understanding of our environment, our biases, our preferences, our mood, our health, our . . . In short, my perspective of the world is my point of view, how I see things. And just like the example above, my point of view doesn't always give me the full picture.

Just think about the many conflicts going on in the world around us. From the perspective of one group, they see the situation clearly. But the group on the other side feels the same. In most cases, both groups cannot be right, and in many cases, neither are completely right. Their perspective is skewed by who and where they are.

On an individual level, the same is true. When I disagree with my wife, she is right. (Just kidding). In reality, we both think we are right. We both have reasons for believing what we believe, for wanting what we want, for saying what we say. Our perspective tells us both we are right, even if we have come to completely opposite conclusions. From my point of view, I am right, and from hers, she is.

What to do?

I don't want to write a blog on conflict resolution. That's not my forte. It'd be easier if everyone just agreed with me, and I bet most of you feel the same (the "me" being you). The problem is, I, and you, are not always right.  

Gasp!

In truth, none of us see the world clearly. Paul says it this way in I Corinthians 13:12:  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. In our humanness, in our selfish mortal state, we really cannot see clearly. It is, in part, a problem of perspective.

We all wear glasses, whether rose-tinted or otherwise. We all see the world from the perspective of "me." We have no other choice. If I'm on the train, that's my perspective. If I'm standing by the tracks, that's my perspective. I can't change it. It is what it is.

What I can do is be aware of my perspective. I can know whether I am on the train or standing by the tracks. I can know if I'm seeing something a certain way because I want a certain outcome. I can know that I'm particularly quarrelsome or irritable today, that I'm biased by my past experiences, that I tend to see certain situations in a certain light. I can understand my perspective, and that will help me to interpret what I am experiencing.

Our perspective matters. It influences not only what we perceive, but how we perceive it. That's huge. Knowing why we see things the way we see them is one step closer to seeing things for how they truly are. And once we see more clearly, we can act more appropriately.

And that is worth thinking about!

With Him--Anything. Without Him-Nothing

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

What an empowering verse. I can do all things--anything, everything--through the power of Christ. The God of the universe enables me to achieve the impossible. Nothing in His will is beyond my reach. No mountain too high, no valley too low. No challenge too hard, no burden too heavy. Anything. Through Christ.

Sometimes we do, and should, wield that verse like a sword in battle. It is truly the power of God in our hands, at our disposal. It is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). It is the sword with which Christ slays His enemies (Revelation 20:15). It is the word of God, living and active, sharper than any double edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

And it is, itself, double edged.

Apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:5

This is the double-edge of God's word, the edge we sometimes seem to forget. We can do all things, but not of ourselves. According to Christ in the verse above, on our own we can do nothing. Not a single thing. Not of value at least.

Sure, on our own we can accomplish much. Much sin. Much hurt. Much damage. But we cannot do a solitary act worthy of God's glory without His help. Isaiah says in 64:6 that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags when done apart from God. On our own, that's the best we can do.

With Him I can do anything. Without Him I can do nothing.

I like the first part of that. I grasp onto that promise when times are hard, when the battle is fierce, when the path is steep. When my confidence wanes, I remember. When my strength fails, I recall. When I don't know, I pray. And He answers.


That's the part I like.

The other side of the sword though? Not so much. You see, I like to accomplish. I like to overcome. I like to do. I love the thought of being able to do anything God wills me to do. I thrill at the prospect of defeating the impossible. I rejoice in victory over "you can't."

My problem, often, is too many "I's." I like. I love. I thrill. I rejoice. I do. I can. I will . . . You get the point. "I" gets in my way of I can do all things because I forget the most important part of that verse--through Christ who strengthens me. I remember that Christ said with Me you will bear much fruit. I far too often skip over the part about without me you can do nothing. I get in the way, and nothing of any good consequence comes of it.

Whatever you face today or in the days to come, remember that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, but without Him, you can do nothing. With Him, anything is possible. Without Him, your best efforts will come to nothing.

That's worth remembering.

 

How Great Is Our God!

I have been doing some studying lately on something called the incommunicable attributes of God getting ready for a sermon series I have the opportunity to participate in. To understand that word incommunicable, it helps to to think about things I know. Being in the healthcare field, I know that a communicable disease is one that can be passed on, or is contagious--like the flu. An incommunicable (really non-communicable) disease is not contagious--like diabetes. In the same way, the incommunicable attributes of God are those things which are unique to Himself, which cannot be passed on or shared with anyone or anything else.

For example, God is infinite--no beginning and no end. We (our souls) are immortal, but that is not the same as infinite. God's infinity is not only outside time, but outside space as well. God cannot be measured in any way. That is an incommunicable attribute of God. It is impossible for us to be like Him, for we are finite, or limited, in that we all had a beginning, even if we will never know an end, and we are limited to one place at one time.  Make sense?

God does have attributes which are communicable, or can be passed on. For example, God is merciful. We, also, can be merciful through the grace of God. God is Holy. We, also, can share in God's holiness through Christ Jesus. God shares those attributes of Himself with us.

What I want us to consider are some of these attributes of God which make Him so great.

I already mentioned one: infinitude. God is not limited by time or space. God exists outside of time. God was not. God is. God is present today. God is present tomorrow. God is present yesterday. Simultaneously. Right now, God is present at Creation, at the Cross, and at the Second Coming of Christ. Make your head spin? Me too. But here is why it matters.

That God exists outside of time should provide us great comfort. We say that God is with us, but I don't know that we think about God being with us--already--in the future. We are going to get some bad news. That doctor's report. That letter from a lawyer. That statement from the bank. A phone call. A visit. A grade report. Whatever. We're going to hit rough times.

God is not only ready to deal with it, He already is dealing with it. God is already there, at our side, even though we, in our time-limited existence, aren't there yet. God is there, providing for us, sheltering us, strengthening us, and He is also already on the other side of it. Whatever the outcome, God knows. He knows, because He is there, and He is beyond it, and He is with us preparing us for what is coming. That's amazing. That's empowering. That's how great our God is.

Then there is the infinitude of God in relation to space. God cannot be confined to a spatial limitation. God is omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere. He is in heaven and on earth, right now. He is at my house, and yours, right now. He is in your car, at your work, at school, in the prisons, in the bars--He is everywhere, at the same time, equally. There is no place you can go or be taken where you are hidden from Him. He will never leave you, for you cannot go anywhere where He is not. That's pretty cool.

Now, let's go a little bigger. Our Solar System extends out about 2 light years from the sun. That's about 12 trillion miles. Want to know how much 12 trillion is? Think of the pictures of Houston after the recent Hurricane Harvey. It is estimated that 9 trillion gallons of rain fell on Houston/Harris County, Texas (33 trillion gallons storm total Texas and Louisiana). That's how much a trillion is. My point? God fills that entire space. He is not just present--He fills it.

That's just our solar system. Our galaxy is about 100,000 light years across, or about six hundred thousand trillion miles, and our galaxy isn't a big one. Some are more than a million light years across. God fills that space. Completely. Our universe is thought to contain around 100 billion galaxies. God fills them all.

Speaking of our universe, current science says that our universe is expanding outward at an unbelievable rate. That area beyond where our universe currently is? God is there. He has been since the beginning. Our God is great!

I've only scratched the surface of God's infinitude. Then there is His immutability (God never changes), His immanence (power, sovereignty), His independence (God needs no-thing and no-one to exist), and His immensity, which encompasses all the others.

What I want to realize, and hope that you realize with me, is that our God is great. He is greater than we can possibly fathom. His power, His presence, His being have no limits. He is immeasurable and indefinable.

And yet.

And yet He chooses to care about me. And you. Not just generally, but specifically. So special are you that He keeps track of the hairs on your head. And that's just the beginning. He numbers each one of the 20-30 trillion red blood cells circulating through your body right now. They are renewed about every 100 days, or 2.4 million every second. He keeps track. For 7 billion people.

And just as our solar system is only the beginning of God's immensity, so tracking every physical detail of our existence is just the beginning of how much God cares about you. This infinite, limitless being cares even more about your inner self, and so He listens to you. Not just to what you say, but those silent thoughts, the ones you cannot even formulate into coherent words. He listens, and He cares. No thought escapes Him, no matter how great or insignificant it may be to you. Your hopes. Your dreams. Your fears. Your victories. Your defeats. He cares. He cares with the fullness of His infinite existence, and is prepared to act on your behalf with the fullness of His infinite power.

Now, how big are those problems of yesterday, today, tomorrow?

How great is our God? So great that it's not even a question we can ask. It's a statement. A praise. An awe-inspired, fear-filled, wondrous gasp from the depth of our soul. Our God is great. Our God is great!

Holier Than Thou

It's an insult now-a-days to be told you have a "holier than thou" attitude. If that means you go around acting like you're better than everyone else, looking down your nose at everyone around you like your stuff doesn't stink, then yea, it's an insult. A fitting one. Because that's not holiness. That's acting like the rest of the world. Kind of ironic.

A lot of people don't even know what the word holy means. A common definition of the word holy is set apart. It has the connotation of being distinct, sacred, special. Something reserved for special, not common, purposes. To be holy means to be different.

And guess what--we as Christians are supposed to be just that. We are supposed to be set apart from the rest of the world. We are supposed to be distinct, sacred, special in what we do, how we act, what we say. God has reserved us for special, not common, purposes. We are supposed to be different. In comparison to the world, we are supposed to be holier than thou.

Peter tells us this in I Peter 1:15, 16 when he says, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written,"You shall be holy, for I am holy." The reference Peter uses is from Leviticus 11:44.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 to no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . ." That's another way of saying, "be holy." Be distinct. Be set apart. Be different.

That's not easy in the world today. Being different in this age may earn you the title of being a radical, a zealot, intolerant, or even--the shame!--holier than thou. You know what? That's what the world said (and still says) about Jesus. If the unbelieving world sees you in the same light as they see our Lord and Savior, I'd say you're doing something right.

When Jesus told us that we are salt and light (Matthew 5:13, 14), and in 5:16, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven, that was a call to be different. To be holy. In those same verses, Jesus said that if salt loses it's taste, or a light is placed under a basket, they are of no good use. If we are not set apart, if we are no different from the rest of the world, if we indeed are not holier than thou, of what good use are we?

Holiness is not haughtiness, arrogance, pride, condescension. To be holy does not mean to consider yourself better than others. To be holy means to strive to be different from the sinful world and similar to our holy God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God, reflects God in all He does, says, and is, and Jesus had some pretty strong opinions and ways of interacting with others. Jesus was most certainly different, and in the end it cost Him. It cost Him popularity. It cost Him comfort. It cost Him acceptance, friends, and even family. In the end it cost Him His life. Being holy isn't easy, and it comes with a price.

But it also comes with a reward. Over and over in the Bible, God rewards those who are different, who strive to be holy. Think of Joseph. Think of Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Think of Noah, Ruth, Mary Magdalene. The Apostles. Paul. Zaccheus. They dared to be different, they dared to be holier than thou and each was rewarded--some in this life but, more importantly, all received their reward for eternity, even if it cost them temporary loss.

Here's the point: We are supposed to be holy. This is more than a calling, it is a command. We are supposed to be different from the world, to stand out, be noticed not because we think we are better, but because we reflect the One who is better than all.

 But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written,"You shall be holy, for I am holy."

What Is Your Worldview?

Do you have your glasses? Are you getting out of work/school/  whatever to watch it? The eclipse to happen today has been all the rage lately. When it's not politics on the news it's a new warning about not looking directly at the sun (that's good advice, by the way).

Everyone seems caught up in the wonder and majesty of this celestial event, and I get it. It's really cool. My home is fairly close to the path of totality (who remembered that term from science class until the last few months?) so we will be treated to a 93-97% coverage of the sun by the moon from what I have read. Cool. I'll probably even look outside (not directly at the sun!). But it's not going to change my life.

I don't think it will change yours, either. Sure, it's an awesome event to witness, but it's not life changing. It's not even rare. Some quick research tells me that a total solar eclipse is visible from somewhere on earth about every 18 months, while the average time between such events being visible from any particular place, like your home, is 400 years (thank you Space.com). So seeing one is cool, but probably not life changing.

Too many people have grabbed on to this event as though it were the most important thing in the world--until it's over. Then it'll be the next great thing. Then something else. Then something else. Their worldview is that what is most important is what's in front of them right now. They rush about day to day, focused on whatever triumph or tragedy they're experiencing, whatever great or awful circumstance they find themselves in. Their worldview--their philosophy or conception of the world--centers around the immediate vicinity of themselves. In other words, they're self centered.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that if you're excited about the eclipse you're a self-centered and selfish drama queen. I'm excited about the eclipse, and I don't do drama well. What I'm saying is we have to look beyond the daily events in life--no matter how unusual or exceptional they are--to something greater.

I think a total solar eclipse is cool because it makes me think about God--His majesty, His sovereignty, His power, His creativity. Because that's my worldview. My conception of the world is that God is what matters. Whenever something happens, or may happen, or doesn't happen, my experience of that passes through the filter of "God is what matters." I know creation isn't about me. I know even my own life isn't about me. All things which are, are for the glory of God (Romans 11:36).

This coming eclipse is about the glory of God. If I witness it, the purpose of my witnessing it is for the glory of God. If I wake up tomorrow, or if I don't, and whatever I do and whatever happens or doesn't happen--let it be for the glory of God. That's my worldview. That's my philosophy. That's my conception of the world. I, and what's happening around me, really don't matter at all except as it pertains to God's glory.

So as you (safely) view the eclipse, or choose not to, do so for the glory of God. Marvel at His wonder and power. Praise Him for His creation and creativity. Take the opportunity to tell someone else about Him, because while witnessing the eclipse probably won't change anyone's life, witnessing the God behind it absolutely can!

Reset

Ever wish there was a button you could push to start things over? One easy switch you could flip to restart your day? That'd be handy, alright. You could be halfway through a project, decide you didn't like where it was headed, so . . . hit the button and voila! A brand new start. Don't like the turn your relationship all the sudden took? Flip the switch. Presto! Back to first date. Bad day at work? Rough day at home? Life in general headed downhill? Just push the reset. Easy-peasy.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way.

Or does it?

In reality, some things can be restarted from scratch, while others cannot. Most knots can be untied, but once cooked, a goose cannot be unroasted. If you dig a hole, it can be filled back in; time past, on the other hand, will never be returned.

My point is, there is a difference between restarting and resetting. Knots and holes can be restarted. When it comes to a cooked goose or yesterday gone, you have to pick up where you are. The good news is, you can pick up where you are. You can reset, even if you cannot restart.

God reset things several times. He started with Adam and Eve in the Garden, and then reset things outside the Garden after Man sinned. Then there was Noah. That was a big reset. There was the Tower of Babel, there was Abram and Sarai who became Abraham and Sarah.There was Israel united, Israel divided; Israel free, Israel in slavery, then free again. Eventually came Christ, the biggest reset thus far. There are more to come. Eventually, God will make all things new, but even then, we will be carried over.

Over and over again, God reset. He didn't restart by creating something new, He picked up where things were.

He does that in our lives as well. At salvation, we are made new. We cast off the hold and put on the new. Each day is a new day to be rejoiced over. Every day God's mercies are renewed. Each time we sin, confess, and repent, we are forgiven. Reset. Pick up where you are and go.

So maybe life does work that way. Maybe, just maybe, there is a reset button. Maybe, just maybe, that reset button is called Faith. Belief that, indeed, each day is a new day. Belief that, indeed, I am a new creation. Belief that, indeed, I am forgiven. I have been reset. I can pick up and go on.

In fact, today is one of those days.

Time to get started.