Tag: Perspective

Perspective on Perspective

I’ve always said that a change in perspective changes everything else, and that really came to the fore for me today. When we read prophetic books like Jeremiah, it’s easy to imagine that the “wicked people” he rebukes are those far from God, outsiders to the faith. But the more I read them the more a chilling realization set in: these are not outsiders he’s addressing—they’re believers, people who are supposed to be part of the family of God.

This shift in perspective changes everything. The harsh words and dire warnings take on a new weight when we recognize that they’re directed inward, toward those who claim to know God but live as though He doesn’t exist. It’s a reminder that being a believer isn’t just about belonging to the right group or knowing the right things; it’s about living in alignment with God’s will.

God’s rebukes through Jeremiah are a call to self-examination. Are we merely believers in name, or are we actively pursuing a life that reflects God’s holiness and love? The people of Judah had allowed their faith to become hollow, a mere shell of what it was supposed to be. They had the outward appearance of God’s people but lacked the inward devotion and obedience that He desires.

This perspective forces us to ask hard questions about our own faith. Are there areas in our lives where we’re just going through the motions? Do we, like the people of Judah, take God’s grace for granted, assuming that our status as believers exempts us from true repentance and transformation?

Jeremiah’s message is a call to wake up. To see ourselves as God sees us and to let that perspective drive us toward deeper faithfulness. It’s not enough to be part of the family of God in name only; we must live as true children of God, fully committed to His ways.

Don’t Take Too Much Credit

As I’m fond of saying, God using you to accomplish His purposes is not necessarily good news for you. Here in Isaiah we have another prime example of that in the King of Assyria who God intends to use to bring His vengeance on Israel. But what’s interesting to me in this is the idea that the King of Assyria assumes the good times will keep rolling forever.

I remember being about 20 and getting a labour job working for a guy in my church. He paid me $17.50/hour — in 2002 dollars — and the first week I worked, it was 6am starts and 5-7pm finishes 6 straight days. I made $1260 in a week! That was $65,000 a year! I was rich! I had plans for all that sweet, sweet money. But the very next week there wasn’t as much work. I would call my boss at 5am Monday and he’d say there was nothing today. Same story on Tuesday. And Wednesday. Thursday he had a small job — 4 hours — that he needed me to take care of. Suddenly that $65K annual salary wasn’t looking so likely.

Like the King of Assyria, we can think that WE did something great and now we are reaping the rewards of our good choices. And because we are so smart and savvy, those good times will keep on keeping on. But that’s not always true. Sometimes — oftentimes — they come to an end.

Everything we have it because God allows us to have it. Let’s try to keep that perspective. There may come a time when it will be taken away from us. Heaven forbid we ever end up like Job, but if we did… how would we respond? How would our response be if we lived knowing that everything we have is a loan from God. How would our response be different if we lived believing that everything we have is OWED to us because of our effort, skill, and knowledge?

Remember: a change in perspective changes everything else.