Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Perspective

Perspective. What does it mean? The dictionary says perspective is: A mental view or prospect; it is the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship. Perspective is what you see, the way you see it, and how you respond to it. A key word in the definition above is "relevant". Proper perspective is the faculty of being able to identify what is really relevant to the relationship or circumstances. Perspective comes in two forms: proper and improper. A proper perspective sees the truly relevant data and keys on it. Decisions made from a proper perspective essentially are based on truth. Truth meaning - the way things really are or the way things really happen or simply, the true facts. Proper perspective allows one to major on the majors and minor on the minors. Less time and energy are expended responding to data that is inaccurate. On the other hand an improper perspective is just the opposite. An improper perspective lacks the vision to see the truly relevant data. Decisions made from an improper perspective are based on falsehood and improper data. The data gained is gained from a lack of ability to see the "relevant". An improper perspective causes one to major on the minors and overlook on what is really major. Time, energy, and resources are used up in areas that make no impact or are even destructive.

Too often as Christ-followers we operate from an improper perspective. What we see and the way we respond is based on inaccurate data because it is simply not relevant to God's will, plan, and purpose. For example, God says that the relationship between husband and wife should be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His church. Is that how your marriage is? Jesus said the world will know we are Christians by the love we have for each another. Do you know some Christians that are determined to fight against one another to the death? I can guarantee that the reasons for the fight are totally "irrelevant" to the relationship God wants us to have with one another. Too many times we major on what is really not important. And we vow to hold our ground over things that really have no value to Jesus! What does the world think about this? How do non-believers respond to this? I'm just asking.

Philippians  2: 5-11 describes the attitude (mental view or perspective) of Jesus. One's attitude reveals one's heart. The key to our salvation is the fact that Jesus, as God the Son laid aside all His privileges and became one of us. In humility Jesus saw the relevance of laying aside what was truly important to Him - in order to be The Way for you and me. Paul said, "Have the same attitude that was in Christ in yourselves." There it is. That's the key. We must all learn that nothing can be so important to us that we hold on to it - even while Christ's church is becoming separated. Everything we are willing to lay down (as important as it seems to us) will result in unity in the church at large. That's the perspective that was in Christ. Are you majoring on something that is truly a minor?  Will  what you are holding on to make a difference say in 20 years? Is your "major" so major that it tears down, divides, and separates your family or friends? If we could see it all through the proper perspective, which is Christ's attitude, we would see what is really major. Then we would stop majoring on the minors. Think about it. Pray about it.

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