Recently,
I found this picture of a rainbow. Its uniqueness is found in the
description- a rainbow is actually a circle, not just the arc that we
see from the ground. Over my lifespan, I have seen literally
thousands of rainbows, some in the skies, but even more in pictures
from the internet. Today, I find that my perception of them is far
too small, for I have thought of them just from a ground perspective.
This revelation brought forth another thought in the form of a
question: I wonder, has my conception of Christianity, the Godhead
and the Gospel suffered from a lack of perspective as well?
The
Bible says...
Ephesians
1 ( World English
Bible )
1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of
God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ
Jesus:
2
Grace to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
4
even as he chose us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without
blemish before him in love;
5
having predestined us for
adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to
the good pleasure of his desire,
6
to the praise of the glory of
his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on us in the Beloved,
7
in whom we have our redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to
the riches of his grace,
8
which he made to abound toward
us in all wisdom and prudence,
9
making known to us the mystery
of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10
to an administration of the
fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in
the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;
11
in whom also we were assigned
an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of
him who works all things after the counsel of his will;
12
to the end that we should be
to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:
13
in whom you also, having heard
the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom,
having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise,
14
who is a pledge of our
inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the
praise of his glory.
After
a bit of reflection, I realize that I need to adjust my perspective
in a number of areas, namely; time, space, power, blessing and the
sheer scope of existence ( both now and eternal ).
In
short, my perspective is way too small. God’s Gospel, power,
blessings and will are of an eternal nature, with unlimited
understanding, power and precision. This makes my understanding of
reality far too small to understand the totality of God Almighty. God
views reality from a spiritual perspective, which results in a
physical reality. I can only see the physical existence and partially
understand the spiritual.
Frankly,
I think the world is headed towards global thermonuclear war. If this
should happen, then what? Well, my thoughts turn to something that
was said in Kevin Heaton’s adult bible class yesterday morning. If
it wasn’t for Moses interceding with God, then The Almighty would
have just wiped Israel off the face of the map and started all over
again. Could not God, with his unlimited power do the same for all of
humanity? I believe God could do this and far more.
With
power that is beyond my humble understanding, there is nothing that
any Christian should really worry about for God really does have
everything under control, whether or not I can understand it. About
this moment, I recalled the words of the prophet Habakkuk…
Habakkuk
3 ( WEB )
16
I heard, and my body trembled. My lips quivered at the
voice. Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place,
because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up
of the people who invade us.
17
For though the fig tree doesn’t
flourish, nor fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive fails,
the fields yield no food; the flocks are cut off from the fold, and
there is no herd in the stalls:
18
yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I
will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19
Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength.
He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and enables me to go in high
places. For the music director, on my stringed instruments.
And
then this passage from the book of Revelation…
Revelation
21 ( WEB )
1
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.
2
I saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride
adorned for her husband.
3
I heard a loud voice out of
heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he
will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself
will be with them as their God.
4
He will wipe away from them
every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there
be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have
passed away.”
5
He who sits on the throne
said, “Behold, I am making all things
new.” He said, “Write,
for these words of God are faithful and true.”
6
He said to me, “It
is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I
will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water
of life.
7
He who overcomes, I will give
him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.
8
But for the cowardly,
unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that
burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
To
those who really love God, I say… OVERCOME! God will work
everything out, BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD!
Now
that is one huge perspective adjustment!
