Dwight Fletcher | Have the right perspective

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 (NIV). This means that if we have given our lives to Christ, we love God and are called according to His purpose so God will weave everything we experience into something for our good.

So Paul being in prison for two years, in the book of Philippians, wasn’t a horrible loss of his time and freedom. God was bigger than those circumstances and He worked the negatives into good. We must trust and understand that God has a purpose behind every problem we face.

When we have this perspective, we’re on the way to joyful living. Romans 8:28 thinking requires having eyes of faith to see beyond our circumstances. Typically, we only look at things from one perspective and so we see the obvious. But the Bible assures us that there is always more that’s going on than we can see with our eyes. Whatever situation we face needs a ‘God is good’ perspective and a ‘God didn’t bring me here to fail’ perspective.

2 Kings 6 is about Elisha and the Assyrian army. During the night, the Assyrians surrounded the city in order to capture Elisha. Early in the morning, Elisha’s servant went out of the house and panicked when he saw the enemy surrounding the city. But Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid … Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. 17. And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see’ 2 Kings 6:16-17 (NIV). Then God opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw the hills above the enemy were full of horses and chariots of fire. The angelic forces greatly outnumbered the Assyrian army. The angels were always there, the servant just couldn’t see them. Romans 8:28 thinking allows us to see our challenges from God’s perspective with eyes of faith.

We also need to live by the right priorities and distinguish the trivial from the significant, particularly when things get tough. If we don’t choose our priorities, our lives can end up being situation-driven and we end up living from one problem to the next. When we know what’s essential, some situations will no longer bother us. If you want something to steal your joy quicker than anything else, just start to take on the criticism of haters. Paul responded to his by saying, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice” Philippians 1:18 (NIV). Paul wasn’t going to let anybody steal his joy. Not circumstances nor critics. The priority was that Christ is preached, wrong motives or not; God’s kingdom is being advanced and Paul chose to rejoice.

Paul was saying, ‘You cannot take away my joy, because the joy of the Lord is my strength.’ We need to learn that today. Too much depends on what others think about us, for example, whether our pictures get enough ‘likes’ on social media. We need to get our priorities right. We always need constructive feedback, but shouldn’t allow those who are aiming to tear us down the privilege of destroying our mood.

Our priorities are what God wants in our lives, whether it is at work, home, the gym, or school. Allow God to determine the priorities you live for. “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success” Proverbs 3:6 (TLB).