He always looks upon us

"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite" - Psalm 147:5

Some years ago a friend of mine was standing on top of a mountain in North Carolina.  The roads in those days were filled with curves, and it was difficult to see very far ahead.  This man saw two cars heading toward each other.  He realized they couldn't see each other.  A third car pulled up and began to pass one of the cars, although there wasn't enough space to see the other car approaching around the bend.  My friend shouted a warning, but the drivers couldn't hear, and there was a fatal crash.

This is how God looks upon us in His omniscience.  He sees what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.  He also sees us when we foolishly think we can get by with breaking His moral laws, or we act out of sinful pride or lust or anger.  Like the  man on that mountain, He shouts His warnings at us---but we are too busy or too stubborn to listen.

God sees the whole picture.  He knows what is best for us, and He knows what will destroy us.  Don't think your way is better than His, but listen to His Word---and obey. - Billy Graham

God does acknowledge our humanness, and He loves us just the same. God has yet to see the perfect human being, apart from Jesus Christ, but that doesn't change His feeling for us. When we see others through the eyes of God's love, then we find that we can accept their failings and love them as they are.

A pilgrim is a wanderer. A sojourner is one who lives somewhere temporarily. Peter calls us pilgrims and sojourners in this world. We are no longer at home here; we are no longer a part of this world. Whatever we do should be evaluated in light of our true citizenship in heaven. As such, we live by the rules and values of heaven, not earth. Peter writes: "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul"(1 Peter 2:11). When we violate the principles of heaven, it is not only God and His honor that suffer - we suffer.

We live in a world where God has been marginalized, and human wisdom has been elevated. Truth has ceased to be an absolute because every opinion is equally right. Outward appearance is more important than inward commitment. Emotions have overruled logic and intellect. Authority has lost its power. This post-modern thinking has permeated our literature, education system, courts, businesses, and even our churches.

We cannot combat the constant bombardment of this misguided philosophy without spending time in the Word of God. We cannot effectively witness to this world when we are trapped by its ways of thinking. We cannot offer the world Truth when we ourselves are inclined to see truth as a gray area. Only by immersing ourselves in the Bible can we begin to see clearly.

The Bible stands against the mentality of this world, and often that is difficult for people to accept. The Bible tells us that sin is lawlessness and an affront to a Holy, righteous God. The world says that "sins" are simply failing to live up to one's potential. The Bible tells us that immorality is a rebellion against God. The world says that individual choices are right for the individual. The Bible says that God's Word is the final authority, while people would prefer to believe they are the final arbiters.

Yet people's opinions do not change the mind or essence of God. The Bible warns against the world's distorted thinking in the book of Proverbs: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). Human thinking leads to suffering, but God's Word points the way to everlasting life.

As Christians we must be on guard against worldly thinking. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:15-17).

The Word of God will strengthen us against the current culture. Only through constant prayer and Bible study can we recognize the will and mind of God: "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" (Romans 12:2).

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju