"You can observe a lot by seeing."
SEEING OTHERS THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD
SEEING OTHERS THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD
by Bob Bushman 12-09
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
(1Corinthians 13:7 NLT)
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(Hebrews 12:2 NIV)
“Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.” (1John 3:2)
“For those whom He foreknew (to know beforehand) He also predestined (to predetermine) to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” (Romans 8;2)
Here in these verses love and faith are joined to declare the awesome future that awaits us who are the children of the Most High God.
First the God kind of love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and enduring.
Why?
Because from God's eternal perspective He sees us not in our imperfect state as we are now, but He sees us as we will be in His eternal kingdom.
Jesus as the author and the perfecter of our faith could endure all that he endured including the cross because he had a faith vision of what would be accomplished.
We are God's beloved children (John 3:16-17) and what we will be has not been revealed as of yet. In other words we are not there yet, but we will be there one day. We will be conformed into His image. To the image of Jesus our Messiah.
God knows who His children are. His children are those who will respond to the Gospel and will be born again. He is outside our realm of time and space, and He is the Eternal God. He knows the end from the beginning.
God's love provokes us to see the potential in others, who are in Christ, this God kind of love will help us not to focus the imperfections that can be so difficult to over look , and we begin to see the potential that belongs to a child of God.
What if when we while raising our children all we ever did was focus on their failures? What if we always reminded them of how imperfect they are?
What if we only focused on how badly our one year old walks or talks, only focused on how they are today. This would be cruel and abusive to treat any child like this.
We know in our hearts the potential that is in that small child and we help them to enter into their potential. We encourage them, and we do everything in our power to help them.
Prayer
Father help us to see others the way you do. We repent for focusing on the weaknesses and failures of others, and for not looking at others through the eyes of love which always sees the potential of what we all will become through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Jesus name amen.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kristen Davis on -
Thank you! This is a hard truth that many people don't realize. Some times it is extremely difficult to look past the hurt and disappointment that others cause and see what God sees in them. We are all children of God and as such we are all worthy of infinite love. We should pray that God open our eyes to see those who not only treat us well, but also those who lash out against us, as God sees them. Typically the people who hurt us the most are doing so because they are hurting far greater then we could imagine. If we all took a step back and looked at these individuals as Christ looks at them we would be able to see their pain and would be motivated to help them through it. Although the line is corny, it is extremely true "all we need is love." All we need is the love of Christ not only for ourselves, but also for those around us. Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder of how we are to learn to be more "Christ like" every day!
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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob Bushman on -
What is awesome to know is that we can truly love the unlovable and even those who mistreat us with the love that has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Praise God!!!
Kristen Davis said:Thank you! This is a hard truth that many people don't realize. Some times it is extremely difficult to look past the hurt and disappointment that others cause and see what God sees in them. We are all children of God and as such we are all worthy of infinite love. We should pray that God open our eyes to see those who not only treat us well, but also those who lash out against us, as God sees them. Typically the people who hurt us the most are doing so because they are hurting far greater then we could imagine. If we all took a step back and looked at these individuals as Christ looks at them we would be able to see their pain and would be motivated to help them through it. Although the line is corny, it is extremely true "all we need is love." All we need is the love of Christ not only for ourselves, but also for those around us. Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder of how we are to learn to be more "Christ like" every day!
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Permalink Reply by PROPHETESS CAROL on -
MATTHEW 5:20
FOR I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT EXCEPT YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL EXCEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, YE SHALL IN NO CASE ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob Bushman on
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I have been reading a awesome book called The God Who Won't Let Go. In it Van Breeman. He writes, "That we all need more love than we deserve." Of course God's love for us is not conditional based on whether we deserve it or not.
God's love in our hearts compels us to love others, and it is the greatest power in existence. It gives us grace to see the potential in one another and also helps us to be patient with each other. When we are walking in the love of God we are in a position to help others overcome things that are holding them captive. Praise God that He has chosen to lavish upon us His love.
Colby Chase✝ said:The title of this post, Seeing Others Through the Eyes of God, points to a very fundamental thing in Jesus’ teaching. It is about our hearts and minds and imaginations being filled, as we step up and take our part in realizing God’s hopes. We read in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus is looking ahead to a day when God’s kingdom is realized and he will sit before all the people. And who will he call to him?
Matthew tells us that the people to be blessed are identified by Jesus with these words, “when I was hungry, you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you gave me clothing.”
Funny thing is the people don’t remember serving in this way, but Jesus tells them simply, “just as you did it for one of the least of God’s people you did it for me.”
God made all of us in his image. If we truly love God, we can see his image in others--especially those who are hopeless, hurting and struggling to eke out an existence. Even in those we might not particularly like and those who have sinned against us. When we help others by showing love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness, we demonstrate our love for God in a concrete and meaningful way.
Jesus might have said that when you have served the least and the lost and the lonely, your hearts have been drawn toward God’s hopes, you have let your minds be guided and your imaginations stirred. And you have been used by God.
I do know this: When we serve the least and the lost and the lonely, our hearts are drawn toward God’s hopes for God’s people, and he we let our minds be guided and our imaginations stirred. And I have no doubt we have been used by God, whether we know it or not. “When you have done it for the least of my people you have done it for me.”
Let us resolve to see others through the eyes of God, to see them as creations made in his image, and let us go forth valiantly and selflessly shining the illuminating light of Christ's love in this dark world.
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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob Bushman on
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Amen praise God for helping us all to understand what it means to live our lives out bringing glory and honor to our Lord and King.
Jane Dickson said:I have a daily devotional...that I read...and not on the particular days they suggest reading them. Yeah, that's me, the rebel. :) But I brought it out and began reading it again...so if you're wondering....
But the one that really really caught my eye today was called:
"WORSHIP WITH YOUR LIFE"
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth. John 4:24
It reads: "A few years ago, I was given a note written by Elaine Cook, a dear Bible teacher who lives in British Columbia, Canada. Elaine had gone to the Lord in her personal prayer time, asking Him to teach her how to worship Him with her life. As He began to impress her heart with His answer to that prayer, she wrote these words:
When you accept whatever situation you are in without murmuring, you are worshipping Me.
When you can rejoice in Me in the midst of your infirmities, you are worshipping Me.
When you look with compassion upon one who is afflicted, tossed, and broken, then am I worshipped.
When you recognize My Body and honor them as My brethren, this is true worship unto Me.
Lana Bateman
The Heart of Prayer
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Permalink Reply by carolyn burrell on -
Thank you so much for sharing this article. It was very uplifting, and I was truly touched when reading! If others would look through the eye's of God when judgeing this world would be a better place. To many people have so many cruel things to say about one another, and it even happens in the church. I rememeber when I was seeking God and wanted that personnal relationship everybody was talking about. My first step was the church needless to say some of your people who let you down our the ones in the church. I was astonished when I seen this happening especially because I was a baby in Christ. I couldn't understand how people were judgeing one another instead of lifting their spirits. I know the world does it all the time, but when you walk into the church and it's the same way it draws people away from Christ. My dear friends its time to pray for the church, because if we are not treating people through the eye's of the Lord we are going to have a lost generation. It's time to stand up and really fight for Christ! I love the Lord, and I'm going to do what it takes to fight the good fight of Faith. Blessing to you!
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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob Bushman on
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Thank you for your comment and may the Lord give us the zeal you have to see things different in our churches. We need to stop projecting the judgments of our own hearts and instead project the wonderful love of God that changes the world/
carolyn burrell said:Thank you so much for sharing this article. It was very uplifting, and I was truly touched when reading! If others would look through the eye's of God when judgeing this world would be a better place. To many people have so many cruel things to say about one another, and it even happens in the church. I rememeber when I was seeking God and wanted that personnal relationship everybody was talking about. My first step was the church needless to say some of your people who let you down our the ones in the church. I was astonished when I seen this happening especially because I was a baby in Christ. I couldn't understand how people were judgeing one another instead of lifting their spirits. I know the world does it all the time, but when you walk into the church and it's the same way it draws people away from Christ. My dear friends its time to pray for the church, because if we are not treating people through the eye's of the Lord we are going to have a lost generation. It's time to stand up and really fight for Christ! I love the Lord, and I'm going to do what it takes to fight the good fight of Faith. Blessing to you!
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