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You won't gain an eternal view by trying hard to see your circumstances from God's perspective. You gain it by giving up on your efforts and asking Christ to be your vision. When God is our vision we have an eternal perspective and with an eternal perspective, we see: Light that overwhelms darkness, Victories that overcome defeat, Miracles that overtake tragedies, and Peace that overshadows confusion. We see love that denies conditions and life that displays completion. Acceptance that defies conduct and afflictions that discover contentment. Pardon that destroys condemnation and purity that determines our condition. Hearts that desire compassion and hope that demonstrates confidence. Reconciliation that displaces contention and righteousness that desecrates corruption. * We experience failures that demolish our control. Forgiveness that devours contempt. And Faithfulness that dissolves concerns. We come to know a Giver that delivers gladness. Grace that deposes guilt. And God who deserves all the glory. We recognize a Warrior that defends the weak. A Way that directs the weary. And a Wall that dispels the wicked. We see our suffering as Pain that will declare His power. We see our struggles as Problems that will develop His purpose. We see our seeking as Paths that will discern His promises. And we see our selves as Prisoners that delight in His praise. We see God defeat our enemies, dethrone our idols, and dispute our accusers. * We become Dissatisfied with Mediocrity, Disgusted with Maintaining, and Displeased with the Mundane. We become Eager for His Majesty, Encouraged by His Marvels, Empowered by His Might, and Expectant of His Miracles. We are no longer Disillusioned by Satan, but Discipled by the Holy Spirit. No longer Driven by the Sensual, but Dead to Sin. No longer Restricted by Limited Wisdom, but Released by Limitless Wonders. No longer Motivated by Greed, but Matured by Grace. No longer Sinners Held by Habit, but Saints Headed to Heaven. No longer Trapped by Sin's Penalty, but Transformed by the Savior's Pardon. No longer Walking by what we see, but Wakened by what we are! No more listening to the Soul's Emotional Pendulum, but living by the Spirit's Empowering Presence. Our gaze is fixed on Jesus. Our goodness is flowing from Jesus. And our Glory in found in Jesus. * We realize our own efforts are useless, our own endurance is undependable, and our own empowerment is unthinkable. There is nothing valiant in OUR struggling. There is no victory in OUR strength. And there is no value in OUR service. We are cleansed by justification, covered with Jesus, so we are confident about His judgment. We are saved by His grace, sanctified by His glory, so we are secure in His goodness. We don't fail His commandments, we don't face His condemnation, so we don't fear His coming. We realize our perfection, recognize our possession, so we rejoice in His presence. We see reality in a promise, revival in a problem, and reward in perishing. We sing in the midst of suffering, delight in the midst of dying, joy in the midst of the journey, worship in the midst of the wilderness, glory in the midst of grief, dance in the midst of despair, and laugh in the midst of loss. * We see beauty brought by brokenness, advantage added by affliction, riches rising from rubbish, triumphs trailing from troubles, gain gathered by groaning, splendor sent by sickness, and dominion discovered in death. We are confident that Praise comes to the Humble, the Proud come to Humility, Provision comes to the Hungry, and the Prodigal always comes Home. What is broken is put together, what is harmful is put asunder, what is willful is put into Christ, and what is sinful is put under His blood. Before our watchful eyes - shame disappears, sorrows dissipate, and Satan is disarmed. In Christ and His eternal vision our Salvation is Offered, Our Sin is Obsolete, our Security is Obtained, our Solution is Obvious, and our Search is Over. Oh Lord, Be thou my vision. The articles and contents of this website are Copyright 2004 by Tim and Debbie Childers and The Reality Group. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for individual use and reproduction of articles provided that the document remains intact, with this copyright message clearly visible. Commercial use is strictly prohibited and no content, either in part or in whole, from this website can be mass distributed in any way without prior written permission from The Reality Group. |