12/31/2007: "Changing Perspectives"
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
The chill of winter marches on; preparing the land for the coming spring. The newly revitalized soil springs forth new life. Flowers, young lings and others gain their first moments into the new world.
A house sits on the lonely street; its shutters battered and torn. The hinges rusted on the gates and the shingles faded and gray.
The wintry chill seems bleak to some and hopeful to others. What makes the difference? The ramshackle house may seem frightening to one but a promising home to another. What makes the difference?
A vile human being fit only for the vats of hell.
A saint; white as pure fallen snow.
Same person: Different perspective.
Perspectives change depending on location and they greatly affect how we act and react. The Lord sees winter as hopeful, the house as a home and the vile human as a saint. It is because of the alterations that occur and are made that offer a change in perspective. The winter inevitably turns into spring. The rundown house is worked on to become presentable and the vile human being is made into a new creation because there is life in Christ. When we change our perspectives to see through the eyes of Christ, we can no longer see things as the world sees them. No, in Christ we are new creations with a new perspective.