How's your perspective?

 “Perspective is everything when you are experiencing 
the challenges of life.” Joni Eareckson Tada

 

There was a small town on the border of Canada and the United States. For years both countries fought over the ownership of the town. Finally, the matter went to court and the judge decided in favor of the United States. The town was definitely in the U.S. At the end of the trial one old fellow was heard to say as he left the courtroom, “Oh, thank goodness, I just don’t think I could have stood another one of those cold Canadian winters.”  Isn’t it strange how a shift in perspective can change so many things? An American winter sounds milder than a Canadian one. Think of how life looks different when you’re 35 as compared to 21, or 65 compared to 35.

  The angle from which we view things determines much of what we see. Perspective is everything.  It’s the lens from which we view life. More importantly, it’s how we should view God’s role in our lives. Perspective must be formed by what is true. As Christians, this wisdom should come from God’s Word. To have a biblical perspective, there are some truths then that we need to remember.

  Life is hard. All of us have had one of “those days” when everything just seems to be going wrong. You get up in the morning still tired from a less-than-perfect-night’s sleep. You’re running late for work, you grab your phone, realize that you forgot to plug it in, and the battery is dead. Then you go to the coffee pot hoping to turn your day around – anxious to get that fresh cup – only to find that you didn’t quite have the pot on straight. Instead of a fresh cup of coffee, you now have a counter full of it.

  Our world is fallen and broken, and so are the people in it. We all have to confront trials and sometimes very painful things. Jesus promised that we would have to face tough times, but He also gave us the promise of peace, a command to take courage, and reassurance that He is in control. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” To have peace in the midst of life’s turmoil, we must cling to God’s perspective to experience His peace even in the very worst times of life. We must do what countless other people of God have done.

  God is good. The Bible defines God’s goodness in two ways. One has to do with His character and the other with His actions.

  Psalm 119:68 captures both when it says of God: “You are good and You do what is good…” The first part focuses on that God is by His very nature good. He is "morally excellent, extraordinarily beautiful, and extravagantly bountiful." Yet, how do you see the true character of a person? By that person’s actions. The second part of God's goodness then concentrates on what He does. The Bible is replete with descriptions that point to His kindness, His mercy, His steadfast love, His generosity. God is disposed to give to human beings beyond what they deserve, all the time. God is good.

  God is Sovereign. Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Lord God! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You.” God chooses world leaders (Proverbs 21:1) and controls all human events (Psalm 33:9-11). And He controls all of our circumstances (James 4:13-15). To say that God is sovereign is to say that He is unrivaled in majesty, unlimited in power and knowledge, and unaffected by anything outside of Himself. He is outside of time and totally free to do whatever He wills to do anywhere, at any time, in every single detail without interference. The bottom line is that God reigns! That’s what it means to say that God is sovereign.

  Run that around the block in your thoughts. When someone we love lies in a hospital bed and we don't know what's going to happen, God is in control. When the economy - national or personal - is slipping and sliding, God is in control. When we’re lonely and wonder if we're ever going to connect with someone, God is in control. God is Sovereign. 

  God is All-Wise. Psalm 147:5, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.” That simply means that there is absolutely nothing that God does not know. From the spinning of galaxies hundreds of lightyears in diameter down to the vibrations of subatomic particles, everything in creation is known and understood by God. It only makes sense that God would understand it, since He created it and now keeps it all going by His power. Every word spoken by every person who ever lived, every thought in every mind, every movement by any of the billions of insects, birds, fish, and mammals anywhere in the world; every chemical reaction going on inside every flower, tree and plant on every continent - ALL of these are fully comprehended by God. They are all known and understood by God simultaneously, all the time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

  What difference does God’s wisdom make to us? His wisdom is a source of great hope and comfort. Only a God with perfect wisdom and understanding is truly worthy of our faith. When you place your trust in someone, you want to be sure that they know what they’re doing. Aren’t you thankful that God is All-Wise?

  God is All-Powerful. Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” God’s power is infinite and unlimited. He has the power to do all that He wills to do and is able to do everything He needs or wants to do. That God is All-Powerful is a wonderful comfort to the believer because He is with us and exercises His power on our behalf. Whenever we need Him, and even when we think we don’t, He’s still there. God never fails.

  For a lost world Christ’s cross was a waste, an enormous mistake. But to those of us who believe it’s a demonstration of God’s power. In the very place where God seemed to be defeated, it’s there we see His power.

  Is the all-powerful God good and does He care for us? Look to the cross and decide for yourself. At the cross, in that place where the world sees weakness, we find God’s power. We come helpless to the God who is our help and weak to the God who is our strength. If God weren’t all-powerful, Jesus would be a rotting corpse. Since God can raise the dead, He can do anything. Let that encourage you as you face the seeming impossibilities of life. You’re not alone for the All-Powerful God walks by your side.

  So, when life happens and begins to unravel, it’s a biblical perspective that’s our anchor. Our circumstances may not change but our hearts can when we trust our God and choose to have a Heavenly perspective. 

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Elf on the Shelf and the naughty list

“Traditions are there for a reason: to provide us with guilt when we don’t do them correctly.”  Kelly Wickham

  Since my children are all adults, there are “new” traditions with Christmas with which I’m completely unfamiliar. One that sprang up in recent years is the Elf on the Shelf. It developed from the 2005 children's picture book by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. The book tells a Christmas-themed story, written in rhyme, that explains how Santa Claus knows who’s naughty and who’s nice. It describes elves visiting children between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, after which they return to the North Pole until the next holiday season. The Elf on the Shelf comes in a keepsake box with a picture book and a small soft toy elf.

  The elf shows up at your house and keeps an eye on your children to ensure that they’re “good.” He reports back to Santa every night then comes back to your house and hides somewhere new where he can watch the kids. Children are taught that Santa is watching them through his minions so that they will behave. Parents randomly hide the elf in different places, to keep the kids on their toes. It’s a fun challenge to find the elf and when they spy the elf, it reminds them that they’re always being watched and had better be good…or it’s lumps of coal for Christmas.

  One Canadian mother thinks that this is a horrible idea, and probably akin to child abuse. Suzanne Beaumont is on a one woman crusade, encouraging parents to ditch this holiday tradition in favor of something with a more positive message. She believes that Elf on the Shelf sends a message to kids that they’re under constant surveillance by Santa and his pointy-eared minions. After reading the book, she felt “really disturbed” and felt something must be done to counter the tradition, so she came up with a new, more positive twist: What if the elf actually taught them something? What if his role was to be the example and give them an opportunity to practice kindness, compassion and gratitude? So she brought the elf home and gave him a new moniker, “Kindness the Elf” and explained to her daughter that the elf’s purpose was to bring kindness to them during the holidays and to encourage her to be good for goodness’ sake, not out of fear of punishment. Her daughter wakes up every morning and heads straight for the mailbox. That's where she finds instructions from Kindness the Elf telling her what positive things she should do that day.

  Now before you decide that I’m the Grinch, there’s nothing wrong with a little make-believe and fantasy. Christmas should be fun, particularly for children. Personally, I think folk like Ms. Beaumont have probably had a bit too much egg nog. And while we chose to not teach our children about Santa Claus, we were committed to making Christmas a lot of fun for our threesome. So if you want to teach your children that there’s a Santa, or Elf on the Shelf, or the Tooth Fairy, that’s a parental choice.

  Elf on the Shelf opens the window for a vital biblical truth. While most adults are far too “sophisticated” to believe someone is always watching, He is. His name is God. It’s what theologians call “omniscience.” That simply means that God is all-knowing; that He encompasses all knowledge of the universe past, present, and future. In the beginning, God created the world and everything in it, including knowledge. In other words – God knows everything. Not only does He know everything, Proverbs 15:3 says that God sees everything. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

  And that’s my big problem. Since God knows everything, there really is a “naughty list,” and my name is on it (probably at the top) and so is yours. And what’s worse, I can’t ever be good enough to get my name off the list. As Romans 3:10 says, “None is righteous, no not one.”

  Santa, Elf on the Shelf, the Austrian Krampus, the Dutch Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) the German Knecht Ruprecht, to name a few…all have one thing in common – the Law. But Jesus came to bring us the Gospel (Good News). The most important truth that you need to know and teach your children and grandchildren is the distinction between and the Law and the Gospel. God is not another Santa Claus. 

  While we’re absolutely incapable of ever being good enough to receive anything but coal in our stockings, the only hope for goodness is only found in the only One capable of absolute perfection. His name is Jesus.

  Most of the world believes in some sort of Santa Claus and it’s not just at Christmas. It’s 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s the lie of “do good and you’ll be accepted by God and will receive good things. Do bad and you’ll be punished.” It’s the Law, it’s Karma…it’s even typical parenting. But the true message of Christmas is about the Gospel! Thank God for the Gospel! Thank God for the incarnation of His Son who came to earth to save us from this filthy mess into which we’ve gotten ourselves! As the angel said to Joseph, “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And later as the angel announced to the  shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

  We can be free! We no longer live have to live under this burden of guilt and sin, but now can live in the freedom of Christ. That’s what Christmas is really about. We no longer have to live within the confines of the Law. The Holy Spirit was not left to look over our shoulder to make sure that we’re being good enough for God. Jesus didn’t come for those who were good enough and He certainly didn’t come to rat us out. The Son Of God humbled Himself in His incarnation into the restricted form of a human body, lived a sinless life, and then willingly hung on a tree to die for those who deserved not only coal but much worse. He did this all knowing that you and I could never be good enough to appease the Father. We could never earn a righteousness of our own so God’s gift to us was the righteousness of His Son wrapped up in a blood-stained, tragic death, which culminated in a cry of “It is finished.” That cry, “It is finished” declared once for all Jesus’ annihilation of the naughty and nice list. With that cry that He stuffed Santa down the chimney and shoved that Elf off the shelf so that we could be free…free for all eternity.

  Mercy means withholding judgment and punishment that we fully deserve. After mercy, grace is giving us blessing, goodness and Heaven too…none of which we deserve. It’s all a free gift, God’s Christmas gift to us. Have you accepted God’s gift for forgiveness and salvation? 

  This Christmas rest in Him, rest in His goodness and not your own. And please, give your children the greatest gift they’ll ever receive – the grace that tells them that they have a Savior who loves them and has come to rescue them from the crushing news that they will never be good enough. 

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