SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1196

“Perspective”

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. – Revelation 3:17

When we view life from a worldly perspective, we place ourselves on the central throne of our life and we view ourselves as being in control. God calls those who maintain this perspective foolish.

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? – Luke 12:20

When our perspective on life is through the lens of the Word of God, we gain respect, awe, and a holy reverence for who God is. The Bible calls this ‘the fear of the Lord’ and our thinking is transformed from what is characterized as foolishness to wisdom. We transition from an unfaithful servant to a faithful and wise steward.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. – Proverbs 9:10

One of the memory verses from a small group study on stewardship that I was involved in was from 1 Chronicles chapter 29 verses 11 and 12. Of all the memory verses in that study, this one has continued to resonate in my spirit for decades.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. – v 11

There is no room for pridefulness in this perspective. There is no attitude that says, ‘I did it my way’ or ‘I am a self-made person’. There is no possessive attitude in this perspective. Everything belongs to Him. Nothing belongs to us. We are only stewards of what He provides. This perspective overflows with reverence and awe for who God is.

Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand, it is to make great and to give strength to all. v 12

This perspective acknowledges the Sovereignty of God in all things, from the creation of the universe and all life to the minute details that affect our daily lives. It is this perspective that brings home the fact that He is the vine, and we are the branches – apart from Him we can do nothing.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:4-5

May you view this life through the perspective of the Truth of the Word of God. May your heart be filled with reverential awe for who God is and what He has done for you through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. May you be the one God refers to as His faithful and wise steward.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:6