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A Changed Perspective

By September 9, 2014August 30th, 2022Devotional

Lately, I have been thinking a little more about retirement. In fact, it’s a little odd. It seems like only yesterday that I was making plans for 30 or 40 years in the future and now the future is “here.” I no longer think about my business plans decades in the future and instead, I am wondering whether I will be as busy next year as I am this year. Certainly, within several years or so I will enter retirement in some fashion, even if it is only partial.

I am fortunate enough to do the things that I really enjoy in the business world. I have clients that I really enjoy working with and tracking their progress. When I was younger, I had a different view of the world than I do at this stage of my life. Therein lies the issue. I am the same person I was back then but I am in a different place and that has made all the difference in the world. I don’t know how to explain it any simpler than to say that I view things from a different perspective than I did decades ago. Some people say that my interpretation of things had changed throughout my life, but I like to think that the change is not in the interpretation but in the application of the same things I have believed my whole life.

There is a striking parallel to the Bible here. Many people think that throughout their lives they change their interpretation of the Bible. In other words, they believe that the word of God somehow has changed throughout the years of their life. I don’t believe this. I believe that the Bible is a stable document that has remained constant throughout the ages. But depending on where a person is in their life, I do believe that the Holy Spirit can reveal different applications of the Bible for each of us. After all, I don’t think the Bible has changed – not is it inherently easier or more difficult to understand than it was in earlier ages. Rather, if I look at a passage from a different point of view, it is most likely as a result that I have changed, not the book itself. Perhaps I have become more enlightened as I have grown closer to Christ throughout my life.

The verse for this evening is from Genesis, the first book of the Bible. It is from Genesis 40:8, “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” The verse comes from the story of Joseph when he was in prison and was approached by two fellow prisoners about dreams that they had experienced. Notice that Joseph comments that interpretations belong to God. That still holds true today…

My encouragement tonight is that while we may change the application of things over the years, God and His Word are constant – dependable – and that won’t ever change. My prayer is that you will continue to be enlightened throughout the years of your life and that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you new and exciting applications of the Scripture as you pass through the stages of your life. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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