Thursday - "Decoder"

When I was a kid, I used to love to buy those "Super Spy" books that had secret messages hidden inside. You couldn't see what the phrase was without the red secret decoder... You placed the red film over the box (similar to the one here...) and out would pop the deciphered message. For your eyes only... You just needed to have the right lens for the job. A blue one wouldn't work...neither would yellow. To see this message, you had to look at it through the correctly colored lens.

I think life is the same way. If we want to live a life that honors Christ, we must have the correct lens in place. What do I mean? When you are fouled in life...how do you react? When someone wants to be friends...do you let them? When life is storming are you panicked or calm? Tense or settled? Worried or whole? Who do you trust? How deep is your faith? Who gets top priority with your time and resources?

One of the greatest things about being a Christ follower is that Jesus Himself has given us the lens through which to look at life. Let's take a look at this passage from Mark:

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

"Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31

In this passage, Jesus defines how we should see the world and handle every situation we find ourselves in... If we get angry...love the people. If we struggle with priority...put God first and the rest will settle itself out... Trust issues? Disappointment? Fear? Love, love, love.

Love is the lens through which to decode humanity. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you don't know what to do...break out that God-filter and put it to work. I promise you that when you see the world through compassion, mercy, humility, gratitude, forgiveness, and love...not only will your perception of people change... you will begin to understand how God sees you - a beautiful masterpiece.

See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian