I would be very hard pressed to find a bigger contrast than our human views compared to God’s perspective.  Many know that Isaiah 55 says clearly that God’s thoughts and ways are so much different from man’s as the heavens are higher than the earth.  Sometimes we get so self-centered and self-absorbed that we tend to think we are the center of the universe. 

Two ways to describe this follow.  One is that when a saying like “God helps him who helps himself is repeated enough, people tend to believe it, even though the Bible neither says nor supports that.  Another description that we jokingly use in engineering circles is, once we get to believing the things we have concocted, it’s like “drinking our own bath water.”

Here are a few things God tells us that tend to fly in the face of our pride which can greatly warp our spiritual insight and maturity.  Man (especially some “scientists”) say that “seeing is believing.”  But God teaches us the opposite, that “believing is seeing.”  The account of the man born blind in John chapter 9 illustrates this in spades.  After Jesus healed the blind man He told the Pharisees that if they could admit they were spiritually blind then He could help and forgive them.  But because they proudly claimed to see all by themselves, they remained spiritually blind, and He could not help them.  Notice the irony and the paradoxes so far, with more to come.

We’ll spend the rest of this Thinkable by reviewing 3 stories that strongly illustrate how completely poles apart is the way God looks at things compared to how man looks at things.  Hopefully this will help us at least begin to give some consideration to undergoing a “VIEW Transformation.”

First we see a widow giving her last 2 coins in Luke 21:1-4.   1-4Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all!" Men would say in contrast that the rich people gave the most, even though they would never miss it, but God sees the heart and attitude, making all the difference.

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in Luke 18

 9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[b]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’  13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Again man tends to be proud of his own resume, but God sees the heart; vastly different.

Finally we drop in on how King David was selected, even though forgotten by his own father in 1 Samuel 16."  10 Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, "GOD hasn't chosen any of these."  11 Then he asked Jesse, "Is this it? Are there no more sons?"  "Well, yes, there's the runt. But he's out tending the sheep." Samuel ordered Jesse, "Go get him. We're not moving from this spot until he's here." 12 Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health— bright-eyed, good-looking.  GOD said, "Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one."

Is there a simple way to explain such totally different views?  YES indeed!  1 Samuel 16:6-7  When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Here he is! GOD's anointed!" But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart."

So, if you and I are wanting to move from our perspective to God’s perspective, we will need to humble ourselves, seek God’s face (not His hand), repent and turn from our worldly self-centered views and ambitions, and finally trust and depend on God to reveal His ways, truth, purposes, and glory to us, through prayer, His word, and His Spirit.