The 20/20 ExperienceSample

"How Do You See The World"

How do you see the world? Not literally, but conceptually. We all have a conceptual framework through which we see the world. All of your decisions—every dollar you spend, every priority you set, and even your responses to God—are preceded by a view. What lens do you look through? Maybe it’s the “school” lens, and your GPA is most important. Maybe it’s the “dating” lens, and every person you meet is a potential mate. Or maybe it’s the “fun” lens, and you just want to have as much fun in college as possible.

But what if there’s a different and better lens? The apostle Paul had one of the most significant lens-shifting moments in human history. He went from being a zealous Jewish Pharisee who persecuted the early church to becoming the most successful missionary in the history of Christianity. What happened? Paul had an encounter with a resurrected Savior on the road to Damascus, and it changed the way he saw everything.

For Paul, seeing the world through the lens that Jesus rose from the dead led him to write what he wrote to the Philippians: nothing in this world . . . no title, no achievement . . . is of greater value than a relationship with Jesus. What would be different in your world, your faith, or even your pursuit of Jesus if you looked at the world through the lens that Jesus actually rose from the grave? At the very least, maybe what Paul wrote to the Philippians would become true of us.