Christian Heperopia

It is amazing how clearly we can see the faults of others while oblivious to our own weaknesses. Jesus, it seems was always dealing with this problem. I can't think of a time when he dealt with it among unbelievers. He was always dealing with it among religious people and more often than not, among religious leaders.

When we were young converts to Jesus and his way of living, we were like a sponge absorbing all that we could. There is another characteristic to a sponge other than being porous, it is also very pliable and flexible. As youngsters in the faith we were "bright eyed" and open. As we get older we can get closed and narrow in our perspective. Of course, hopefully, that narrower vision is a sign of maturity but it can also be caused by a kind of blindness. Hyperopia is a condition of the eye that we commonly call farsightedness. A person with this problem sees things clearly off in the distance but can't see clearly up close. In Christian terms we would call it Phariseeism. Sounds a lot like "far-a-see-ism" doesn't it? (I couldn't resist that one!)

Let me get to my point in this writing. Christian Hyperopia causes a kind of blindness that leaves us where we see the faults of others more than our own. That farsightedness allows us to develop pride and a self-deception that can wreck our Walk with the Lord. It also causes us to have great difficulty fitting into the Church as God designed. We all have had days of hyperopia. A symptom is when we judge another person's motivation by the motivation of our own heart! In truth, very often our judgment is caused by our putting on others our own weaknesses that we just can't see.

Let us take this thought to Jesus and ask him to heal our vision problem.

Manipulation



Manipulation is such a powerful, negative force! It has its origins in witchcraft. Manipulation is the counterfeit of real Godly leadership. The purpose of manipulation is to bring another person into a place of submission to the will and purposes of the one doing the manipulating. To manipulate another person is a sin and to allow yourself to be manipulated is death. To allow yourself to be manipulated brings death to your vision, your zeal, your courage and your obedience to God. Jezebel in the Bible is the most obvious example of one who lived by manipulation. She had as her intent to follow this process: intimidation, manipulation, control and finally immobilization.



We have all had the temptation to manipulate. We don't have to learn it, we are born with the instinct. We are most tempted to manipulate others in our weakest hour of faith. To manipulate says, "I don't trust God to work this out". Make a decision that you will not allow yourself to fall to the faithless realm of manipulating people or circumstances. Also make a commitment that you will not allow yourself to be manipulated. You can find yourself in the clutches of manipulation in a moment. It can come from the nicest people. Zechariah 4:6 tells us we are to live, "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord".



Don't allow the enemy to use you on the giving or receiving end of manipulation. It has no part in the life of a Godly leader.

The Power Of Sacrifice

The word sacrifice is used almost 200 times in the Old Testament. The personal sacrifice was a major part of worship and the personal relationship between God and man. This sacrifice was something that men wanted to do and they knew it must involve the best of what they had. When David was purchasing land to make an altar, the land was offered to him free. His comments tell us a lot about his heart. He said, " I will not offer to the Lord from that which cost me nothing". Sacrifice was and is a gift from the heart that cost us. Personal cost is at the heart of the faith life.

It seems popular today to teach that sacrifice is not a part of New Testament Christianity. The argument is that Jesus made a sacrifice for us and there is no longer a need for sacrifice. That is certainly true in regard to our salvation. Jesus paid it all! However, once we are believers and followers of Jesus and the Way, sacrifice is an ongoing part of our walk with Him. The rich young ruler is a prime example of a man who missed the Messiah because he wasn't willing to sacrifice his worldly riches for Jesus. The most famous use of the word sacrifice in the New Testament is found in Romans 12:1. Let me quote it from God's Word translation: "Brothers and Sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you." Here the word sacrifice is rightly associated with an act of worship. We are not saved by our sacrifices but our sacrifices are certainly a part of our ongoing service and worship.

Some would question this kind of thinking and some even say, "God would not require such sacrifice from me because He loves me and only wants what is best for me". The Scripture is rich with answers to that comment that prove to us that a loving Father is committed to our best in its highest form. When I hear people say, "God would never require me to move from my house, town or family, or make less money", I want to say, "who told you that? Where in the world did you get that idea?" As a matter of fact, as I study the Scripture I come to understand that many people might just be one sacrifice away from their answer to prayer. A resistance to making the sacrifice might keep them stranded in the quagmire of mediocrity. Miracles happen in the atmosphere of reckless abandonment before God.