Where the Action Is!

Last night I stood in awe as I gazed at the star studded evening skies outside our apartment home.  I never thought that having to take the pooch out at night would have benefits like this attached to it!  As I looked upon the Big Dipper and was amazed at the detail I could see of it and the surrounding skies, I began to wonder what it would be like to be standing up there and looking down to where I stood.  Could you imagine the scope of the view, the grandeur of the sights that you could see for miles before you?  Could you possibly ever forget the perspective that this viewpoint would give you?

In that moment of time I gained a greater understanding of what Papa God’s perspective must be as He looks down from the heavens upon you and me!  Colossians 3:2 in the Message Bible encourages us to “See things from his perspective.”  Arthur S. Way in his “The Letters of St Paul to Seven Churches and Three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews” puts an interesting spin on this portion of scripture.  He says to “aspire ever to the things on high, where Messiah is… Let your thoughts dwell on things above, not grovel on the earth.”

To “aspire”, “pursue” or “set your affection” as various other translations put it, infers “to practice a particular way of thinking or of seeing things.” (Dictionary.com)  In this case it is talking about how we are to practice thinking and seeing things in this life according to the way that God sees them from His heavenly throne.  I really like S. Way’s use of the word “grovel” in my copy of his 1906 translation.  It means “to act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.”  With “abject” defined as being “utterly hopeless, miserable.” (Dictionary.com)

Those definitions perfectly describe what my wife and I have seen in the faces of the individuals who have mentally and verbally disagreed with our stand of faith for Piper’s health and/or with the path we have chosen to follow.  It is a very visible rendition of one who is hopelessly stuck and in some respects in servility to the position of only being able to see what is currently before their eyes in the natural realm.  I recently read somewhere where the author stated: “Physical senses build life fences.  They fence God out and fence a person, his sickness, and the devil in.”

I have come to see this as a hopeless sentence that eradicates any expectations of God’s “exceeding, abundantly above” in a person’s life! (See Ephesians 3:20*)  And as the dictionary definition states, it leaves one feeling miserable!  Believe me… I’ve seen it… and it can be contagious to those around them.  That is why I had to make a point to lessen my wife’s contact with these folks.  It was having a visibly adverse effect on her which tended to amplify the very symptoms we are believing that she is healed of!

As I was lost in my thoughts out there last night (and the dog was patiently waiting for me to finish so she could go back into the warmth of the house…) I said to myself: “I wonder what it would be like to be in Papa God’s head for a day?”  Then in an instant I had to chuckle as this little voice deep inside me said “you can… it’s called His Word!”

The way for you and I to “see things from his perspective” and “not grovel” with our minds stuck on what the media tells us, is first of all, to know that His will is in His Word and that we need to “Pursue the things over which Christ presides… (and thereby) be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is.” (Ephesians 3:1-2 The Message Bible)

So where would you rather be?  Living in a hopeless, miserable state that causes you to act in a manner of utter fear or abject servility or looking and experiencing your daily life with Papa God’s exceedingly, abundant perspective?  Hummmm… That’s not too hard a decision to make is it?  Have a great weekend!  Stay in tune and in focus to the will of God as defined in His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Who’s perspective am I expecting to live by today?”

 

*You’ve probably noticed by the many times I quote it that this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible!  It is a Biblical truth that I firmly believe and have seen manifested throughout my Christian walk.”