Sermon On The Diversity Of Perceptions In Life

Isaac Bashevis Singer, an American novelist once remarked: “The greatness of art is not to find what is common but what is unique.” Psalm 19:1-5 reminds us: ”The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day-to-day pours out speech, and night-to-night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.”

Uniqueness is defined as the quality of being particularly remarkable, special or unusual. It may be regarded as being the only one of its kind. Unless it is a copy of former thinking, or a masterpiece etc; every painting is usually considered as exclusive. It portrays a personal vision from an artist onto canvas in a creative perspective or perception only seen by him or her. Diversity exists in the possible genres of perception. These may include auditory, touch, vision, olfactory, taste, proprioception, and social discrimination. These are distinctive to each individual in the universe, no two persons view life as the same. Everyone reacts differently to the wonders or practicalities of a normal entity. They may see goodness where nothing is apparent, they may see badness amidst beauty. Perception is an understanding of the knowledge of life. It is an individual interpretation of both fact or fiction.

Perception can open new doors, it can reveal a reality of circumstances as they should be seen, which discard irrelevance, and instead, focuses on the truth, or it may seemingly create a fictional world in which only some can abide. Matthew 6:1-5 reminds us: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”

Knowledge and facts can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In some cases, one’s perceptive senses may become distorted by maligned, and wrongful information. We need to remember that although advice can be helpful, the ability to apply discernment is of even greater importance. 1 John 4:1-21 reminds us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”