"Three Looks" to determine the relationship
[Relationship in the Screen Mirror] Series 3
Regarding the relationship between man and God, as discussed in the previous two issues, "Recreative Silence" and "Enter the Sacred Space," there are many ways to encounter the sacred, including walking into silence and walking into nature.
No matter which way you encounter God, these encounters are extraordinary. Once they happen, some core elements of a person will undergo substantial changes under the touch of heavenly light, their lives will be turned around, and their realm of life will no longer be the same. And if one is not touched, the acquaintance with the saint is not an "encounter" but a "passing by".
In my opinion, the core elements that are touched by people who encounter God (specifically the Trinity God, the Creator of the world) are thoughts and concepts, which are mainly reflected in the following "three views": How do I see God? See how God sees me and how I see myself.
Why is "how to see" so important? Because the so-called "view" and "view", how to "see" determines how to "treat". "Waiting" is the external manifestation of the relationship, and "seeing" is the internal foundation of the relationship. When God has taken the initiative to open his arms to people, how we look at God determines our willingness to establish a relationship with Him and the depth of our intention; how we look at God and how we look at us determines our boldness and mentality in establishing a relationship with Him; Looking at ourselves affects not only how we look at God, but also the result of how we look at God and how we look at ourselves.
▲How you "see" God determines how you "treat" Him.
1. How do I see God?
How to view God comes from nothing more than the vision and testimony of others, your own experience and thinking, and the revelation of the Bible, which can be roughly classified into the following categories:
1. Believe that there is no God.
2. Not sure if there is a God.
3. Believe in God, but it has nothing to do with yourself.
4. Believe in God and believe that Christ is the savior of mankind (including yourself).
5. Believe in God, believe in Christ as Savior, and worship Him with your life.
Although God loves everyone in the world, the God-human relationship cannot be formed unilaterally by God. Therefore, the first three types of people will not have a substantial personal relationship with God due to their inner views of God.
The latter two groups are at opposite ends of the Christian spectrum, with many falling in between, and people across the Christian spectrum having a direct, personal relationship with God.
Although those at the front end have a certain understanding of God, they may not be able to connect on an emotional level. When they first decided to become Christians, they may have been temporarily moved, but that move was quickly drowned in the daily trivialities and worldly pursuits. It's over. For many, Christ's presence is limited to the walls of the church, or like a distant relative who doesn't get to know much.
On the other end of the spectrum, people have a close relationship with God on an emotional level, are full of love, reverence and longing for God, and have frequent interactions with God in their hearts. Jesus Christ is like a life-saving friend, respectable and approachable. Such people believe from the bottom of their hearts:
1. God is the Creator of heaven and earth. All things operate according to His laws, and so does life.
2. God is love. He did not promise a smooth life, but He promised a rich life. No matter how twists and turns, He makes everything work together to benefit the lives of those who love Him. (1 John 4:8; Romans 8:28)
3. God is worthy of reliance, and He is the destination of life.
4. God deserves to be trusted. He is the way of life.
5. Man’s good is not apart from Him (Psalm 16:2). No good is beyond God, but God is beyond the good in life.
6. God is not far away, He is everywhere; God is not in the past or future, He is in the past, the future, and even more present. Therefore, communication with God can be done anytime and anywhere, and He wants people to be connected to Him anytime and anywhere, just like grape branches that are continuously connected to the vine.
7. Even though I make mistakes, God loves me.
These understandings of God allow them to draw their hearts closer to God, and they can speak the words in their hearts to God (i.e., pray) even if they don’t speak to others. They sincerely want to get close to God, and often see miracles in their daily lives. Every flower and grass carries a sacred message.
It is worth mentioning that the same person may have the above-mentioned different relationships with God due to different views and experiences of God at different times. To have a deep relationship with God, a growing admiration for Him is necessary. I myself went from an atheist, to a skeptic, to a Christian, to a desire to be closer to God.
▲To have a deep relationship with God, admiring God more and more deeply is a necessary condition.
2. How I see God see me
How God views us comes primarily from the Bible. There are many verses in this area, but there is only one core message from God: "You are precious and I love you."
First, we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
God said, I created you in my own image (Genesis 1:27), I gave you the breath of life (Genesis 2:7), and before you were formed you were in my sight (Psalm 139:16). You are the pinnacle of My creation. After I created all things, I crowned you with glory (Psalm 8:5; Genesis 1:26) and gave you dominion over the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1: 26, 28; Psalm 8:6-8).
Secondly, even though we have seriously sinned against Him, God still loves us to the point of death and will never leave us.
God said, although you soon fell short of My glory, sinned and failed Me (Romans 3:23), and entered spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1), yet I love you so much. , let Christ, my only begotten Son, die for you, so that through faith in Him you may escape death and have everlasting life (John 3:16). I have regenerated you and created you again through the redemption of Christ; old things have passed away and all things are new (1 Corinthians 5:17).
▲When we are belittled by others and trampled by failure, do you and I believe in our own preciousness and value? Do you believe in the words of men or the words of God?
The blood of Jesus cleanses you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7, 9). You are absolutely safe in me. Nothing can separate you from my love (Romans 8:39), and no one can can snatch you out of my hand (John 10:29). I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
However, the Bible is full of God’s “love words”. The key question is, do you and I believe it? To what extent do you believe it?
Do you and I believe in our own worth when others put us down? Do you believe in the words of men or the words of God?
Do you and I believe in our own worth when failure tramples us? Do you believe in your own feelings or do you believe in God’s words?
When our relatives and friends betray and fail us, do you and I still believe in life? What determines the meaning of life? What defines the value of life?
Also, when we do things that make ourselves look down upon, do you and I still believe that we are worthy of love? What is the relationship between what we do and what we are? Even if you make a big mistake, is it really true that you will regret it forever if you make a mistake? Are there any second chances? Can life be repeated?
How to look, decide how to treat. Believe in God’s vision at all times, and His vision can build us up so that we will not be arrogant or give up on ourselves, but can focus on the growth of life, bathe in the eternal light, and experience the grace and taste of life that He has given us.
For most people, life is “ordinary” in human eyes, but “ordinary” is not God’s word. He sees us as “children.” In the relationship with God, the contrasting terms "ordinary" or "extraordinary" in the world are not important at all. What is important is whether we are in love with Him. Only a loving relationship is extraordinary. The "ordinary" brothers Lawrence 1 and Little Teresa 2 are representatives of this touching relationship.
▲In the relationship with God, what is important is: Are you in love with Him?
3. How do I see myself?
How I see God and how God sees me determine how I see myself. There are three key points:
1. I have a sinful nature, but I have received grace and redemption. This makes us humble but not inferior.
2. I have inherent value from God, independent of all human opinions, and beyond the disparagement of others and myself. This gives us inner certainty and deep peace.
3. Through God, I can live out the intrinsic value He has given me. This gives us strength, tolerance and kindness within us.
The formation of a person's self-worth mainly comes from how he was treated as a child; the maintenance of self-worth also requires constant positive feedback from the outside world.
Unfortunately, too many people have broken family relationships and early lives. Too many people are floating in the quagmire of low self-esteem, unknowingly trying to gain or retain the recognition and praise of others by catering to maintain that fragile self-esteem. Sense of value.
But when we do this, the recognition and approval of others lose its true meaning - because if we don't deceive ourselves, we will know deep down in our hearts that the person being recognized and praised is not the real me, but the me with a specific mask. Really I'm still not convinced.
Of course, many people's self-esteem is nurtured and nurtured in their early years. However, the "outside world" is not reliable after all. "Earthquakes" big and small in life are inevitable. Even celebrities are sought after by fans today and abandoned by them tomorrow. Taking human eyes as the criterion of self-worth often leads to psychological problems and even tragedy.
▲In the eyes of God, regardless of gender, age, status, nationality, culture, wealth, occupation, etc., the souls of all people in the world are of equal value and are created in His image. The blood of Christ was shed for everyone.
As far as God is concerned, our conscious or unconscious pretense and pandering in front of people are really useless, because "there is nothing in creation that is not exposed before Him; all things are naked and open before His eyes." (Reference. Hebrews 4:13) What’s interesting is that this is also the lucky thing about people, “For the Lord does not look at people as humans do: men look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (Refer to 1 Samuel 16:7 ) He knows what we are like, yet still loves us deeply. He first gave us His breath of life and image, and then was willing to use the flawless life of Christ to redeem our sinful lives. This is the value of man in His eyes.
Earthquakes are common in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the development of science and technology, many large buildings can be reinforced to prevent earthquakes, so that the buildings will not collapse in the event of a major earthquake. The same goes for people’s sense of value. God’s vision is that earthquake-proof reinforcement device, and it is much stronger than those added to buildings, because that reinforcement is added to the human heart and soul, to the core of the person, the so-called "sea-stabilizing needle" of the soul - He He has become a kingdom that cannot be shaken in people’s hearts (Hebrews 12:28), using His life to support the building of the value of our lives.
In the human world, there are classes and nobles, rich and poor, high and low, gender and national boundaries. But with God, regardless of men and women, age, status, nationality, culture, wealth, occupation, etc., the souls of all people in the world have the same value, and they are all according to His Created in the image, the blood of Christ was shed for each one. This is the proof that "Beauty is born from God" to you and me. It is hard to give up on natural beauty, and it is even harder to give up. You and I are neither higher nor lower than others. We are just sharing the grace of life on this earth and bathing in the radiance from eternity on the timeline of time.
Holding this in mind, it becomes possible to tolerate others and remain calm.
Hold on to this and love back the God who loves us with a grateful heart. The dance of love between man and God is woven back and forth into a brocade of love relationships. It originates from love, achieves love, and is created naturally in the process of life. People are happy.
1. Brother Lawrence: Brother Lawrence, 1611-1691, formerly known as Nicolas Herman, a Frenchman, worked as an ordinary cook in the monastery, and lived a life of loving God and communicating with God anytime and anywhere. His remarks and letters have been edited The book "The Practice of the Presence of God" (The Practice of the Presence of God) was written and became a classic in spiritual life.
2. Therese of Lisieux: Therese of Lisieux, a Frenchman, only lived for 24 years (1873-1897). She began to live an ordinary life as a nun at the age of 15, and regarded the smallest things as love for the Lord. By chance, "The Story of A Soul" was published after his death, which influenced the spiritual practice of later generations.
Li Wenping:Writer, life coach, editor-in-chief of Fengrong Online Magazine, guest writer of this magazine, and former executive editor of this magazine. Think of yourself as a traveler—a traveler in body, mind, and spirit. The journey is also the purpose.