In investigating the word “perspective” that we started talking about in previous blogs, I was amazed to discover that its oldest definition, labeled “archaic,” is “an optical glass (as a telescope).”
This gave me another way of picturing God’s highest aim for spiritual growth. It relates to another question I have posed: How much differently would you live if you could see everything as God does?
Imagine that God has a super gigantic telescope that enables Him to sit in heaven and watch all 7 billion people on earth simultaneously. Of course, He doesn’t need a telescope to do that. And the metaphor breaks down because no telescope we know of could see the backside of the earth any more than we can see the backside of the moon from earth. But bear with me.
God is at the small end of the telescope. So how does everything look to Him? Very large and clear, of course. He sees everything as it really is; thus He knows Reality, unlike the so-called television shows we produce. He sees all things in their true relations; He has perspective. Thus He knows Truth and Justice, unlike our corrupted and distorted versions. He has Wisdom, knowing exactly the right thing to do in the right way at the right time. Reality, Truth, Justice, and Wisdom are all seen from God’s end of the telescope -- as are a lot of other wonderful, desirable attributes of God!
But what do we see from our end of the telescope? Do you recall turning a telescope or binoculars around and looking through the large end as a child? What happens?
Everything looks very small and far away. It’s difficult to make things out or to see their relations.
In the case of God’s telescope, looking up toward Him through the big end of His super-telescope, we see Him as being very small and far away, irrelevant and with no connection to our life down here. Thus, God’s Word can appear to be just a bunch of rules, do’s and do-nots that I am to obey, often seeming confusing and arbitrary. Isn’t that the view with which most of us start out? And isn’t that the way we all remain unless we receive Jesus and follow Him on the transformational journey that leads to God’s end of the telescope?
So God’s highest aim for my and your spiritual growth is for us to join Him at His end of the telescope. Our coming to Christ, growing in Christ and walking with Christ -- as we pictured in the illustrations back in an earlier blog -- is a journey to get us to God’s end of the telescope. That is where we can intimately know and understand Him. That is where we can see and live life His way, with Reality, Truth, Justice, and Wisdom.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. Psalm 111:10
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30
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