Our Perceptions :: By Don Twobears

In this article, I would like to look at how we see ourselves and those around us, but not in the usual sense — one person is a redhead, while others are brunettes. I want to delve into the ways and manners of our thinking, and for some, just their thoughts. We like to view ourselves and then rate ourselves according to our perceived rules. And yet, few ever sit back and think to themselves why this is so.

I hear many times the words, “Well… I wouldn’t stoop to their level.” What does this truly mean? Is it that one person’s level of thinking is greater than another’s? And if that were true, who is it that set up those rules in the first place? Who places any one person at whatever level? Just to be clear, the Bible is to the point when it says:

Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Oops! Don’t you just hate it when the Holy Word of God levels the playing field? I have seen this taking place in every church I have ever been to, so it’s not just in the world. So many times, this comes up in conversations; and every time I hear it, I am amazed, to say the least. My effort here is not to judge, but to bring to face value what the Truth of God’s Holy Word says.

If someone is offended, then this article may be of use to them. In other words, maybe it has hit a home run, so to speak. Again, my effort is not to judge. I must look at my own life and decide where I fit into the whole. Am I reading the Word of God and taking it to heart? Am I able to discern the most absolute truth? As of the last time I checked, I am simply a member of the human race, no better or worse than anyone else. Yet to this day and moment, someone is still judging me or my articles simply because of what I have stated, which is according to the Word of God, whether it is relevant or not to them.

How strange it is that so many feel the need to angrily “set someone straight.” Am I really the only one that feels this? Last time I checked, the Lord God was the only God there is, or do you disagree? And just to remember, God Almighty is the ONLY perfect Judge. Do you agree with that?

It’s sort of strange for me as I have grown older, that it is no longer relevant for me to be MORE than someone else. Is that truly attainable in some way? Is it a reality that, as we grow older, our wisdom increases? Trust me when I say that I have personally been in that position before. In my days in the medical field, I would tell others, “Do not bother me right now! Can’t you see I am busy saving lives here?” How arrogant of me! The Lord God is the ONLY one that is able to save anyone. I never thought to myself, “I can’t even save myself, so how would I ever be able to save anyone else?”

Humans love arrogance, usually their own, never once realizing that it is a slap in the Face of Our Lord and Savior. Then again, isn’t all sin a slap in His face? We want what we want and that’s all there is to it. We don’t like listening to others; we have our own beliefs, right?

Here’s another one that seems to make me question our thoughts:  How is the death of one person more relevant than the death of another? As of yet, no one has ever come back from death and told us what is on the other side, except for our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet how many are willing to read His Holy Word, the Bible, and BELIEVE?

Age is not a factor in death, nor is the color of anyone’s skin or their level of income. Go to a cemetery some time and tell me who in there has more worth than another. Everyone there is dead; that’s all there is to it. So, if in death, worth has no value, then why do so many people think it matters in life? I really want to know the reason for that thought.

The Bible says in Genesis 3:19 “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

I do not see any names there that say anyone is an exception. Does that level the playing field or not? I am reminded in Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.”

In my mind, that is enough for me to know the Creator of all cares when a sparrow falls. What does that mean to you and me? We are called by the Lord and we must answer. And one day we will indeed answer! Then the question becomes what will be our answer to Him? After all, the question is, will you believe that Jesus Christ died on that cross? Does His Blood cover your sins? Will you follow Him?

Trust me, my Friends; the Lord God says that your intelligence is like foolishness to Him. Does that level the playing field again? Again, please read the passages of Scripture above, and you will know the answer for sure. Where in the Bible does it say that any of us humans make the rules for everyone else? Take a look at the graves of recently passed-away presidents, or for that matter, the crypt of Stalin. All are dead; no more orders do they give; no more influence whatsoever. Dead is dead. Only the spirit lives on, and that will be with the Lord or not. The choice is ours.

It’s sort of funny how some people will ask, “If God is so great, how could He choose to send anyone to Hell for eternity?” The answer is in that last sentence above. He does not; we choose for ourselves. We choose to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, or we do not. That is the answer. If we follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will have Heaven. If we choose to follow anyone or anything else, we will have Hell and the lake of fire for eternity. It has always been OUR choice.

We like to think of ourselves as “all that and an Oreo cookie,” so why would any of us choose to go to Hell and the lake of fire? To be saved eternally you MUST BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died on that cross at Calvary; you MUST BELIEVE that His Blood was shed to cover your sins. You MUST BELIEVE and follow Him. There is no other way from here on Earth to Heaven. Anything that comes from this planet stays on this planet. After all, God is Spirit; therefore, everything spiritual is of Him. YOUR Spirit belongs to God.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I use the King James Version of the Bible, and all emphasis is mine.

You may reach the Author at:  twobears44@gmail.com