Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes (10 page)
Read Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes Online
Authors: June Hunt
Personalize these verses in your own words:
John 17:22-23
2 Peter 1:3-4
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have value because…I am complete in Christ.
I Am Clothed with the Righteousness of Christ
“I put on righteousness as my clothing”
(J
OB
29:14).
Y
ou’re at the beach…you’re famished…you find a restaurant…you rush in…you spot a sign: “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” The message is clear. To be accepted, you must be clothed according to the restaurant’s standard.
God also has a standard. But He makes it possible for you to be acceptable to Him at all times when He gives you “righteousness as [your] clothing.” The word
righteous,
in its simplest form, means “right” and “just.” The word also means “acquitted, vindicated.” Your faith and trust in Christ enables God to acquit you of sin. He doesn’t see your sin any longer, but sees you as clothed with the righteousness of Christ. As such, you are acceptable and properly dressed to “come and dine, and have fellowship with God any time you desire.”
More specifically,
righteousness
has two similar yet distinct meanings:
• First, being right in God’s sight—based on belief
• Second, doing right in God’s sight—based on behavior
The problem with the second meaning is this: “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Therefore, if you wanted God’s acceptance, it couldn’t be based on all your actions being right in His sight. God knew you needed to
be
right so you could learn to
do
right.
If you have struggled with feeling too unworthy to be called “the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21), realize this clothing God has given you is like a uniform of authority.
Have you ever seen a gigantic 18-wheeler grinding to a stop just because a police officer walks in front of the traffic and holds up a hand? What gives this person the right to command such respect? Certainly not parentage, social status, education, personality, or even church affiliation. The officer stands confidently in front of this awesome “king of the road” because of the right clothing—the uniform signifies authority.
Did you realize at the moment of your conversion, you were issued a righteous “uniform”? All of your sins, past, present, and future, were forgiven, and you were given power and authority over sin. With the “breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14), you no longer have to give in to sin; it is no longer “master” over you.
As you see yourself through God’s eyes, as His child, you have power that backs the “badge.” That’s how God sees you!
Personalize these verses in your own words:
2 Corinthians 5:21
Galatians 3:27
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have value because…I am clothed with the righteousness of God.
“God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life”
(1 T
HESSALONIANS
4:7).
H
ave you ever had difficulty with the Scripture passage, “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16)? Because most people think being holy is synonymous with being sinless, they think,
Who could possibly be holy? It’s unattainable…unimaginable!
One day a friend said to me, “I know
holy
means ‘set apart,’ but I don’t want to be set apart. That sounds like having a constant case of measles!” Unfortunately, some people consider a holy person as one who lives a monk-like existence, praying 24 hours a day so as not to sin. Holiness, however, does not bring about isolation, but integration—the integration of the character of Christ in you for His nature to be expressed
through
you.
Nature
simply means “that which is natural.”
When I was a little girl, my Uncle Jimmy walked me through his watermelon patch in Idabel, Oklahoma. Holding up a tiny black seed, he said, “These big melons grew from seeds just like this one.” That seemed impossible to me! Yet 80 miles from Idabel is the town of Hope, Arkansas, where something “more impossible” became reality. Lloyd Bright gave his watermelon seed the care and environment to grow naturally. The result? A world-record 268.8-pound watermelon!
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How? Watermelon seeds simply do what comes naturally to them—they grow. Their seeds are
set apart
by God for that purpose.
When you are set apart by God, holiness is natural. The Father is the gardener; Christ is the seed. With Christ in you, you are set apart to grow and become like Him. First John 3:9 explains: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him.” It is natural for the Lord not to sin. Therefore, with God’s seed in you, it becomes increasingly natural for you not to sin. What seems impossible becomes possible. You are set apart
from sin
and set apart
to God.
You will not become instantly sinless, but you will sin less…and less…and less.
As you see yourself through God’s eyes and with His presence inside you, He will produce the impossible through you. Why settle for anything less?
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Romans 12:1
2 Corinthians 7:1
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have value because…I am holy before God.
I Am Safe in the Protection of God
“You alone, O L
ORD
, make me dwell in safety”
(P
SALM
4:8).
T
ammy, the young trapeze artist, electrified the audience with her daring performance. Afterward, a reporter asked, “How do you appear so confident performing such a dangerous aerial act?” The child quickly broke into a smile and responded, “That’s easy. Didn’t you see the safety net? There was a man standing there to break my fall. That was my dad.”
Nothing frees you to walk the tightrope of life—to perform daring feats outside your comfort zone—like knowing you’re safe in your heavenly Father’s care. He holds the net. In Deuteronomy 33:27 we are promised, “Underneath are the everlasting arms,” always ready to break our fall.
As a child of God, you face seemingly insurmountable challenges—trying times when God forges your faith under pressure. During these times of severe stress, you can quell your fears by remembering…
He holds the net.
Then when your circumstances get a little shaky and you are wobbling back and forth between faith and fear, even if you slip off the tightrope of life and take a dive, your Father will break the fall…because He holds firmly on the net.
In the midst of a storm, when Simon Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he yearned to step toward the safety of Jesus. In a burst of faith he cried out, “Jesus, let me come to You!” Throwing caution to the wind, he stepped out onto the water toward Jesus. When Peter became frightened, he began to sink but only momentarily, for Jesus was there to help him.
Later, however, Peter experienced a devastating fall: He denied his Lord—not once, not twice, but three times. He had been trusted, but now he was a failure.
Yet Peter fell into Jesus’ unbreakable net of safety, acceptance, and love. Jesus was there with a net full of forgiveness for Peter. Jesus broke the fall.
Where there had been a threefold denial, now Jesus gave Peter the opportunity for a threefold declaration of love: Peter, do you love Me? Tend My lambs…shepherd My sheep…feed My sheep (see John 21:15-17). The Lord’s gentle coaching prepared Peter for a lifetime of confident ministry.
Do you know the sickening feeling of plummeting toward failure? See yourself through God’s eyes, and never forget that He stands to break your fall. He ensures your safety;
He holds the net.
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Psalm 16:1
Romans 8:31
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have value because…I am safe in the protection of God.
I Am Secure in the Love of God
“I have loved you with an everlasting love”
(J
EREMIAH
31:3).
W
ho has not longed for love? Who has not sought security, devotion, and commitment from one significant person, only to find himself empty-handed and empty-hearted? God created each person with an inner need for unconditional love. Yet we all know what it is like to have loved and lost.
This is why the love of God is unfathomable. As a child of God, you can never be lost from His love. Nothing you can do will make God love you more. Nothing you can do will make God love you less. He loves you without merit; He loves you without measure.
From 1857 to 1866, when attempts were made to lay a transatlantic telegraph cable between Europe and North America, workmen discovered ocean depths they were unable to fathom, depths they were unable to measure or to probe. A weighted line dropped to a depth of 2,000 fathoms (one fathom equals six feet) still did not reach the ocean floor. This depth was called “unfathomable.” Similarly, the depth of God’s love is beyond measure. “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7). Imagine, if you can, this is the vastness of God’s love for you!
Perhaps the most poetic expression of God’s unfathomable love was written long ago by a man who died in an asylum. These words were found scribbled on the wall beside his bed:
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
And ev’ry man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Later, Frederick Lehman added these words in penning the song
The Love of God:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
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How, then, can you even begin to grasp the love of God? In part, by looking at Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, and His resurrection, and His love for you. His death redeems you; His sacrifice saves you; His life liberates you. In love, He laid down His life for you so His life could be lived through you.
Seeing yourself through God’s eyes, you can be assured His love never fails—it is forgiving, freeing…fathomless.
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Ephesians 3:17-19
Romans 8:38-39
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have value…because I am secure in the love of God.