A Change in Perspective

Have you ever had someone misinterpret what you have said? And then you wonder how it could have gotten so misconstrued. Most things are a matter of perspective. You may have thought that you were talking about one thing; they may have thought you were talking about another. Your life experiences, both good and bad, can influence the way you see things, the way you hear things, the way you do things. We need to focus on God's Word and how He does things. If we want to see clearly, we need to see it through His eyes. If we want to hear clearly, we need to hear it through His ears. The only filters that we need are God's Word and the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Then we won't be so quick to judge or make assumptions from our own point of view. We'll have His perspective.

"He then answered, 'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.' So they said to him, 'What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?' He answered them, 'I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?'" John 9:25-27 (NASB) The blind man knew one thing, that Jesus was the source of his sight. Consider letting Jesus be the source of your sight...

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." Psalm 119:18 (ESV)

"You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." Isaiah 42:20 (NIV)

"To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it." Jeremiah 6:10 (NIV)

"Moreover, he said to me, 'Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.'" Ezekiel 3:10 (ESV)

"But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 7:10-12 (ESV)

"For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." Matthew 13:15 (NIV)

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NIV)

And do not be like those who have ears but do not hear and have eyes but do not see. Neither be like those who only listen to what they want to hear, who line up for themselves teachers and doctrines that do not offend and do not contain the truth. As it says in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB), "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these."

Dear Lord, Allow us to hold fast to Your word, listening carefully, and seeing clearly what You want us to do, and how You want us to behave. Help us to not be like those that stop up their ears and close their eyes to the truth of Your word. Let us not desire to hear only what we want to hear. Please Lord, give us Your perspective on all things.