Read Genesis 2:4-15; 3:1-8
When God created this world for us to live and work in
partnership with Him, everything was wonderfully upright. As Adam and Eve daily experienced the Lord’s
presence with them in the “cool of the day” (literally the Spirit or breeze of
the day), they saw everything as God intended. Glory prevailed. Love was pure.
Truth was undiluted. Life was totally in
balance.
Unfortunately sin turned everything upside down. Suddenly, they did not know which way was up
any more. Everything looked and felt different. They saw nakedness and
vulnerability. The assuring presence of God felt intimidating. Their whole
world seemed topsy-turvy.
Physically, if someone were to put on a pair of
glasses that turned everything upside down, within three days his/her brain
adapts its perspective and flips everything back around. What is actually upside down seems perfectly
upright and vice versa. Spiritually, the
same thing happened. It didn’t take long
and upside down thinking became the norm, impacting what was deemed logical and
felt “right.” What seemed upside down
were the things of God. It just doesn’t
make sense to die to self and have that really living; to give being the
greatest way to receive; to love your enemies and pray for those who
intentionally make your life miserable; to see dying as an upgrade … All these seem so upside down. However, the truth is, these are right side
up. It is the world we live in that is
upside down.
Through faith Jesus makes possible living here and now
in His upright kingdom. His kingdom has come, but for now coexists within the
kingdoms of this world. It is a right
side up kingdom in an upside down world. Someday, Jesus will come again and
turn everything back to its original uprightness. Until then, we navigate in
both realities.
Jesus came to show us how to live upright in an upside
down world. He knew we needed more than
a new pair of “glasses” or way to look at things, we needed an entire change of
heart and mind. Through faith in Jesus
Christ these are given to us. 1Corinthians 2:16 tells us, “We have the mind of Christ.” We are given the ability to see things from
an upright, godly perspective. However,
we have to readjust our orientation. That requires that we “set our minds on
things above, not on things of the earth.”
(Colossians 3:2) This
necessitates a constant refocusing: thinking about what we are thinking about
and continually making fine adjustments to align with Christ. Romans 12:2 calls it “renewing your
mind.” (Also see Ephesians 4:22-24.)
By the grace of God, He has given us His indwelling
Spirit to help us - the Spirit of Truth
(John 14:16-17; 16:13-15). As He guides
us in all truth, we need to apply it to every situation. Like the air bubble in a level, the truth of
who God is, His character, His expressed will, and His way of living in an
upside down world, quickly tells us which way is truly up. When we adjust accordingly, everything
changes, especially us. The balance we were originally created to experience in
partnership with the Lord is restored.
God’s glory once again prevails.
Making It
Personal
Can you identify “natural” tendencies, reactions, old
habits and ongoing struggles that are simply conforming to upside down world
thinking?
What upside down thinking are you warned against in
Proverbs 3:5?
How does recognizing that these are upside down help
motivate you to seek transformation/reorientation? (Reread Romans 12:2)
How does (or can) applying Scripture and living
dependently on the Holy Spirit help reorient your perspective and resulting
choices?
What does Romans 8:5-9 tell you about the consequences
of where you continually choose to set your mind?
Living upright in an upside down world will make a
difference. It will also make you different. It will attract some, confuse many, and
offend others. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)
How does this underscore the need for partnering with
the Holy Spirit and knowing the word of God?
(2 Corinthians 3:5-6 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
