Did you know that most of the time your opinions of others are more of a commentary on who you are than on who others are? For example, if you don’t feel good about your performance at work, you may begin to build a case against your co-workers who are high performers. Your opinion of them is affected by your own disappointment in yourself. You may begin to view them through the lens of jealousy and your assessment of them is really a commentary on your own heart and life. Poor people often view the rich like this. Because someone has something that they can’t seem to attain, they build a case against them: “They are tax evaders. They should be punished for having money. Money is evil and these people are selfish; or they oppressed, stepped on, or used people to get rich.” This could be true in some cases, but to have this opinion of someone without knowing them personally is a sign that you are a “logjamitist”! This is a serious condition of the heart where your foot gets stuck in your face.
VIEWING THE WORLD THROUGH A LOGJAM
Jesus said:
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5).
This is a picture of what happens when we try to minister to others with a skewed set of core values. If our core values are not based on the truth, we will consistently misdiagnose the problems of the world around us, and thus fail to treat them in an appropriate way. We simply cannot help people with our supernatural ministry when we are viewing the world through a worthless value system (a “log” made of wood, hay, or stubble), which blinds us to the King’s perspective. It is no wonder that so many believers can’t find anything beautiful in the world or refuse to see the treasure lying in the lives of sinners. They are looking through a logjam of their past hurt, lies they’re believing, or even unforgiveness!
CLEANSING YOUR CORE VALUES
Our core values affect the way we view God, the devil, ourselves, and the world, and therefore they have a huge impact on the way we minister. They interpret the way events in life relate to God and which circumstances in life we attribute to God. For example, if we believe that God is angry, we will interpret world events through this lens. We will view natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and famines as acts of God. Who God is to us, He will be through us! It is so important that we have a pure heart, because it is only the pure in heart (those who have clear lenses) that see God. An angry God creates harsh, judgmental, and graceless ministers. Who God is to us, He will be through us!
ENLIGHTENING YOUR HEART
It is important that the eyes of our heart are clear so we view the world through our special “Son-glasses.” Paul put it this way:
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:18-21).
The word “enlighten” in this passage is the Greek word photizo, which is where we get our word “photosynthesis,” meaning, “to build with light.” Paul says that the key to building a Kingdom worldview is heavenly revelation of eternal reality. This revelation creates the foundation for our worldview from three primary things—the hope of His calling, the glorious riches of His inheritance in the saints, and His power for those who believe.
All these realities have been made available to us through Christ! This revelation of Christ will alter our reality so we are guided by the core values of the Kingdom as we interpret and negotiate our way through the circumstances of life. We certainly can’t represent Jesus and continue His supernatural ministry unless our hearts have been enlightened by the revelation of who He really is, what He has done, and what He is doing. The key to building a Kingdom worldview is heavenly revelation of eternal reality. So today I want to encourage you to give your core values a scrub, clean up your heart, partner with the Light of the World and truly demonstrate the goodness of God to those around you. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
