My favorite essay ever written is “The Weight of Glory” by C.S. Lewis.
Every page pulsates with spiritual revelation and insight in an amazingly crisp, clear and convicting manner. Here he speaks of many of the truths that are so near and dear to my heart and heavenly vision. The treasure store of divine wisdom and godly perspectives is as open, abundant and readily available for our benefit here as in anything I have ever read. It is a classic Christian masterpiece, able to bear the torch-light of truth into our hearts, lives, homes and communities if we will. Lewis’ timeless words, compassionate vision of Christianity, with his ability to marry the best of the human heart and mind for the glory of God is desperately needed in our day. What joyful discoveries there are here…poetic, principled and prophetic discoveries!
Here is a brief excerpt, enjoy!:
We should take “heavenly glory quite frankly in the sense of fame or good report. But not fame conferred by our fellow creatures –fame with God, approval or “appreciation” by God…this view is scriptural; nothing can eliminate from the parable the divine accolade, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
In the end that Face which is the delight or terror of the universe must be turned upon each of us with one expression or the other; either conferring glory inexpressible or inflicting shame that can never be cured or disguised.
I read the other day that the fundamental thing is how we think of God. By God Himself, it is not! How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important…the promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us shall actually survive God’s inspection (judgment seat), find approval and shall please God. To please God…to be a real ingredient in Divine happiness…to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a Father in a child –it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is!”
These are some notes from my journal last year. They speak to my writing hiatus, and portions of it were used in my previous blog, “To Write or not to Write.”
This defining line from the movie “Shooter” captures the existential dilemma that often leads to isolation. “Yeah…..he rarely ventures out at all…….This is a man with a history of duty and patriotism, not his punch lines, but his core beliefs…some people don’t know what to do when their belief system collapses.” I, Chip Buhler…am one of those. When someone is totally committed & invested in something they believe to be a noble task or responsibility, it is easy to become injured or disillusioned when things don’t work out. “When a crisis hits, you feel an Alice in Wonderland sense of having fallen into a hole only to encounter strange creatures who mean you harm. In a crises, you feel alone, betrayed…in a state of disbelief” (Eric Dezenhall).
The movie is about a former Marine Corps sniper who left the military after a mission goes wrong, & then later becomes the scapegoat for a political assassination as his intel is used against him. “Now, seriously injured and emotionally shocked from betrayal, he must pursue a desperate search for the truth” (from the DVD case).
The search for understanding, to discern what’s significant & discover God’s perspective is nothing new to me, it has been a life-long passion & pursuit. In the past, I threw my life into Bible study, fasting, prayer, ministry service, mission trips, voracious reading & Seminary research. This last season was different though…new, another level altogether. It seems I’ve been in a time of wilderness isolation & soul searching. It’s not a wilderness wandering, but a temporary withdrawal from busyness and visibility so that God may revive my heart & renovate my mind. During this difficult season, I have yielded to the Spirit’s prompting to “wait on the Lord…be still…”-Ps.27:14, 4:1-6, 46:10, 145:15. I mean really waiting….desperate…gasping for breath hoping in the Lord.
I have needed much time to recover…to experience healing grace, strengthen my soul & search for the truth. I’ve been learning spiritual realities, scriptural truths, life lessons & the heart of a Heavenly Father. In this school of Christ, prayer, parenting, worship, weeping, study and long-suffering, you are taught to desperately seek after, patiently wait on, and humbly submit to the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord. By wrestling with God’s word, warring with personal prophecies, and bewailing my own inadequacies, I sense I’m slowly breaking through the cocoon of God’s calling.
During this time of isolation, I’ve experienced the process of stripping, wrestling & increased intimacy. This process causes deep inward & spiritual transformation while establishing identity in Christ, renewed convictions, clear vision and values.
No, I haven’t been writing blogs, but I have been waiting on God, wondering about my difficult experiences, & writing devotionally & reflectively. While it is certainly true that many things have been too painful to write about (that stuff is fuel for worship & material for prayer), it’s also true that my greatest desire is to write as a form of worship that imparts spiritual wisdom & revelation. Hence, the hesitation, delays…the patience of waiting on the Lord. As I said in my previous blog, “I have purposefully chosen not to publish my recent writings as I seek greater understanding & study enemy tactics while putting the King & HIS Kingdom 1st.”
It takes time to know what you’re to say. You can’t really have perspective on things while you’re in them…you can’t accurately reflect on something when you’re sitting in it. That’s what perspective is all about…the ability to discern the reality, relation & importance of things.I believe there’s a freedom that comes from being outside the situation, system, season…the ability to see & say things that I think everybody’s thinking or feeling…to look at situations & environments & to understand what we’re dealing with…to express issues that may be difficult for someone experiencing a situation or inside the system to see or say. To “examine all things, holding fast that which is good…to speak the truth in love”-1Thes.5:21, Eph.4:15.
There are isolation times & wilderness places in our lives that the Lord has ordained for reflection, revelation & refining. It is therefore, essential that we wait…listen…& learn of HIM.
“And the Word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness.” -Jn.3:2
“When HE was alone with the 12…they asked of Him?...And, when they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples.” –Mk.4:10,34-Selah.
To begin, my general understanding of ministry consultants/partnerships is that they serve as a complement to the leadership team by adding needed coaching, care, counseling or consulting to:
Bring Experience and Perspective(Coaching)
This “Coaching” is the primary emphasis we bring to a given ministry partnership. A coach is not better than you, but can make you better than you. Their value is not in their skill or accomplishments, but in their vision. They watch you and bring outside perspective and input vital for your success. A great coach was not necessarily a great player; but rather, one with a great love for the game. They possess a lifelong commitment to learning the fundamentals and philosophies of the game, which makes them more knowledgeable in “how others have done this,” or the all-important “how not to do something and why!”
Coaching is more than just information. It also provides insights for training capabilities and inspires you to press toward your potential. These needed roles of seeing, understanding and motivating are a passion of ours. Their purpose is that you may clearly assess the present, discern missing essentials, and commit to focus on enhancing future performance; while avoiding the negative “unintended consequences” that often result from isolated decision making.
Establish Reality and Encourage Health/Growth (Care)
This is the role of a doctor or athletic trainer depending on the specific situation. It is mainly providing pastoral care and ministry for specific needs or staff members. This nurturing relationship and communication is very beneficial with new, young or evangelistic minded pastors, or their leadership teams (especially in personal, spiritual or family areas). It is absolutely necessary when there is a large age or experience gap between new leaders and their leadership teams. It allows a holistic, team approach to leadership function and development; ensuring that leaders operate in their “sweet spots and stewardships” and we (20/20) provide for pastoral grace and wisdom where it’s needed.
Support your Focus or Fill a Void (Complement)
I believe this is the answer to many leaders’ strategic needs, especially when they lack the people or resources for an area of ministry. Other than cultivating lay leaders from within your organization, this outside complementary support can be the most effective and efficient way forward. It provides consistent, mature ministry service or needed mentoring in development of secondary leaders. When viewed as a temporary/extended staffer, this role may produce huge ministry input for a fraction of the cost while ensuring the key organizational leaders stay in their strengths and maintain their priorities and focus.
The job of a counselor is to help resolve issues of the past or navigate the difficulties of the present. It is serving as a trusted listener and advisor who does not have the emotional attachment, personal agendas, history or offenses that often hinder relational health and organizational progress. This role may serve to address behavioral problems and address the contextual/structural issues at the heart of difficult disagreements or transitions. We need this help to move beyond the frustration, stress and disillusionment that breed burnout or turnover; and to move toward energized hopes, agreed priorities and action for change.
For these functions, 20/20 utilizes our training and resources from Marriage Savers, Peacemaker Ministries and the Table Group.
Build Transitional Bridges or Provide Anchors for the Future(Consulting)
Consulting is usually a short-term effort that centers on specific problem solving, the development of strategic solutions, as well as implementation and accountability measures. This service functions like a GPS, helping you: know where you are, where you would like to be…and ultimately, how to get there. This process is one that often necessitates questionnaires, outside assessments (other than 20/20), and usually a baton passing of the management/follow-up functions to another inside leader or outside organization (in line with their strength/expertise).
The key to consulting is contextualizing. No 2 people, situations or churches are the same, and it is difficult (if not impossible) to implement the same program in the same way and expect it to work. Pressing issues, tough questions and big problems must be addressed and answered contextually. Some strategies are achieved more through alchemy than as an engineering project or business proposal. This means the recipe for success may be more closely related to ingredients, amounts or environmental cues than to top-down decisions related to steps toward benchmarks to bottom-lines. Because of this, a process of dialogue for discovery to define (and revise) a personal consulting plan is suggested. This holistic/systems approach to strategy affirms our conviction that "everything is contextual."
These functions serve as a seasonal, yet needed extension of leadership for your organization, and are to encourage God-honoring, Christ-centered living and serving. This means emphasizing leaders/staff personal growth and attention in fulfilling desires and designated ministry roles. This will include working towards relational unity and leadership focus (mission, vision, values and priorities).
As we contemplate the state of things in the world today, it becomes clear that our root problem is spiritual blindness. It is a plague that infects our lives and spreads to the nations with incomprehensible speed. It seems apparent that many of the ills and troubles of our time are traceable to this central fact. The masses are blind, most leaders seem blind, and many Christians are blind to spiritual realities and scriptural truths. From both the Bible and personal experience, I see 10 major causes of spiritual blindness:
1. Sin –“Those who have never seen, that need salvation.”
These are blinded by original sin, so as Jesus said, “If the light that’s in you is darkness…how great is that darkness.” They are free to choose what they want, but not free to want what is right or true. In modern terms, “The Matrix is real!” Did you ever think something’s wrong…with me, the world, and you don’t know what it is? It’s sin…the matrix…it is everywhere, it’s all around you, and within you. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes.
2. Satan –“Those that need deliverance.”
Spiritual blindness is spiritual. Wow! 2Cor.4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded” them. This blindness is not only natural…it is supernatural. And, according to these Bible verses, it pollutes the mind…tainting our views and darkening one’s thoughts. It is the work of the Devil. Satan’s power is directed at men’s view of reality and is purposed to control our minds and blind us to the gospel and glory of God in Christ. We must fight the good fight of faith, and know that it’s a costly thing to seek spiritual understanding. That’s why there’s always spiritual warfare and conflict related to revelation, faith and godly vision.
3. Syncretism –“Those who are not seeing very much, or very clearly.”
These are the cultural Christians that have had a touch from Christ Jesus, but “still see men as trees walking.” A touch is not enough. Mixture and collage of belief systems means seeking the God we want rather than the God who is. This “shortsightedness” blurs everything you see. Tending towards shallow theology while being ½ hearted and culturally relevant…this deception views ultimate things in a “Que sera sera…whatever will be” way. This don’t rock the boat, politically correct ruse simply says “Whatever!” to what matters.
4. Secularism –“Those who assume that this world –the material world –is all that there is.”
It means “this worldly,” and refers to the belief that all that is real is here, now and physical. From Hellenistic Epicureans and Hebrew Sadducees, to our Modern atheists and Darwinian naturalists, these skeptical views deny the supernatural (spiritual) and the immortality of the soul. This endeavor to remove God and Judeo-Christian values and influence from the public arena is the first step on a slippery slope to “unmanageable evil.”
5. Fear & Unbelief –“Those whose perspectives and thinking are tainted by doubt.”
Insecurity and intimidation can twist perceptions until we’re convinced of illusions…haunted by what might happen. Fear is not an absence of faith…it is faith in the wrong thing. It’s clear from the scriptures that the major hindrance to Israel in the days of Moses, religious leaders at the time of Christ, with opposition to Paul’s gospel, and among modern Jews and secularists is the blinding power of unbelief. “If you would believe, you would see!”
6. Pride & Prejudice –“Those who have seen, but have lost spiritual sensitivity and vision.”
What they once had is gone, and like Samson with his shorn locks…they don’t even know what’s missing or lost. To lose spiritual sight is to lose the supernatural and spiritual distinctions of the spiritual life. This is the tragedy of Laodicea. Truly, there is much that needs to be said and seen related to this Laodicean condition that so characterizes the western church today. However, we will simply focus on the roots of this which are:indifference, self-sufficiency and self-righteousness. When this is our state, the Lord says to us, “I counsel you to buy of me…and anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see!”
7. Greed –“Those who are blinded by covetousness and the desire for personal gain.”
This is the “way of Balaam,” and is one of the most powerful influences in our world today. When your attention is constantly bound by thoughts of personal gain or loss, you may quickly become blind to the Lord’s presence and purposes. In Job 2:4, Satan shows both his contempt for and conviction of the nature of humanity and the character of Job. The world and Devil are utterly convinced that humans will only act selfishly! When motivated by supreme self-interest, we are bound by considerations of “What’s in it for me?!?” Ambition and avarice brings addiction to a quality of life mentality. This makes us totally predictable to the enemy, and leads us blindly into the trap of the Evil One. There is more to life than money and things…you cannot serve God and Mammon.
8. Religion –“Those blinded by religious zeal, and performance orientation.”
This was Saul of Tarsus before meeting the Living Christ on the road to Damascus. In Acts 26:9 he said, “I thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus.” What a shocking discovery, to find out that the things you thought (opinions and traditions of men),…and ethically, morally believed you ought to do to please God, be acceptable to HIM, and to have a clean conscience, were actually opposed to God. There is no greater blindness than religion. It substitutes zeal for intimate relationship, soul for Spirit, tradition for truth, works for grace, bondage for freedom, and often leads to meanness or militant inquisitions.
9. Discouragement – “Those so hurt by people or circumstances that they lose hope and the ability to discern accurately.”
This was the condition of the disciples after the cross and burial of Jesus. For them, pulverized by pain, desensitized by the shock of death, and gripped with the debilitating power of despair…Jesus and HIS promises were unrecognizable (Lk.24:16). Grieving loss, shattered dreams (ideals), chronic pain and unrealized expectations have the potential to paralyze and blind you in hopelessness and depression.
10. Hatred –“Those with jealous envy and anger toward another.”
Love is not blind…hatred is! And, it is one of the forces behind the increased violence and murders of today. 1Jn.2:11 says, “Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness…he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
>We will have more on these in the days ahead… "Oh Lord, open our eyes!”
On March 2, 2003, I was in Tallahassee, FL. to preach a Sunday sermon titled “20/20 Vision.” Just before leaving for church, I sat a moment with a cup of coffee and opened the newspaper. The headline jumped off the page, and I quickly found myself mesmerized as I took in every word ofLost in Plain Sight: “The Legacy of Florida’s Foster Care System.” This article shocked me as it shouted outrage at a system that lost sight of the value of human souls, and questioned who is responsible. What a tragedy to be the responsibility of the state and federal government, and to be both ignored and forgotten. It was more than ironic…I knew it was prophetic, as I glimpsed over at the message outline that was prayerfully prepared 2 weeks earlier.The 1st principle said, “Our Tragedy: Understanding our society’s loss of values, human dignity and moral conviction is due to spiritual blindness.”
How could someone…anyone…you or I lose sight of what’s so valuable? There is nothing stranger today than “the importance of unimportant things; except of course, the unimportance of important things.” Well, that’s it. You lose what you don’t believe is important. If it’s not valuable to you, then it will neither be seen when there, nor be missed when gone. Where and what your treasure is… there your heart’s affection (love and worth-ship) is…there your life’s attention stays. When you think it matters, your appreciation produces a determined pursuit. Job 28 speaks to this amazing yet contradictory point, that man has an almost infinite capacity to overcome insurmountable odds to discover what he deems valuable (mining, engineering and technology feats); but cannot find the lasting riches of wisdom and understanding because they begin with the fear(reverence and worship) of the Lord God.
Do you notice the difference of value produces both a different point of view and pursuit? The Bible speaks to this throughout the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Is your ultimate value the things of the earth, your efforts and way; or is it to know and worship God…and learn HIS perspective and ways? The first one produces a life of futility (carnality and religion), while the other makes a life of fulfillment. How strange to choose futility over fulfillment, to choose death over life…materialism over spiritual reality…but I see people do it all the time.
In our age of information and day of supposed unequalled education, our blindness to spiritual realities and inability to accurately assess the reasons for our cultural crises has reached epidemic proportions.It ought to be clear by now that we can not educate our way out of something we believed and behaved our way into!The catastrophic effects of denying spiritual and scriptural truths are now plaguing every segment of society. When you take away the supernatural, what remains is the unnatural. When you stop caring for God, you will stop caring for the image of God –your fellow man.
I believe most of the troubles of our time are traceable to the root of spiritual blindness. I am utterly convinced that: 1) There is nothing more important than the spiritual realm. 2) There is nothing more essential or adventurous than faith and family. 3) And, there is nothing more vast and valuable than a human soul. Jude Law’s opening line in the movie “All The King’s Men” applies here, “To find something, anything...a great truth or a lost pair of glasses, you must first believe there would be some advantage in finding it.” If you “see” it (the value, advantage, worth), you will seek it!
Remember, the Holy Spirit is our advantage (Jn.16:7). Isn’t it time we set out once again for the discovery and recovery of the spiritual things that matter most?!?
Q-The need for the hour, the need for our day, the need in this generation…and of every age?
Yes, and we are being made more and more aware in our time of this fundamental and universal need. We could even say that there never was a time when there was a greater need for people who could say, “I see!”… That is the need!
Hope for us hangs on this, that there would be people in this world, this dark world of confusion, self-interest, chaos, tragedy and contradiction; a people that can say, “I see!” In all the geo-political, educational-economic, spiritual-religious, ethnic-environmental, marriage-family, military-energy, youth and leadership crises; there must arise a people that will face these challenges, and meet these needs. And, I dare say, they must be met in a spiritual way with strategic thinking by people of influence that can say, “I see!” It is this “seeing factor” that makes all the difference…and is the great need for our hour.
The initial inspiration for “20Twenty Vision” as a ministry came as God began to open up Jn.9 in the Bible to me. This story of the “man blind from his birth,” arrested my attention, and launched me forth on a mission to “recover spiritual sight.” Elton Trueblood once said, “True recovery is never a matter of going backward for the sake of re-establishing an older pattern, but rather of uncovering (re-discovering) what has been hidden or overlaid and therefore forgotten.” Randall Jarrell said, “Soon we shall know everything the 18th century did not know, and nothing it did, and it will be very hard to live with us.”We have lost some essential things, both culturally and in Christianity, and we desperately need to find them again.
We do not just seek for a new revelation, or even suggest that you have to have extra-Biblical or some new Biblical thing. We do however claim that there is a vast amount of life changing truth and experience in relation to the Spirit of Christ, the Christian life, and the Word of God that we have never seen, which we may yet see. For so many of us, there is a vast realm of Divine thought, scriptural insight and purpose that still waits for a deeper and fuller work of the Spirit within us. We are not seeking to change old truths or have new truths, but for spiritual sight into the truth. And perhaps, most of all, what we are actually missing and seeking is experiential Christianity …personal faith and 1st person perspectives that are God centered.
With that in mind, I am utterly convinced that this blind man encountering Jesus is a modern day parable, loaded with the principles, problems and purposes that are both prophetic and pertinent to the issues and needs of our day.
It is now time for the Christian church and both its’ leadership and people to “recover the testimony of this blind man.” The Christian life begins here, spiritual growth happens here, mature ministry flows from here; and in all facets, through every season of our faith journey…spiritual life must have this secret in it, “I see!” There is no more pressing need today than for men and women who can stand spiritually as this man stood and proclaim, “One thing I know: I was blind, and now I see!”
To keep us going HIS way, to be a part of what HE is doing in the earth, the LORD is constantly bringing us into situations where it is absolutely necessary for us to see HIM! This provokes us to seek HIM that we might experience and know the LORD in a new and Living way. The whole matter is summed up in us seeing, first that we are sinners that can’t see and don’t really know; and, then by us seeing and knowing Jesus Christ. Oh how we need to be aware of the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives in this way. How often God providentially leads us in and through a series of crises to release fresh vision…a series of crises of seeing and seeing yet again, as the LORD opens our eyes and we can say as never before, “I see!”
It is not just our study, our past experiences, our learning or book knowledge, but … “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the (intimate and personal) knowledge of HIM; the eyes of our heart being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of HIS calling, and what are the riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints (you)!”
How effective a witness …how transformative to our world if we once again brought with us this authenticity and authority that is so needed and required today. The need for the hour is for a people to stand and say, “One thing I know: I was blind, but now I see!”
In the search for understanding to gain God’s perspective, I’ve thrown my life into Bible study, prayer, worship and reading. During seasons of study in the early 90’s and 2007, the story of the Israelite’s spying out their promised land (Numb.13) repeatedly grabbed my attention. This narrative provided a constant challenge to my perspectives while confirming some of my own insights.
Remember the story…2 years after crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel were now at the oasis of Kadesh-barnea. Although only an 11 days journey, God had planned for the Israelites to spend 1 year camping at Mt.Sinai to learn His laws and build the Tabernacle. It was the school of the wilderness that God ordained to remove from them a slavery mentality, worldliness and carnality while producing a new way of life.This life was based on a covenant and new perspectives gained from worshipping a Living God and learning His word and ways.
Now, for the 1st time, it appeared an end of their nomadic wanderings was in sight. This scene in their journey was about a 40 day venture by 12 tribal leaders that would test the people’s faith to discover if God’s preparation would effect what they see, say, and decide to do. This intense moment, charged with emotion and expectancy then became dramatically magnified by disagreements among the “spies.” The people would now have to choose to believe a “good report” or a bad one…with life and death, blessing or curse, 40 year consequences.
The writer of Hebrews comments on this story, using the reaction of the spies to this investigation as an illustration of the tendency for the hearts of God’s people to fall short of God’s desire for them. These scriptures warn us to fear lest we come short of a promise given to us…because “the word (good report) preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Heb.4:1-2).
None of the 12 spies denied or disagreed with the reports of an “exceedingly good land,” or of the difficulties ahead of them. Their only argument was that it was an impossible situation for them to handle. The poison of fear entered in, and a plague of unbelief quickly spread through the ranks. The facts were accurate, their hearts were off, and so their perspectives and conclusions were wrong!
They were calculating without God, and this caused them to mistrust their own abilities rather than trust in the Lord’s. There has been in most generations this tendency in God’s people to draw back from the fullness of the Promise because of the smallness of ourselves or seeming bigness of obstacles and opposition.
George Otis, Jr. wrote of this event,“Of far more importance to God (and this was, of course, His real purpose in sending out spies in the first place) was what else the Hebrew scouts would see in Canaan. The final scorecard? All saw giants; most saw grasshoppers; two saw God.”
This whole scene of scouting out the Promised Land with Caleb and Joshua in
faith while others are in fear and unbelief is extremely important to where we are going
(as Christians and churches).God desires us to see as HE sees…to have a Biblical
Worldview and gain HIS perspective. The “bad report” was factual – correct in its
description; but it didn’t take into account God’s promises or power.We must not have
a low line of sight, a grasshopper identity or mentality because of intimidation or
insecurity. Instead, we must lift up our heads and eyes. We must look at things, and then
look again with the eyes of faith.“What else do you see?”…that’s the issue.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the evidence of Things not seen.” With Joshua and Caleb, there was nothing visible or in natural circumstances to convince others of their “good report.” Also, as with most people in the Bible with promises from God, there looked to be much to go through that would be hard and uncomfortable for the flesh. Amazingly, things not seen seemed to matter more to Joshua and Caleb than things seen.We all must look, not just at the seen, but to the Unseen. “For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2Cor.4:18). With spiritual vision we can “endure as seeing HIM who is invisible, Unseen” (Heb.11:27).
How often we find ourselves confronted with an “evil report” that calculates using our inadequacies and intimidating opposition. This tempts us to doubt, fear, and discouragement while bringing an oppressive paralysis, self-pity or even panic. Oswald Chambers asks the question, “Have you been bolstering that stupid soul (self-life) of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God?...(the Israelites did)…all our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”
As Christians, we should take no account of evil, and always bring the Living God in as the greatest factor in all our calculations.
If you have heard God’s promise, seen the “good land,” stared at giants, walls and strongmen to the point of personal insecurity or even hopelessness, and can still see God…you are in position for a Divine reversal and generational blessing.
The old Sunday school/camp song sums this up… “12 men went to spy on Canaan, 10 were bad, 2 were good. What do you think they saw in Canaan, 10 were bad, 2 were good. Some saw giants big and strong; some saw grapes with clusters long, some saw God was in it all! 10 were bad and 2 were good.” Remember, all see giants, most see grasshoppers, but few see God. The question of the hour is, “What do you see?!?”
One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to sit at a table with a scenic view, a favorite drink, some great music and work for hours on 1000+ piece puzzles. Yes, it’s true that few supposed relaxing or recreational things may seem as daunting or feel as frustrating at times; but, that’s why I take frequent walks outside. However, don’t forget the thrill of returning to the puzzle table with fresh perspective or a new angle that reveals a wrongly placed (forced fit) piece, and causes a wave of progressive connectivity. There’s something so satisfying about concentrating on small pieces, connecting and contextualizing them (little by little), and ultimately completing the task of re-presenting “the big picture.”
For much of my life, I’ve felt like one of those force fit puzzle pieces…a square peg in a round hole. It wasn’t environmental, A.D.D., or an identity crises, I simply possessed a prevailing sense of the world focused and awed at a puzzle put together wrongly. Have you noticed that our world is constantly separating things that obviously were meant to be connected; and, connecting stuff that’s definitely to be separated?
Something was off. People around me seemed to have or perceive everything backwards. Like a crowd starring at a Picasso or Dali as if it were reality and life was fantasy; the world (at best) seemed convinced of trivialities and confused on absolutes, or (at worst) didn’t care about their inaccurate, incomplete view of life. Most of them were focusing and prioritizing wrongly, and were blinded to or ignoring the things that matter most. “There is nothing stranger today than the importance of unimportant things. Except, of course, the unimportance of important things…modern man is now committed to the exaltation of very small and secondary matters at the expense of very great and primary ones” (G.K. Chesterton).
Since I became born again (summer 1981), an almost overwhelming, instinctive urge has compelled me to seek wholeheartedly for the “Gaining of God’s Perspective.” This internal conviction has driven me to swim upstream against the raging currents of cultural correctness, present circumstances and Christian nominalism. While a dead thing can go with the stream, only a living thing can go against it. This was not a search for salvation, but the pursuit of God to receive HIS Heavenly Vision.On this journey, the Spirit of Grace and Truth has faithfully guided me through the dangers of humanism, the toils of religion, and the snares of man-made traditions. Like a salmon in spring, I knew somewhere behind and beyond the torrential floods (the accepted and deficient ways of the world) lies the place of my destiny.
Behind the surrealistic puzzle/picture of life, beyond the conventional currents of selfish and secular perspectives was more than meets the eye…and I had a passion to discover it. Behind it all, I knew there was something real, true, eternal, tangible…Someone transcendent and larger than life itself, yet immanent-actually there. As Francis Schaeffer once said, “HE is there and HE is not silent.”
Behind it all was not a place, but a person. Jesus Christ is more than a savior. HE is the “Great I AM”, the revelation and message of God, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of HIS nature, upholding all things by the word of HIS power.” Jesus is the picture for the puzzle pieces of the human heart and life.
By seeing and knowing Jesus, things begin to look different. You become suddenly aware of people and particulars that were missed before. This new sensitivity brings with it a longing to know what it all means. Soon, my longing to know and search for understanding gave way to regularly experiencing “Aha!” and “Oh, I see it!” moments. Faith in God, intimate relationship with Jesus, and the pursuit of HIS heart and eyes brought stunning new insights…causing me to discern misplaced or missing things.
The scriptures are the key to collecting and connecting these clues of life until there’s a coherent pattern or whole picture. They provided me more than a sketch of reality –they revealed where each piece of life’s puzzle went to re-present the big picture…helping me make sense of it all. Most questions can be answered, many puzzles solved, and personal hope for wholeness and vision restored by reading the Bible. Biblical truths are the keys that fit the locks of life…opening the doors to the world around us.
By the daily guiding of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Scriptures, I was now seeing reality more accurately. I came to understand that what was off or missing was due to the world’s rejecting and neglecting of spiritual realities and scriptural truths while putting the comforts of the body over the care of the soul. This is faith in the material to the utter neglect of the spiritual…which is none other than covetousness or idolatry. Through the eyes of selfishness, everything we see is distorted, as our pride and prejudices pervert our perceptions. Gaining God’s perspective allows us to see as HE sees. It is catalyzed by the revelation of Christ, cultivated through spiritual discernment and a Biblical worldview, and made accurate through the proper conception and care of the soul. By seeing these ultimate truths/realities, we are freed from slavery to the immediate.
Then we can be prophetic –interpreting life from the perspective of faith and love and under the aspect of eternity.
This type of vision is accompanied by the desire to help “all men see the fellowship (connections) of the mystery”… that they may turn the things of their lives around and put them back together rightly. Like the sons of Issachar, our understanding is always with an eye to what we should do, and not simply know.
May the God of Heaven invade your life that you would be captured by HIS presence, captivated by HIS enduring vision that is born of a different perspective and commitment. “Oh, Lord, open our eyes to see!”
