Introduction
I remember as a young boy watching my daddy cut the yard with his gas pushed mower longing for the day that I could do that. Today, at 67 years old, I got to tell you that I dread cutting grass; I hate how long it takes to cut two acres. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful that I got a zero turn rather than a push mower, but my perspective about cutting grass has changed.
My mother when I was growing up was big into her children having nap time each afternoon. I remember laying in the bed and thinking to myself how stupid this is because no one sleeps when there is daylight outside. Today, at age 67, I treasure my nap time. I try to plan me a nap time in my schedule each day and I am a little sad if my day was so hectic that I didn’t get to take a nap. My perspective about napping has changed.
I can remember both of my parents telling me when you leave your room for a little while turn off your window unit and turn off your lights. I did not understand their logic because I am going back in there eventually and then I will have to turn them back on; it is easier just to leave them on. Then, I got out on my own, and one day in the mail I got this thing called a utility bill and they wanted to take a whole bunch of my money. You know what happened. If no one is in the room, I go around turning out the lights. If we are leaving the house for any amount of time, I raise the thermostat so that it will not come on as much. What happened? My perspective changed.
Age changed my perspective; financial responsibility changed my perspective and another thing that changed my perspective is coming to know Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life. The Bible tells me when I accepted Christ as my Savior, all things became new. And so, I got to realize that I have a spiritual lens, a new perspective, now to look at life through. My question is: Am I using it? So, I want to see today if I am using my spiritual perspective to look at my life situations. So, if you have your Bible turn with me to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
Scripture
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NKJV)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Point #1
I AM USING MY SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE THAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME IF I CAN LOOK AT MY PRESENT LIFE SITUATION AND SEE THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF WHAT IS TAKING PLACE.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
Paul is saying that my body is not holding up. This outer shell is aging quicky. Paul knows that it is naturally aging but he also recognizes that he has put his body through a lot. I can understand why Paul would say that. I have gone through a lot this year with the elevated white blood cells, the torn humerus head and tomorrow I get a root canal which I hope will stop my ear racks. And I feel l like I have aged a lot this year. And if that is how I feel, I know exactly what Paul is saying reading from the Scripture what his body has gone through. 2 Corinthians 11:25 (NKJV)
25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep.
And that is not all, I remember in Acts 28:3 (NKJV)
3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
I can see Paul saying that my body is giving out. And rightly so. But that is not the only way that Paul looked at it. But there are some Christians that can only see this one side- I am suffering and I am a Christian. Why am I suffering? And then, there are other Christians that will pretend they are not suffering. You know that they are hurting; they knew that they are hurting but they will tell you that all is well with them. That is not some super saint way to look at life by denying it is occurring; that is phony Christianity.
Paul says in this world, I am hurting. My body is about ready to give out. My body is more than aging; it is perishing day by day, that is what is really happening to me. Paul says I am not denying it. But praise God, I see something else happening also on the inside of me that I want to tell you about. I am getting stronger every day in the inner me because I know that my God is at work modeling me into the image of Christ.
Paul’s approach is not some crazy way to look at life. Paul’s approach to looking at life from the spiritual perspective along with the natural perspective goes all the way back to Joseph who told his brothers that what you did for me, you meant for evil, but God meant it for my good and the good of Israel.
You may be going through a difficult life situation right this very moment. What do you see? Do you only see the life situation? Or can you see what God is doing in you through that life situation? That’s spiritual perspective; that is what salvation gave to us. We need to start using it.
Point #2
I AM USING MY SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE THAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME IF I CAN SEE THE BIG PICTURE OF ETERNITY FROM JUST LOOKING AT THE SMALLIEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
Paul says what I am going through is just for a moment in time but what I can see from that moment in time by God’s perspective is that He is building up eternal value for me in heaven. Paul knew that his light affliction here on earth is storing up treasures for him in heaven.
This is not just Paul’s thought; He is not the only Scripture writer that could see time here on earth in its proper spiritual perspective.
1 Peter 1:24 (NKJV) quoting from Isaiah
24 "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
And then there is James. James 4:14 (NKJV)
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
The truth is that when you and I became Christians it opened my thinking to view what is happening in the here and now in light of eternity. We ought to be eternity thinkers. But unfortunately, too many Christians get distracted by the things of just the moment that we fail to see the big picture of eternity.
I want you to look back over the past week, did you spend anytime thinking about eternity or where all your thoughts on the here and now. My salvation opened up a whole new perspective to look at time in terms of eternity.
Point #3
I AM USING MY SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE THAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME IF I CAN LET GO OF WHAT I SEE AND TRUST IN WHAT GOD SAYS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING THROUGH HIS WORD OR THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT.
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
It is hard to let go of something that you can see, touch, and feel for something that you can not see touch or feel. In fact, I think it is fair to say that most Christians live every day far more preoccupied with what they can see, touch, and feel rather than living by what they cannot see even though Paul says that is the way we should live.
It is difficult for us to wrap our mind around that if I can see, touch, feel it then it is only temporary. It is hard for me to think the land on which my home sits is temporary. I see it every day. I walk on it every day. It seems like it will last forever even long after I am gone. In my mind, it is permanent. But this is where the trust comes in. I know in God’s Word that He says one day He is going to destroy this earth and create a new earth. If I trust God’s Word, then 1047 Pine Lane is only temporary.
So, my salvation gives me the trust that I need in God to see what is unseen and to know that it is permanent so I can live my life the way God intended.
Conclusion:
Why is all this that important? Back to verse 16. So that we do not lose heart. There are many Christians living their lives heartbroken because they could not see life from the perspective salvation give us. How is your heart today: are you heartbroken with life; or do you have a heart full of joy?
