For the past few days, I have been having trouble with my left eye. Not sure what’s going on, but it’s been swelling more and more every day. It has gotten to the point that it is almost shut all the way, leaving me sight in only one eye.
I never realized exactly what this would do to a person. I went to pour cereal in a bowl last night. It was very difficult to see exactly how much cereal was in the bowl. When I poured the milk, I had trouble judging whether or not I was actually pouring into the bowl, or on the table (I made it in the bowl, no messes). My perspective is off. I have no depth perception.
I went on to bed after my late night snack, but I kept thinking about what I was missing with just one eye. Everything that I look at is flat. At first you don’t really notice, but after awhile, you begin to see that things faraway look to be the same distance as things close up.
When I began to think about this in a spiritual way, God began to show me some insights into my own life. How valuable is perspective when we are seeking God, and trying to do His will? How much do we need depth perception so that we can see clearly what God would have us do and say? The first thing that I thought of was in Matthew 7:4-5 “How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Right now, I can feel that plank in my eye.
Any analogy or metaphor is a kind of perspective. For example, if we talk about a "price war" between two stores, we are drawing an analogy between literal wars and the stores' competition in pricing. We invite people to view price competition as a kind of war. In terms of perspectives, we invite them to see competition from the perspective of war. In this sense, any analogy or metaphor is a perspective. The Bible, of course, uses many analogies and metaphors and so provides a multitude of perspectives on all kinds of subjects. The sun is like a strong man running (Ps. 19:5). Wisdom is like a woman who invites guests to her feast (Prov. 9:1-5). The Religious are like the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-2, 11-32). The kingdom of God is like a great stone (Dan. 2:44-45) or like a mustard seed (Luke 13:19). The undersides of leviathan are like jagged potsherds (Job 41:30). And so on.
My perspective on a certain passage in the Bible can be different than yours, due to the fact that we may be going thru different things in our lives, and since the Bible is the Living Word of God, then it can speak different things to different people in different situations.
To keep these different perspectives in accord with God, we have to have depth perception. We have to have a deep understanding of what God is saying to us. How do we get that kind of understanding? We continually study God’s word. We stay constantly in prayer with God. We develop the intimate relationship with Jesus, and we walk with Him daily. We allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us, and to discern for us what God is telling us thru His words. Jesus spoke to the Pharisee’s, and told them that their sight was not true, when He told them this in Luke 16:15 “[Jesus] said to [the Pharisees], 'You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.”
Look here at the Greek definition of the word sin:
NT Greek: hamartia (hamartia), Pronunciation: 'har-mar-TEE-uh'
Occurrences in KJV: sin (172), sinful (1), offense (1)
Definition:
- A missing of the mark, (Vine Expository Dictionary of NT Words)
- To miss the mark, fail in duty, (Holman's Treasury of Key Bible Words)
It is more than a coincidence that the definition is to miss the mark, and without depth perception and the proper perspective, when shooting, we cannot judge the target correctly, and our aim is off? We may not be able to fully discern the true meaning of the Word of God. The words that we read are only that, words, or Logos. Without the true perspective and depth, those words never become the Rhema, or the living words. They can never come alive for us.
We need to keep both spiritual eyes open so that we can see what God wants us to see, to hear what God wants us to hear, and to say to others what God wants us to say. Without them, we can easily be led astray of the examples that Jesus gave us to live by.
Keep your eyes open, and both eyes focused on the Word of God. Pray continually for discernment, and guidance. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life, and to give you the perspective and depth perception that God wants you to have. 2 Peter 1:5-9 “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” Don’t let yourself be blinded by the world, even if it is just in one eye.
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