Our Prespectives, Devotional

"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."

(I Cor. 9:22)

God gives us a brand new day to start over, wipe the slate clean, and let go of the past, but seldom do we begin it with a brand new outlook. Too often we think of the day ahead as "just another day". It seems to be filled with the same problems, same faces, same responsibilities, and same routines. How many of us truly hit the floor feeling joyful and saying, "Praise God, this is the day the Lord hath made and I shall rejoice in it".

It would be wonderful if we could look at each day from a slightly different perspective and, with God's guidance, learn to serve Him better as a result.

A Bible translator named Fraiser learned the importance of different perspectives in a very interesting way. He translated the Scriptures into the Lisu language. Fraiser moved on, leaving a young man to teach the people to read.

When he returned about six months later, he found some students and the teacher seated around a table, the Scriptures open in front of the teacher. Fraiser watched and listened. He was amazed as each student read to the teacher. The man on the left read it sideways, the man on the right read it sideways, but from the other side, and the man across from the teacher read it upside down. Since they always set in the same chairs, they had learned to read from that perspective and they each thought it was how their language was written.

We too can be like that. When we learn something from only one perspective, we may think that's the only perspective. We have the solution to our problem, but nobody else's. Sometimes it's necessary to change seat and assume a different perspective on the same truth in order to help others.

The principles of truth in God's Word never changes, but our understanding of them does! Ask God to give you new sights about Him today. With a new perspective, you may see the solution to a problem that has plagued yourself or someone for years.

Sometimes God's children get so fixed on one way that they can't see God doing any other way. God tells us His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. When we allow ourselves to fall into the pit and deception that there's only one way, then we are putting limits on what God can do through us. We need to remember, different people respond to things differently and in different ways.

God knows what it will take, so ask Him and be open and willing to do it His way, not yours. As our perspective broadens, our ability to help ourselves and others increases.