Help Me See Through Your Eyes

“For God so loved the world
that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.”

(John 3:16 NIV)

“A new command I give you:
Love one another.  As I
have loved you, so you
must love one another.
By this all men will know
that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.”

(John 13:34 NIV)

Help Me See Through Your Eyes

Help me look at others, Father,
and see them through Your eyes.
Help me see their pain and suffering
and hear their heart-wrenching cries.

Help me look at others, Father,
as the innocent ones that You made.
Remind me that You sacrificed for them,
and the gift of Your life You paid.

Help me look at others, Father,
and see them as wandering sheep.
Give me the love to pursue them
into the darkness and into the deep.

Help me look at others, Father,
as friends and not as enemies.
Help me bless them and pray for them
and respond to their innermost pleas.

Help me look at others, Father,
through the blood of Your precious Son.
Remind me of Your redeeming love
that You pour out for every one.

Help me look at others, Father,
and offer up love and mercy to them.
May I live my life for You, Father,
and bring glory and honor to Him.

Beth Fore

*God created human beings, and He loves us perfectly and completely.  Even after
Adam chose to believe the serpent over God, God was willing to give his creation,
mankind, the ultimate gift of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, on the cross to give us
forgiveness and reconciliation.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

As human beings, we are often self-centered and selfish.  We see most things around us through our own lens, our own perspective, with us at the center.  This approach to life causes us to seek what is good for us, without little concern for what is good for other people. 

Yet, God calls us to a very different perspective when we look at other people through His eyes.  When we look at others through God’s lens, we see beautiful people who want and need our love and kindness.  They are creations of God, just as we are, and we should treat other people just as well as we treat ourselves.  We should be willing to share our love, our time, our resources, and our lives with other people.  We should even be willing to defer to them often and put their desires ahead of our own.  Ultimately, we should be willing to forgive them and make sacrifices for them, if necessary. 

*God’s disciples will show love for one another.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  (John 12:34 NIV)

Many Christians measure their discipleship by how well they keep the law.  They check whether they keep the “do’s” or “don’ts” to make sure they have more “do’s”!  A church may place a large sign in front of the building that says, “The disciples of Christ meet at this place.”  But the testimony of those words will be judged by the love those Christians show for one another and for other people.  Saying the right words will not make us a Christian.  Having the right heart for Jesus, which extends love and forgiveness to all people, is what makes us a Christian.

APPLICATIONS

1. Take some time and think about some of your relationships.  When you interact with your spouse, your children, your friends, your co-workers, who usually gets their way?  Is it your way, or the other person’s way?  If you usually get your way, that will probably show you some ways you need to change your behavior.
2. Do you truly believe, and act on that belief, that other people are just as important to God as you are in his eyes?
3. Are you more of a “self-centered” person, or are you an “other-centered” person? What are some things you can do today to become a more “other-centered” person?
4. Reflect on the reputation of the church where you attend.  How do non-members and non-Christians see the church?  Do they see it as a body of believers who shows love to one another and to others who are not members there?  What are some changes the church needs to make so that others will see them as people who love one another and other people?

If you want to learn more about what it means to be a Christian or to become a Christian, click this link: https://woww.newlifebehavior.org/what-it-means-to-follow-jesus-how-to-become-a-christian/