When you look at the picture above, do you see a rabbit? Or do you see a duck? It depends on how you look at it, doesn’t it? There are other trick drawings like this. In one of them, looked at one way the drawing looks like an old lady in a scarf, and the other way it looks like a young lady with a fancy hat. Another picture seems to be a dog with a bone, but when you turn it upside down, it is an old Scotsman in a plaid beret.
This is how life is, too. When you look at things a different way, things seem different. For example, when you are 10 years old, 25 seems pretty old, but when you get to be 25, 50 seems really old. And at 50, 25 is young and 10 years old is really young.
How you see things depends on your age, where you live, your health, and many other things, but most of all it depends on whether you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior or not. First Corinthians 1:18 tells us “the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.” There we see two ways of looking at the same thing. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus to wash away your sins, you can understand the value of the work the Lord Jesus did on the cross. If you don’t know the Lord, it seems silly to think there is any value in it.
First Corinthians 2:8-9 tells us that the princes of this world didn’t understand the wisdom of God, and as a result, they crucified the Lord Jesus. But God reveals to His people the wonderful things He has prepared for those who love Him. So, if you are looking at God from inside the door of salvation, things look really different than if you are outside. You can enjoy thinking of the future God has for you and trust Him, even if you might have trouble in your life. But people who don’t know the Lord Jesus may fear the future, and when trouble comes to them, they are worried and don’t have peace.
In Hebrews 11:33Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3) we read, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.” God created the world and everything in it. When we have faith in God, we see the beautiful flowers, trees and plants in a different way than a lost soul does. We can see the mountains, rainbows, clouds, stars, and all the wonders of nature and realize that our great God is the One who made it all and keeps it going. Anyone who doesn’t know the Lord sees things in a different way. They may like to see those things, but they miss out on enjoying them with the Lord in mind. They are looking from a different direction.
Another example is found in 1 Peter 4:3-4,3For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: (1 Peter 4:3‑4) which talks about how people behaved badly before they were saved, but after they are saved, they don’t do those old, bad things anymore. Their old friends think it is strange that they won’t go with them now. They are looking from two different directions: Where the lost soul sees fun, the Christian sees sin.
I urge you to put your trust in the Lord Jesus so you can look at things from the right viewpoint.
Messages of God’s Love 2/14//2021