A Distorted View
January 18, 2023
This piece of art interested me on many levels.
First, it’s shininess amazed me. I don’t know if there are people assigned to occasionally polish it or not, but the clarity of the reflections stood out.
Second, no matter where I stood relative to the piece, I could see all around me. I walked completely around the sphere and there wasn’t a step where the view behind me was obstructed.
Third, I noticed the view appeared most accurate as I looked upon the center of the sphere. The farther away from the center, the more distorted the view.
Our walk with the Lord can be the same way.
A Distorted View #hope #joy #writingcommunity Click To TweetThink about it. If we study the Word of God and only the Word of God, we are guaranteed to get all we need straight from the original source. The Bible is exactly what it is called, God’s Word. Though He used human beings to put His Word onto paper so that we could read it, it is still straight from God.
It’s a lot like the piece of art I saw on my walk that day.
First, the clarity of God’s Word is amazing. Sometimes we need to study hard to gather all God is telling us to clearly see the truth in His words. We don’t have to worry about any portion of the Bible not reflecting exactly who He is and what He wants us to know.
Second, no matter where we find ourselves in the Bible, we see God. It’s sometimes easy to walk through one of the interesting stories and get caught up in the stories characters, But if we step back, we always see the account is less about the character and more about God. The view of God is never obstructed.
And third, the further we stray from God’s Word, the more distorted our view. We can read commentaries and articles about God’s Word and still remain true to His Word. However, we have to be careful to not get away from trusted sources, or our view of God’s intentions will become distorted.
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, NIV)
Jesus said it so well in His prayer for the disciples. He prayed for the disciples to be sanctified, which means to be set apart for God’s special use. Sanctification could only happen through truth. That truth is God’s Word.
The disciples’ sanctification made our sanctification possible. They were set apart. They listened to God’s Word and now we have God’s Word written for us, so that we can also be set apart.
Don’t allow your walk to become distorted by straying from God’s Word. Let’s all strive to spend more time hearing directly from Him.
Your insight regarding staying in God’s Word is so true. Even when I miss one day studying my whole day is distorted. Thank you,
Thank you. I agree.
Great post, Tim. I appreciate your insights and analogy. And I’m thankful God gives clear and undistorted guidance.
Thank you, Joni.
I always love that we are set apart. I love studying God’s word and going deep. I’ve been reading Ezekiel and it has been very depressing. But in chapter 33 the message changes. The night before the message arrives God’s hand comes upon Ezekiel and releases him from 7 years of mostly silence. The message changes from judgment to restoration if they will change and do what God says. And Ezekiel 34 shows Israel’s restoration through the Messiah who will be to them what the false shepherds could not be. I would have a very distorted view of Ezekiel if I had stopped reading because it was depressing. Ezekiel 34:26 says, “there shall be showers of blessing.” We used to sing that in church when I was young. I don’t ever hear that song anymore. But now I know where it came from:)
Thank you so much for this, Jane. A wonderful example of making sure our view is not distorted. I apologize for the later response. Your comment came from a different email and I missed having to approve it. Always love your thoughts on my posts.