Eye On

Perspective is very important. The angle from which you look at something can make all the difference in what you actually see. Ever had someone look at something some distance away and they want you to see it. They may say, "stand here." Or, point and say "look where my finger is pointing." They believe if you can orient yourself to the object by standing where they are standing and looking where they are looking you will see it. Casuals seems to have a more difficult time locating the "object" to be seen-the spiritual object or objective.

When Jesus states his objective and urges us to accept it as our objective it is first important for us to actually to see his objective the way he seens it. If we do not stand in the right place we might miss it by a mile, or at least by yards. When we see a person, do we see them as Christ does? When we see a statement made by Jesus in Scripture do we see it as he intended it? When we see and idea or concept do we view it as Jesus does or do we just see it the way we see it. We are so accustommed to thinking that "my perspective" is just as good as "your perspective" we risk miss seeing things from the "right perspective." Of course, that would be Jesus' perspective.

Captive Christians are always trying to stand so close to Jesus that we can better see what he sees. Ever hear someone say, "I know this is probably not the right way to look at this, but..." You know what is coming. The person is going to look at it the way they want to look at it regardless of whether it is the right way. Are they being arrogant, thinking they are "allowed to have their own perspective even if it is wrong?" Or are they too lazy to move from where they are standing to take another look from where Jesus is standing? Or perhaps they are saying that even though they know their view is probably not right they do not know how to get to a place where they can embrace another view. I do know that this is a very fundamental problem in making the journey from being a casual Christian to being a captive Christian.

He's 92

I am up early with some "Georgia on my mind." I just spent a few hours with dad. He's 92. I keep saying that like I just can't believe it. When mother died at age 50 I just never thought of dad living for almost another half century-he might make it! Compared to mom he has lived two lifetimes. Why does one person get one and another get two? But, most of the stories he tells are from the first lifetime. Like the time he worked 176 hours in two weeks at the post office, a record, and made more than the post master. It was a badge of honor. Or, the story about coming to Georgia from Kentucky when he was 16 with a box of chicken and $3 in his pocket, and today being a proud landowner with three times more money in the bank than he paid for the land. He wears these stories like badges of honor. And, as we stood on his rickity back porch he was planning how he was going to make some repairs as soon as the weather warmed up.

The word "work" was drilled into me as a child. It was what we did. I know it can be done for the wrong reasons, i.e. to try to earn your way to heaven, but it is not a dirty word. Jesus did not commend the lazy servant who would not invest his master's money. He cast him out. It seems to me that one reason we have so many casual Christians is because being captive is a lot of work. There may be long two week shifts where you sleep on the postal sacks for a couple of hours and get up and go back to work. There may be times when you are called on to turn a box of chicken and $3 into 40 acres and a batch of memories. Captives do not know how many lifetimes they have. But, they work while they are here and then go home to their rest. Thanks dad for the example.

I Miss 24

I need a dose of Jack Bauer. What is it about a character like Bauer? He is tough, smart, committed, and indestructable! But, what I like about him the most is that no one could break him. You know the scene. He is in a small 10/10 room, with one light hanging from the ceiling, a barred-window about 15 feet above him, tied to a chair that is bolted to the floor, with a table nearby with every concievable instrument of torture on it. He has been beaten, burned, shocked, slapped, cut, shot, water-boarded, and threatened with every unearthly horrow invented by man. Through it all he keeps his head, plans his escape, makes notes of his enemy's weaknesses, plants a few lies to throw them off, and looks them straight in the eye with that look of defiance that would make a NFL right tackle buckle.

Bauer is like Jesus in some ways (not so in a few others-I know). Jesus was constantly having to fend off the temptations of sin and defeat. Jesus was under profound pressure to not stumble or fail. The entire world's salvation was dependent on Jesus staying true, pure, right, good, and focused. Satan and his demons threw everything at Jesus. But still he stood. He looked the demons in the eye and backed them down. The demons were afraid of Jesus. They feared that he would torture them before their time. They feared he would throw them into the abyss.

Oh for the heart of the captive Christian who like his teacher stands firm without bending to temptations and trials. Toughen us Father!