S.M. Wibberley’s Blog

Our natural world view is influenced/shaped primarily by our view of God. Think of the worldview differences among an atheist, an active jihadist and a born-again follower of Jesus–these difference come from their divergent views of who and what God is.

Our understanding of God, in turn, flows from our religion, culture, home, experiences, and the values we choose to live by. Our world view then determines our personal beliefs, our values and thereby our behavior.

Very briefly:

Beliefs @ God->World view-> personal beliefs –>values –>behavior

Our world view is held primarily on an emotional level, not an intellectual one; that’s why most people are unaware of what their own world view is; that’s why just giving them knowledge alone wonn’t change their world view.

Here are some categories that can help us understand our world view.

Beliefs about God (what He is like and how much He is involved in our lives)

Orientation of society (group vs individual)

Type of society (guilt or shame or fear)

Top values (ones we actually live by)

Top relationship (what we focus on)

How we get top value (what we have to do to procure it)

Implementation (how is this lived out)

Let’s look at two examples:

USA Worldview: (“average Joe” nonbeliever world view)

Beliefs about God: nice guy who wants me to be happy and helps me out when I need it.

Orientation of society: individualism (extreme)

Type of society: guilt (vaguely)

Top value: comfort (think of how often we say, “that’s outside my comfort zone,” or “I’m not comfortable doing that.”)

How to get the top value: avoid anything that makes me uncomfortable, focus on self, no means too extreme to protect my comfort.

Top relationship: me

How to get top value: protect myself, think of myself first.

Implementation: focus on self leads to self-centered gratification, gluttony, materialism and addictions, laziness, broken families and relationships, relative “truth,” dishonesty, abortion, euthanasia, etc.

Now a Middle Eastern world view:

Beliefs about God—Distant, uninvolved, capricious. Therefore I have to look out for myself, especially in the area of honor. (these insights came from discussions with Middle Easterners).

Orientation of society—Group/community oriented

Type of society—shame/honor society

Top values— positive:Honor/negative: shame

Top relationships—family/community/tribe/neighborhood/nation

How to get top value: must get it through fitting in, looking honorable (good), protecting self.

Implementation—the struggle for honor results in jealousy, cutting off of relationships with those who dishonor me; there is insecurity and fear (I can lose my honor at any moment); materialism (I need to look good, dress well so can have honor); emphasis on appearance and connections leaves character underdeveloped; there is powerful pressure for conformity, no questioning allowed, intolerance leading to violence against non-conformers.

Biblical Worldview:

Beliefs about God: Holy, Just, Loving, Powerful, Righteous. He is Love, Light and Life. He is the Ruler of the universe, fully involved in our lives and loves us greatly; we can totally trust Him, follow Him, love Him. As Creator, King and Lord He is to be obeyed.

He hates sin and judges it, while at the same time He loves the sinner, and provides a way of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He invites those who are His enemies to become His beloved children.

Orientation of society: individual (with God) and community (in Body of Christ).

Type of society: guilt/shame/fear. Honor, salvation and worth are given by God, not earned or from people. Guilt and shame are taken care of with forgiveness provided by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Top value: Glorifying, pleasing God

Top relationship: God

How to get top value: Spend time with God, learn His Word, be filled with His Spirit, learn how much He loves us and love Him back through obedience; grasp that God gives us all the honor, significance, security we can ever need.

Implementation: Among many things, as we cultivate our relationship with God:

–We enter more and more into the rich, transforming, grace-filled relationship with God as Lord, King, Savior and Protector.

–We experience ongoing growth in seeing God’s holiness and our depravity, what we deserve and how much we are forgiven and loved in Christ.

–We see continual growth and transformation as we partner with Jesus in His great plan. Each problem, difficulty and challenge becomes an opportunity for trust and praise, to live in His grace, for giving Him glory.

–Life is one long adventure with Jesus as He moves history to a conclusion and takes us with Him.

So…..

Check out your own worldview. How does it line up with a biblical one? The shift of our worldview from a natural one to a biblical one is a lifelong process; it goes faster when we knowingly cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work.

Intentionally nurture your first love for Jesus, seeing both His glory and our sin; this will lead to revival, which should lead to shifts in our worldview. When you read the Bible each day, ask the Spirit to alert you to points where your thinking, values and lifestyle clash with what God has to say. Be ready for new insights, for surrender, for paradigm shifts, so you can be more useful life for Him.

Read Part 8 >

June 30, 2011

Psalm 18:32

Psa 18:32 “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” [It is not my wisdom, my effort, my talent or training, my resources—it is you alone, Lord God, the Mighty and Wise One who pours strength into my life, who goes before and prepares the situation, relationships and me for the way to be perfect according to you. Right now there are a number of uncertainties before us, all of which I could worry about. But to reject worry, to trust you in praise for your help before any appears, to think truth, to find my rest in you–these fulfill the purpose you have given me in life: to give you glory in all and before all.

It is wonderful to rest in your hands, Lord, to know that you are working things out, that as we join you by prayer, your inexorable power will bring to pass what is best, will carry us through no matter what the difficulty. Your grace is sufficient for whatever you allow or send.

I praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are always with us, watching over us, protecting us. I praise you for the certainty of your goodness being poured out upon us every day in the midst of whatever circumstances we may find ourselves, pleasant or painful. I give you praise, honor and glory for being the Good Shepherd, wielding your rod against the enemy, using your crook, your staff, to guide, discipline and help us. We will zig and zag through life, but you will constantly give us the tap we need to come back to your way.

As I think of my friends who at present are not responding well to the challenges of life, I praise you now, Lord for how you are working in their lives. I praise you, too, for the weakness I have in not being able to straighten them out, as well as for the certainty that you are helping them and will use your power for them. I rest in you, praise you now and thank you for the way you will use their sin to make them grow and bring glory to yourself.

You who have out of your glorious riches, prepared more than we need for strength and grace, power and wisdom, guidance and protection, you are worthy of worship and obedience, love and honor. Whether I see it or not, sense them or not, you are pouring your help and power into my life and I will praise you now for your goodness and graciousness before I can see any of them.]

June 28, 2011

Three Things that Should be Growing in Our Lives, Part 6

< Read part 5

Here’s a second example of worldview clashes:

Mar 10:23-25 “Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were amazed at his words.”

[WV clash: in the Jewish culture, only the rich had the time and resources to keep all the laws and thereby have any chance of getting to heaven. Jesus knew this to be utterly false. The law was given not to save us but to reveal our sin and our need of a Savior (Romans 3:20 “…no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”)

“But Jesus said again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’”

[This is a mind-grabbing illustration of impossibility, designed to totally destroy the disciples WV concerning how one could get salvation].

Mar 10:26 “The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, ‘Who then can be saved?’”

[WV: they struggled to believe Jesus and grasped the consequences: no one can be saved by keeping the law. However in their worldview, they saw no other possibility].

Mar 10:27 “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’”

[WV shift: yes, salvation is impossible to achieve for human beings, but God can provide the impossible, including salvation of condemned sinners! The disciples did not yet understand this, but more was coming to help them make the worldview shift from Jewish culture to biblical Truth.

So, to summarize:

A world view is “the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world and interacts in it.” [This quote is used in over 800 publications, so I don’t know who it is actually attributed to.]

In the next post, we’ll look at how to discern your worldview and move towards a biblical one.

Read Part 7 >

June 27, 2011

Three Things that Should be Growing in Our Lives, Part 5

< Part 4

Worldview shift

The third thing that should be happening in our lives is a constant shift from our natural worldview to a biblical one. As we nurture our first love for Jesus, seeing both His glory and our sin, this will lead to revival, which should lead to shifts in our worldview. That is, we should be seeing new points where our natural worldview clashes with a biblical worldview. This should result in us rejecting the natural worldview and replacing it with biblical standards.

For instance, a believing, pro-life woman who opposed abortions worked for Planned Parenthood; her job was to schedule abortions. She did not realize the conflict between what she said she believed (that abortion was wrong except in the extreme case for saving the mother’s life) and what she was doing. She was not seeing the need to live her beliefs in her work life. When this contradiction of her beliefs and actions was pointed out to her, she immediately quit her job—that is, she accepted the new insight that her biblical beliefs should be practiced in her work place.

Here is a biblical demonstration of worldview clashes in Mark 10

The rich young man:

Mar 10:17 “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’”

Mar 10:18 “’Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone.’

[WV clashes: Jesus immediately zeroed in on the anti-biblical value the man was expressing: he thought that people were good. Jesus knew that all people are without any good in their old nature. (Rom 3:12 “All have turned away,they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”)
Also, the man thought Jesus was just a human being; Jesus wanted him begin to see that the goodness in Jesus pointed towards his being God.]

Mar 10:19 “‘You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’

Mar 10:20 ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’

[WVclashes: Jesus points to where sin is obvious in lives; the man thinks he has kept these! This reveals how low his standards are. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus clarified that to look at a woman with desire was to commit adultery. Obviously the man did not think that; he had a much different value system. To him sin was an outward act, to Jesus it was first inward in motive, thought and desire, then manifested in outward action. Very different worldviews.]

Mar 10:21 “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

[Jesus’ WV presentation: valuing spiritual things is far more important than physical possessions. Treasure in heaven is far more significant than treasure on earth. Following Jesus is far more important than following people or culture or comfort.]

Mar 10:22 “At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

[WV clash: his heart was on earthly treasure, comfort, security and position. He was looking for the minimum he had to do to get to heaven and was unwilling to go beyond his comfort zone. Jesus called him to a different worldview where he should give all and follow Him, but the man refused.]

See next post for a second example from Jesus’ teachings.

Part 6 >

June 25, 2011

Psalm 18:25-27

Praise be to you, my Lord God, for your personal approach to people. You, being the wise and understanding One, know exactly what each individual needs for communication, revelation and realization to open up so you may pour goodness into their lives. As your Word says, the measure with which we give is the measure with which we receive:

Psa 18:25, 26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure,” [As we walk with you, Lord Jesus, you develop faithfulness, blamelessness and purity. And as we cooperate with you in this process of transformation by spending time with you, obeying what we know to be right, denying self and following you, willfully wanting to be faithful, blameless and pure, you reveal more and more of your marvelous qualities to us , giving us greater ground for surrender, worship and wonder–which brings further transformation. A gracious cycle of your goodness being poured out more and more on those who are willing to join you in what you are doing.]
“but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.” [On the negative side, you interact with rebels in a way that is meaningful to them. Jacob was crooked in his dealings, manipulating and using people all through his life. And he brought on himself the same treatment. Your shrewdness in dealing with him led him, in the end, to surrender before you. You know how to work with people, you are never at a loss, never confused, never without wisdom. Praise be to you for your patience, persistence and perception in the process of wooing every single person in the world (John 16:8-11). How you must grieve at those who stubbornly refuse to bow their neck and knee to Truth, to Wisdom, to Reality, and instead rush headlong down the slope of self will away from goodness, forgiveness, grace and light. In the end they go over the edge of time, falling into the pit of separation and desperation, sealed off from all good, getting what they wanted all along: full independence from you. Praise you, Lord, that you go to all the trouble to give them every opportunity to embrace Truth, even though you know they will not accept it. You are far more than fair, you are absolute goodness and grace.]

Psa 18:27 “You save the humble” [This is your requirement for salvation: humility, seeing ourselves as you see us in our depravity. As we stand before you, the Mighty and Eternal One, the Star-breather, the Galaxy-maker, the History-ender, the Pure and Powerful One, what can we do but see our sinfulness, our unworthiness, our puniness, the immense contrast of our shriveled, rebellious hearts with the stunning beauty of your Holiness. To you we must bow, and somehow you work with our will to bring the desire and the decision to surrender, to reject the illusion of independence for the reality of total dependence on you–the One who holds together the nucleus of every atom in the universe—how dependent we are on you without knowing it!

Praise be to you for working in the heart of each one you know will bow, to bring the wise pressure that will lead to the break-through, the understanding, the desire to know you, to live for you, to walk in the light, to bring you glory. What a high calling, what a privileged position, what an existence of ongoing, ever growing joy. You give us the exact opposite of what we deserve, at great cost to yourself and at great profit to us, your thankless enemies. You are a marvel, a mystery: majestic and mighty in your provision of rich, unending agape love. We must bow before you and shout, “Glory!”

You, O Lord God, my Father in Heaven, my Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit who indwells, bring me low today where I need it. Do this so that I may walk in your humility, bringing you greater glory, deeper devotion, wider wonder and higher honor. To you be whole-hearted worship, full-orbed obedience, expanding exaltation and powerful praise in my life today. May all the good you give spill over onto those around me so they may see more of your glory; may I be invisible and you be the focus of our growing awe, deepening love and expanding obedience. Amen.

June 24, 2011

Living in Uncertainty

Lord, everyday we face the uncertainty of the future. It is true that we all do this constantly–although at times there are expectations and hopes which seem to diminish the uncertainty by taking our attention away from the unknown. In the uncertainty of life it is wonderful to know that you hold our future in your hand: you deal the cards, you have shuffled the deck correctly and make sure we get what is good, what will give us the most opportunity to give you glory, be it pleasant or painful for us.

You are the Loving King, the Good Shepherd, the Wise Counselor, the Great and Glorious God of all. I praise you that today, this summer, this year you will bring what is best, whether it be for us to leave here, or for us to stay longer.

Guide me in this, Lord, give me the direction that I need and I praise you now for how you will answer me. To you belongs honor and praise now, long before I see what I desire coming to pass. Truly my soul finds rest in you alone (Ps 62:1)

I give you glory for your faithfulness, honor for your wisdom, exaltation for your power, thanksgiving for your goodness, worship for your righteousness and obedience for your love. May you be lifted up, glorified and exalted today in my life, in my motives, thoughts, words and actions, for you are worthy of all worship.

June 21, 2011

The Wonder of Aging

Lord God, it is wonderful to know you, to be your child, to be in your Kingdom. I praise you for the privilege you give us of knowing you now and knowing much of what is to be. Knowing that you are in loving and wise control of what comes my way; that you protect the weak; that you have defeated the enemy; that my future is in your hands; that I will spend eternity in heaven with you; that there will be the pleasure of your presence, the power of your purpose, the goodness of your glory.

Therefore here on earth, as my body gets weaker, as I lose abilities, as I go downhill, my level of expectation, joy and praise goes up, for I am closer to going to be with you! What a wonderful reality: I live in an open-ended time box that spills out into ever-better things even as life deteriorates on earth.

The very losses that depress most people intensify my desire to be with you, remind me of how privileged I am to be weak in your hands, the means of glory for you in this life, the favor of living by faith, of praising by trust and of obeying in belief.

You, Lord God, are my focus, my Father, my favorite One. “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you.” (Ps. 73:25) To you be glory forever and ever. To you be glory today in my being, living, thinking, speaking and acting. May I obey you in all, being a glory-giver, honor-maker, God-lover. Amen.

June 14, 2011

Psalm 16:8-11

< Read earlier entry on Psalm 16

Psa 16:8 “I have set the LORD always before me.” [To my shame, I cannot say that I do this always, but certainly want to put You first, to acclaim you in every aspect of my life, to have my heart open to your guidance at each juncture, to do follow your leading. Help me to do that consistently, Lord Jesus.]

“Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” [In contrast to me, you, Heavenly Father, are always consistent, always faithful, always there. Since you never leave me, you are always available when I need you and you will always provide what is necessary in protection, guidance, wisdom and provision. So there is no reason for me to be shaken. In every instance you give beyond what I need and I can praise you in it.]

Psa 16:9 “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;” [You are the reason I can be glad and praise, for you are mightily faithful, powerfully providing, strongly consistent, lovingly good, totally wise, graciously giving. There is no lack for those who follow you. It is in you, in your character that all comes together, that all is provided, that all stability rests. It is so right to rejoice in you!]
“my body also will rest secure,” Psa 16:10 “because you will not abandon me to the grave,” [I live in the land of the dying but in your love, power and provision, I will move to the land of the living, going through the doorway of death into the light of eternity. And there you will give me a new body, uncorrupted, undying, unending. The certainty of this has already been established and demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ.]
“nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” [Jesus died, but did not stay dead, his body did not deteriorate, but was brought back to life and transformed into the new and eternal form our bodies will have. You, Lord God, have provided the ultimate redemption, transformation, and salvation in which we can rest secure. And within these you have given us three wonders for life right now:]

First, Psa 16:11 “You have made known to me the path of life;” [In your love and grace, your compassion and forgiveness your Spirit has opened my eyes to the way to life, and now I walk on that path, “of the righteous” which “is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever more brightly til the full light of day.” (Prov 4:18) You pour out on us a continual stream of blessings as we walk with you in your way: your presence, your perspective, your power, your guidance. Every day we can learn more of you, every day you bring further transformation, every day we can experience your care, your wisdom, your goodness. And every day we can give you glory and honor by responding to every situation with praise. You are the God of righteousness, goodness and glory. To know you is wonderful!]
Second, “you will fill me with joy in your presence,” [The more we know you, the deeper our joy goes, overflowing, energizing, transforming and motivating. The certainty of your presence is the well-spring of joy in our lives. We praise you for it!]
Third, “with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” [The certainty of spending eternity with you, at your right hand, enjoying the pleasure of your presence, the wonders of your being, the marvels of your new heaven and earth, this is beyond comprehension–and to know that this will come to pass is a further aspect to our present joy.

Truly, Lord Jesus, to know you is enough for joy, a joy that will be ever increasing until death and then exploding into all the dimensions in which you now live, expanding throughout eternity as we learn more and more of your marvelous, infinite character. To you be glory and honor now. May I reflect back to you the joy you are giving me. May we walk together in this day, shedding the light of your joy on all I meet.]

June 13, 2011

Psalm 16:6,7

<Read earlier entry on Psalm 16

Psa 16:6 “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;” [Where you have placed us, Lord, is more than pleasant, it is amazing: we are within the Kingdom of Light, under the Lordship of the Great Shepherd, within the Family of God, on the narrow way to Heaven, in the company of the saints, equipped and assigned to a specific area of service to you, my beloved King. This is a wonder, a joy, a pleasure, an ever increasing realization of the undeserved, unearned privilege of walking on the pathway of the Creator of all, the Ruler of all, the Restorer of all. In my opinion, “pleasant” is far too mild a word for this state of ever-growing joy!]

“surely I have a delightful inheritance.” [Out of your glorious riches you have prepared a rich inheritance for your undeserving children. You have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3)—every possible spiritual blessing will be ours; as you are infinite and all-powerful, Lord, so these blessings will be unending, uncountable, unquenchable. These will include a sinless life, total security and significance, sweet fellowship with all, ever increasing joy, and living in the light of your presence.

In addition, you have made us fellow-heirs with Jesus, meaning that whatever He inherits, we will get also! As we suffer with Him here, we will participate in His inheritance there. This will include an infinite future, an unending walk with you, an unlimited growth in knowledge of your being, fulfilling, positive challenges of service for you, and rich, uninterrupted fellowship with all other beings in Heaven. It will include living in your glory: “When Christ, who is our life, appears, then we also will appear with him in glory.” (Col 3:4) It will include mostly and most importantly the ability to gaze uninterruptedly on your face, being in the full presence of the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Ruler of all, the Holy, Pure, Powerful, Wise and Good God of all. That will be far more wonderful than we can imagine!]

Psa 16:7 “I will praise the LORD,” [Yes, I will whole-heartedly, with every part of my being, praise such a wonderful Lord who is worthy beyond all measure all the worship I can give!]

“who counsels me;” [You are the God who reaches into my life moment by moment, you speak to me through your Word, through your Spirit, through counsel, through realizations and understanding of circumstances. I can turn to you for wisdom and know for sure that you will give it. I am ever with you, you ever helping, protecting and guiding me.]
“even at night my heart instructs me.” [As I wait for sleep and meditate on your Word, you teach me new things, reinforce old truths, reveal insights, bring transformation. Even in my dreams (not knowing they are dreams) you speak to me as Scripture comes to mind. Sometimes, without realizing I am in a dream, I face life-threatening circumstances and can respond with praise and trust, hearing the leading of your Spirit.]

Praise you, Lord, that as I go into this day, it is certain that you will be there, keeping me within the pleasant boundries, blessing me with your presence, giving me new vision to understand what is good and what is not. I praise you for your great goodness, your abundant love, your ever-flowing grace, your endless kindness. To you l lift my voice of praise, to you I give my life anew. Glorify yourself today in all that will come, that those around may see your greatness and bow before you, too.

Psalm 16:3-5

< Read Psalm 16:1,2

Psa 16:3 “As for the saints who are in the land,they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.” [You, Heavenly Father, have made us saints, qualified us to be partakes in the Kingdom of light. You have made us glorious in Jesus and you delight in us. Despite what we are naturally, to you we are delightful, a new creation in Christ, welcomed with joy into your presence. In you we can rest securely, knowing that you have accepted us fully, finally, faithfully. It is in you that we are secure.]

Psa 16:4 “The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.” [Every other god is false (the gods of every religion, along with the gods of comfort, power, materialism, politics and business, sex and entertainment, getting my way and controlling others), each one is an illusion and leads only to disappointment, bondage, oppression and darkness—the opposite of what you bring, for you are Light, Love and Truth, you bring freedom, joy, peace, grace and goodness. You are the opposite of all other gods, the only One worthy of worship.]

“I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.” [I must avoid involvement in any way with these other gods, not offering them any acknowledgement or worship, time or affection; I must not put any hope in them. I must not give them any credence or credit, but look only to you, Lord Jesus, Creator, Sustainer and Ender of all, the only true Hope there is.]

Psa 16:5 “LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;” [All I have comes from you, O Holy God: my position, my provision, my protection, my portion. And what you give is good: my body, my brains, my boundaries, my bonds, my bounty; whatever they appear to be from a human perspective, they are good and I will praise you for them.]

“you have made my lot secure.” [You, Lord God, are the One of power and authority. Only you can give security: whatever you choose to protect will be untouched by the enemy, whatever you allow to be attacked will be used for good, no matter how painful it may be. I can rest in the security of your salvation, the certainty of your mighty protection. Whatever may happen, positive or negative, pleasant or painful, I can rest in your great and endless power and perfection, knowing you will weave all into your great plan for the end of sin, evil and time, to sweep as many as possible into your Kingdom.]

To you be glory and honor today, Lord. May praise and thanksgiving continually well up in my mind and spill off my lips, may the light of your love shine from my being, may you be lifted up in my actions and reactions, my attitude and speech. May praise be the keynote of my life today, may the darkness of complaining and discontent, grumbling and negativeness be swept away in the brightness of your presence so you may have more glory before both the unseen hosts and visible creatures.]