Perspective: see from God's point of view by Rick Warren

March 22, 2010

Perspective: see from God's point of view by Rick Warren

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. Hebrews 5:14 (NLT)

"Knowledge is learning what God has said and done. Perspective is understanding why God said it or did it. "

Perspective is understanding something because you see it from a larger frame of reference. It is the ability to perceive how things are interrelated and then judge their comparative importance.

And, for believers, it means seeing life from God's point of view. In the Bible, the words "understanding", "wisdom", and "discernment" all have to do with perspective. The opposite of perspective is "hardness of heart", "blinded" and "dullness."

Psalm 103:7 says, "He (God) made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." The people of Israel got to see what God did, but Moses got to understand why God did it. This is the difference between knowledge and perspective. Knowledge is learning what God has said and done. Perspective is understanding why God said it or did it.

Perspective answers the "Why?" questions of life.

The Bible says that unbelievers have no spiritual perspective (1 Corinthians 2:14). Likewise a lack of perspective is a mark of spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, 13:11, 14:20). God's reoccurring complaint about the nation of Israel was that they lacked perspective. Many of the prophets rebuked this weakness (Isaiah 44:18, Jeremiah 4:22, Micah 4:12).

In contrast, having perspective is evidence of spiritual maturity and our ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong.