The End
By: Marlene Putter
The end of the circle is usually also the beginning of the next one... depending on how you decide to view it.
The Bible can be a book or it can be God's living words... depending on how you decide to view it.
A path leading up to a river can mean a dead end or the possibility of a future bridge... depending on how you decide to view it.
Death can mean the end of life or the beginning of eternity... depending on how you decide to view it.
God challenged me on the way I view things....
Rom 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We, having grown up in the world, have the same pair of glasses as the world has. We view things the same way the world does, we compromise to the world's way of doing things, and we allow grey areas in our lives. It is only when we ask God to renew the way we think and view things that we put on the glasses of righteousness and really for the first time stop to look at ourselves... and I can promise you what you are going to see you are not going to like.
It is like looking at sheep grazing on n green hill. In comparison with the green hill the sheep looks snow white, but if you take the same sheep and put them against the hill after it had snowed they will look grey and dirty in comparison to the pure white snow.
It is about the perspective in which you want to observe the sheep out of, do you want to compare them to the grass or the pure white snow?
We as Christians tend to compare ourselves with other Christians who compare themselves with other Christians who compare themselves with other Christians... and so this cycle continues and in the end everyone thinks they are "white". But what will happen if we stop living on the grassy hill where everyone looks white and we start comparing ourselves to Jesus the pure white snow. The one that is truly blemish free and who sets the standard for us living on earth.
I'm not ashamed to testify about what a bad person I realized I truly am, even though the world may view me differently.
Through realizing this I also had a renewing of my revelation of God's grace and Love. The grace and love God showers upon us that He as God came down to die for our sins. Our sins, that is detestable and dirty before a pure and righteous God.
I now better understand how it is possible to fear the Lord and love Him at the same time. Getting past my own pride and coming to God admitting that I am not worthy has been the fist step in a process that is lying ahead. The process of dying to myself and my selfish needs to be transformed into the image of Christ day by day.
This process can't be compared to a fast food outlet, it is not a "fast fix" or a "DIY" job. Transforming into the image of Christ is going to be a step I take day by day for the rest of my life, asking God to help me to view myself as He views me, through the glasses of righteousness with Jesus as the standard.
Looking at your own faults is never a nice thing to do. It is like looking through your own glass, if you look really closely you will see all the small cracks and chips. Once you have identified the crack there is always the element of your own pride who will try to convince you that the glass isn't broken that the picture on the other i is still visible... This is where you have to choose your standard: A visible picture or a pure clear picture.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
I started to pray Psalm 51:10 over myself and I would like to share with you the one area where God showed me how I had the wrong perspective and how He wanted me to change it in order to be more efficient for His kingdom's sake.
It all started with me having the wonderful opportunity to share a message with a high school of about 200 kids in Bali, this is were God first challenged me on my perspective of what a miracle is and as it so often happens I was unknowingly preaching more to myself than to the kids. I gave the message based on the scripture of where Peter walks on water.
Matthew 14:22-33
New International Version (NIV)
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
When we read through this piece our attention immediately gets drawn to the fact that Peter walked on the water. We imagine that age old picture drawn in so many children's' bibles of Peter getting out of the little boat leaving the other disciples with awestruck expressions and walking to Jesus carefully stepping on the water.
Our normal perspective shows us that Peter walked on water and if we have enough faith we can do it to, and if you can't you have little faith. I want to question mark this perspective.
The other perspective it that Peter didn't walk on the water but walked on Jesus' word "Come". When Jesus says "come", when Jesus gives the command to do something we need to step out in faith. Faith that we believe Jesus is the one calling us to do something and if we "step out" in that command He will make the impossible happen, and we will see miraculous things happening around us.
If we keep our eyes on Jesus and His commands for us and stop looking out of the worlds "that is impossible" perspective, if we have faith as small as a mustard seed and focus on God's command "move the mountain" the mountain will move. Miracles will happen out of the overflow of focus on God, with faith, on His commands.
At the beginning of the year I was so fired up to see miracles happen, I believed I had enough faith to pray for someone and see a healing in front of my eyes. I believed I understood the healing power of God. But the reality was that I never witnessed a healing throughout the year. This put a lot of question marks in my mind. Was my faith not strong enough? Do I not understand the healing power of God? Does God not want this person to be healed?
The real question I needed and failed to ask myself was: Is my perspective correct?
I was concentrating so hard on the healing, the miracle and having faith in God that I forgot to focus on God and God only. It took a long time for me to learn that a miracle is a result of the overflow of God
We are heading into the Philippines next, a lot of our ministry is going to consist of crusading and ministering to the people. I am going with a big expectation, because I am going with my focus on God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and I know as a result of that I am going to witness miracles, I am to see how captives are set free and see how the Holy Spirit moves.
I will also continue to ask God to reveal to me the peaces of dirty wool, the grey areas, the cracks and the chips I still have in my life, the areas where He wants me to grow in with no compromise to the world's view.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.