Confusion, uncertainty, seem to take center stage of our lives! The foundation for peace and contentment is to adopt a healthy perspective on who you are in relationship to God Almighty. Be in awe of God. Be real about your character and the character of God.
How is it that two people can see the same thing so differently? Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a shoe manufacturer to a foreign nation to research the market potential.
The first salesman reported back, "There is no potential here - nobody wears shoes."
The second salesman reported back, "There is massive potential here - nobody wears shoes."
How is it that two people can see the same thing so differently? Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a shoe manufacturer to a foreign nation to research the market potential.
The first salesman reported back, "There is no potential here - nobody wears shoes."
The second salesman reported back, "There is massive potential here - nobody wears shoes."
What do you see around you? How can we miss the obvious? July 9, 1983, the day Sally and I were married, we went out to dinner that night at a Japanese restaurant. We sat at the low table, Japanese style, to order and enjoy the meal. Romantic Carl surprised his new bride by making reservations and having a dozen red roses waiting on the table so Sally would be utterly amazed and overwhelmed by such a kind and thoughtful gesture. As we were shown to our table, everything was just as I imagined, the flowers were right in the center. We sat down and began looking over the menu. Sally did not notice the roses. She held up her menu trying to get a better look at the menu, at last she noticed the flowers and exclaimed, “I can’t believe they would put such a large plant in the middle of the table, it’s blocking all the light.” …
Sometimes we just don’t see the obvious because we are focused on something else. Sometimes it’s because what is right in front of us just doesn’t make any sense. Believe me, Sally had every reason to believe that Carl just doesn’t do flowers!
We so easily miss the signs of God all around us. Even believers can get caught up in our own cluttered up mind that we take God for granted! Ps 8 takes us back to God and the fundamental truth of who I am and who God is.
READ Ps. 8:1. Deliberately focus on God. Look for God. See God. Expect God all around you.
Psalm 8 is all about answering the basic questions of life: who am I, where did I come from, what’s the problem, what’s the solution? This is a worldview ~ a prism for how we see and explain the world. There is a Christian worldview, a foundational truth. Everyone, at some level, at some time, wrestles with these basic questions. Young people, new Christians, non-Christians, people who are struggling, people who are searching. We need to know the basic meaning of life in order to make sense of the world. It is amazing how two people can look at the same thing and see two different things. Make no mistake, though, there is only one truth, and it is only by seeing God that you will find lasting peace and satisfaction. Ps. 8 is the discovery of a person who is making sense of the world with God the creator at the center. Peace and contentment comes through finding God…. Take, for example, the devastation of the Eastern Washington fires. Is God still in control? I say yes, I say there is always hope. I say God is sovereign. But for those who reject God there will be far more negative thoughts…
Psalm 8 unfolds the answers to the basic questions of life. You need a Christian perspective. God is amazing. Be humbly amazed by the Lord! God is personal. God cares. Nothing, no personal, local, national or international situation takes away from the absolute foundational truth: THE GLORY OF GOD IS HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS. Many people do not see God in the universe; they don’t see God as our personal savior and LORD. I don’t know why different people can see the same thing and some see God and others don’t. But you only need to worry about you! Tell others, tell your story, share with others how awesome is God! But ultimately we cannot force others to believe.
Psalm 8 book-ends the same phrase: O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Sometimes the details are important. Take a close look at the words, O LORD, our Lord. The first LORD is all capital letters ~ the second one is Capital L, lower case o-r-d. LORD is English Translator’s way of writing out the personal name of God (YHWH) ~ Lord is the standard English translation for God’s role: Master, Savior… when I’m in this building during the week and I see a traveler stopping to rest I often go out to talk to them. “Are you the Pastor?” they often say. YES, my name is Carl. I want them to know me, not just my role… O LORD, our Lord. David has a personal knowledge of God and what God is all about ~ a relationship of David the servant to Yaweh the Master. David is humbly amazed.
This is the beginning of a healthy Christian worldview making sense of the world ~ who you are, who God is, your place, his power…God is personal, God is amazing, God is universally powerful… Christianity has it both ways, an all powerful amazing God that wants to know each one of us personally…
I don’t know why two people see the same thing and see so differently. Did you see the sunset on Friday night? Did it make you think of God?
Ps. 8:2 is good news indeed. READ. “Out of the mouth of babies and infants you have ordained praise…” God does not require earthly perfection to give heavenly praise. Who are you? A baby. David is talking about himself and his inadequacy before God. I have great respect for those who try to teach kids music. One person wrote about primary school concerts, thinking of his own music teacher: The audience exploded into applause as our conductor and teacher, Mr. Martin, walked in. Parents regard band teachers with a combination of awe and respect, the way you might a war hero. How could any human being spend eight hours per day enduring the acoustic violence created by fifty children playing their instrument all at once?..In the hands of the untalented, a clarinet is a lethal weapon. There are states that allow the sale of automatic weapons but ban the use of clarinets at school concerts. (Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir...of Sorts)
Apparently God has bad hearing (at least the way he hears some of us), because he thinks our singing is great. “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” God is like the grandmother who’s grandchildren cannot fail. They stand up to perform and they are successful. All drawings are a masterpiece. God has ordained praise, he has blessed us, given us the thumbs up to worship him. Who are you? We see inadequacy, a clarinet as a lethal weapon, but God sees beauty. The God of the universe is amazed by you! If that doesn’t shape the way you view the world I don’t know what will. To be amazed by God and for God to love us. As the Bible unfolds, a thousand years after Ps. 8, God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to forgive your sins. Be amazed by who God is, and be amazed by how he sees you.
The rest of the Psalm unfolds the same truth and answer more foundational questions: Who is God? Who is mankind? What has God done? What does God think of mankind? What role has God given man? READ Ps. 8:3-8.
Underline the phrase in Ps. 8:3, “when I consider…” I do not know why two people can look at the same thing and come to completely different conclusions:
The first salesman reported back, "There is no potential here - nobody wears shoes."
The second salesman reported back, "There is massive potential here - nobody wears shoes."
One difference for those who see God, for those who have a Christian worldview, it is a deliberate discipline to consider, to think about God, to open your eyes to the things of God, to be humbly amazed. Mary, the mother of Jesus, pondered in her heart the meaning of her son. Change your world by changing the way you see the world, see God, be amazed by the God who is amazed by you, be humbled by the fact that he loves you and cares for you ~ all the way to the cross. Amen.
___________________
NOTE: there are many good articles on Worldview and a Christian Worldview. Here is a thoughtful article from Focus on the Family: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian_worldview/whats_a_christian_worldview.aspx
Sometimes we just don’t see the obvious because we are focused on something else. Sometimes it’s because what is right in front of us just doesn’t make any sense. Believe me, Sally had every reason to believe that Carl just doesn’t do flowers!
We so easily miss the signs of God all around us. Even believers can get caught up in our own cluttered up mind that we take God for granted! Ps 8 takes us back to God and the fundamental truth of who I am and who God is.
READ Ps. 8:1. Deliberately focus on God. Look for God. See God. Expect God all around you.
Psalm 8 is all about answering the basic questions of life: who am I, where did I come from, what’s the problem, what’s the solution? This is a worldview ~ a prism for how we see and explain the world. There is a Christian worldview, a foundational truth. Everyone, at some level, at some time, wrestles with these basic questions. Young people, new Christians, non-Christians, people who are struggling, people who are searching. We need to know the basic meaning of life in order to make sense of the world. It is amazing how two people can look at the same thing and see two different things. Make no mistake, though, there is only one truth, and it is only by seeing God that you will find lasting peace and satisfaction. Ps. 8 is the discovery of a person who is making sense of the world with God the creator at the center. Peace and contentment comes through finding God…. Take, for example, the devastation of the Eastern Washington fires. Is God still in control? I say yes, I say there is always hope. I say God is sovereign. But for those who reject God there will be far more negative thoughts…
Psalm 8 unfolds the answers to the basic questions of life. You need a Christian perspective. God is amazing. Be humbly amazed by the Lord! God is personal. God cares. Nothing, no personal, local, national or international situation takes away from the absolute foundational truth: THE GLORY OF GOD IS HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS. Many people do not see God in the universe; they don’t see God as our personal savior and LORD. I don’t know why different people can see the same thing and some see God and others don’t. But you only need to worry about you! Tell others, tell your story, share with others how awesome is God! But ultimately we cannot force others to believe.
Psalm 8 book-ends the same phrase: O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Sometimes the details are important. Take a close look at the words, O LORD, our Lord. The first LORD is all capital letters ~ the second one is Capital L, lower case o-r-d. LORD is English Translator’s way of writing out the personal name of God (YHWH) ~ Lord is the standard English translation for God’s role: Master, Savior… when I’m in this building during the week and I see a traveler stopping to rest I often go out to talk to them. “Are you the Pastor?” they often say. YES, my name is Carl. I want them to know me, not just my role… O LORD, our Lord. David has a personal knowledge of God and what God is all about ~ a relationship of David the servant to Yaweh the Master. David is humbly amazed.
This is the beginning of a healthy Christian worldview making sense of the world ~ who you are, who God is, your place, his power…God is personal, God is amazing, God is universally powerful… Christianity has it both ways, an all powerful amazing God that wants to know each one of us personally…
I don’t know why two people see the same thing and see so differently. Did you see the sunset on Friday night? Did it make you think of God?
Ps. 8:2 is good news indeed. READ. “Out of the mouth of babies and infants you have ordained praise…” God does not require earthly perfection to give heavenly praise. Who are you? A baby. David is talking about himself and his inadequacy before God. I have great respect for those who try to teach kids music. One person wrote about primary school concerts, thinking of his own music teacher: The audience exploded into applause as our conductor and teacher, Mr. Martin, walked in. Parents regard band teachers with a combination of awe and respect, the way you might a war hero. How could any human being spend eight hours per day enduring the acoustic violence created by fifty children playing their instrument all at once?..In the hands of the untalented, a clarinet is a lethal weapon. There are states that allow the sale of automatic weapons but ban the use of clarinets at school concerts. (Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir...of Sorts)
Apparently God has bad hearing (at least the way he hears some of us), because he thinks our singing is great. “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” God is like the grandmother who’s grandchildren cannot fail. They stand up to perform and they are successful. All drawings are a masterpiece. God has ordained praise, he has blessed us, given us the thumbs up to worship him. Who are you? We see inadequacy, a clarinet as a lethal weapon, but God sees beauty. The God of the universe is amazed by you! If that doesn’t shape the way you view the world I don’t know what will. To be amazed by God and for God to love us. As the Bible unfolds, a thousand years after Ps. 8, God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to forgive your sins. Be amazed by who God is, and be amazed by how he sees you.
The rest of the Psalm unfolds the same truth and answer more foundational questions: Who is God? Who is mankind? What has God done? What does God think of mankind? What role has God given man? READ Ps. 8:3-8.
Underline the phrase in Ps. 8:3, “when I consider…” I do not know why two people can look at the same thing and come to completely different conclusions:
The first salesman reported back, "There is no potential here - nobody wears shoes."
The second salesman reported back, "There is massive potential here - nobody wears shoes."
One difference for those who see God, for those who have a Christian worldview, it is a deliberate discipline to consider, to think about God, to open your eyes to the things of God, to be humbly amazed. Mary, the mother of Jesus, pondered in her heart the meaning of her son. Change your world by changing the way you see the world, see God, be amazed by the God who is amazed by you, be humbled by the fact that he loves you and cares for you ~ all the way to the cross. Amen.
___________________
NOTE: there are many good articles on Worldview and a Christian Worldview. Here is a thoughtful article from Focus on the Family: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian_worldview/whats_a_christian_worldview.aspx
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