Uncategorized

I shared in the last devotional that marriage/family government is one of the key building blocks in every society, but it is the very sphere that has been under attack from the onset. It is God’s desire for us to build strong marriages and families. They honor God, build security for each family members, and create healthier societies. The scripture gives us insight on how we can build stronger marriages.

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1Corinthians 6:18-20

As a believer, God has called us to abstain from fornication and sexual immorality. Sexual sin causes ungodly soulish ties, and it can also lead to out of wedlock pregnancies. Sex outside of marriage causes pollution in the relationship and people may marry each other or break up for wrong reasons. The children born in these situations may experience the lack of commitment of one or both parents in their lives. 

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

We are called to be equally yoked. Marrying an unbeliever is against God’s will and makes the marriage much harder. Couples should take their time to get to know each other spiritually. Many claim to be a Christian but do not have a living relationship with the Lord. If submitting to a man is difficult for a woman, it becomes much harder to submit to him if he is not a believer!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

In the line of priorities, the Lord should always come first, and then our spouse is next in the line of priorities. Our mate is not supposed to take the place of our relationship with the Lord. At the same time, our career, ministry, or children should not be more important than our marriage. Improper priorities lead to an insidious and gradual breakdown of marriage that couples don’t notice until something becomes the last straw that breaks the marriage. 

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.Ephesians 5:23

God has called the husband and wife to love and respect each other, but God specifically has determined that man to be the head of his household. Marriage/family is a God ordained from of government, and the Lord has assigned the husband to govern it. Sometimes women want to take the man’s place because a man is passive, or he is not doing his part to lead. The problem is that the more the woman takes the place of her husband, the more the husband will shrink back from his role. This causes even greater frustration for the woman. 

God uses marriage as an instrument to shape us. However, shaping is not always pleasant but painful. This is where marriages go through turmoil, and sometimes couples don’t make it. The key to a healthy marriage is having the right perspective between God’s part, our part, and our mate’s part. We have the most control on our part. However, if a spouse feels that she/he is always the one who has to change to make the marriage work, then it may be necessary for the couple to seek help from a Godly counselor. Please don’t to worry about what others would think of your marriage but give your marriage a fighting chance! 

God is in the business of restoring marriages. If there are areas that we have failed in the past, we should repent. If there is room for improvement on our part, we can ask the Lord to help us to do it His way! If both individuals are willing to do marriage God’s way, there is a greater chance of success for marriages in the church. This gives us the permission to have a voice in the society and help others with their marriages.

The stability of marriage government also provides a greater chance for healthy and secure children who are hopeful about their future. It reduces the risk of children getting into trouble, and it also diminishes the chance of poverty. We can build a stronger society when we build stronger marriages/families.  

The second most important sphere of government is marriage/family government. This sphere is one of the most neglected spheres of government.

 “And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”  Genesis 2:18

“And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:23-25

God created marriage and blessed it between a man and a woman. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between the two where the couple leave all other affections and priorities and cleave to one another and become one. Marriage is also the place for safe and blessed sexual relationship, which creates the perfect environment for raising a child whose parents are committed to each other and the baby.

Marriage brings stability for everyone, and it provides a safe and secure environment to raise self-governing children. Parents have a responsibility to set the right example for them and to teach and train the children in Truth. This fulfills God’s mandate of being fruitful by raising children who are God honoring and are productive and responsible citizens in their society. 

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, it impacted their relationship with God and with one another. They were blamed each other and did not take responsibility for their own actions before a holy God. This was the breakdown of self-government which also impacted the marriage/family government. The breakdown of one sphere of government has a ripple affect on the spheres of government. 

Marriage has continually been under assault from the beginning because it is the nucleus of God’s governance on the earth, and it represents our spiritual relationship to a holy God. God sees marriage as a holy covenant. It is about a husband and wife who are willing to be committed to God and be self-less towards one another. It is the ultimate expression of Jesus’ two greatest commandments. 

To the contrary, the enemy is after separating and destroying families. Due to man’s hardened heart, God permitted divorce for only two reasons. First, it was adultery, and the other was abandonment by an unbelieving spouse. However, the current no-fault divorce has caused much damage to families and the society as a whole. The divorce rate in the church is the same as those outside of the church. This is not about shaming those of us who have gone through divorce, but it is about understanding the schemes of the enemy and the huge consequences of divorce.

How do we build stronger marriages and families? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

In the Garden of Eden,  when Adam and Eve decided to ignore God’s boundaries, self-government failed. Over the course of time, God instituted the Ten Commandments for people to govern their actions. The law eventually proved that man’s nature does not change by external rules.

Finally, God sent His son, Jesus, to give us a new nature. He taught us that true transformation occurs when our heart changes through repentance. When we ask for forgiveness and accept His work on the cross, the regeneration process begins. Jesus offers us a fresh start and teaches us how to walk with God. He redeemed what was lost by Adam in the Garden. The change is not a religion but a relationship that continues to change us from the inside out.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in the above two commandments. Those who are born-again have the power to be self-governing by following Jesus and His ways of doing life. There are no laws that can legislate the above two commandments effectively; they are the most powerful two commandments that can shape the nature of any society or nation. The change always begins with us and its ripple affect impacts those around us. True self-government begins when we fear and love God!

We can look at a simple example of traffic laws and the impact of violating them on the society. While we have law enforcement that holds individuals accountable to traffic violations, the system is designed with the assumption that most people will be self-governing and will follow the traffic laws. If everyone in a city decided not to follow the traffic laws, chaos would ensue in the matter of hours. There would be numerous accidents and the police force would not be able to handle all the traffic violations and accidents. When people don’t honor the law, it creates an unsafe and insecure environment for everyone in the community. 

In every sphere of society, we are dependent on men and women who are willing to follow the laws of various institutions and do right in order to protect themselves and others from harm. It used to be that the the lawlessness was equated with those marginalized in society. However, nowadays, lawlessness is embraced as a sign of intelligence and political engagement in some circles, and those in power encourage the average person to be lawless. While unjust laws should be challenged through the right channels, we cannot have a society where people just decide to be lawless whenever something doesn’t meet their expectations. This pattern of behavior creates anarchy, and it threatens the security of every innocent person. We are all accountable to the Lord in how we conduct our lives, and we should not condone lawlessness as trendy or smart!

As our nation is going through political and social turmoil, it is important for us to go to the Bible and discover God’s views on these matters. One of the aspects of success in our human experience is in living in peace and respect of one another, but we cannot live in this manner unless we have healthy governance in every sphere of society. Last week, I wrote about this subject on Facebook. However, since many of my readers are not connected with me on Facebook, I would like to share these important concepts with you all and expound on some of those issues. 

In general terms, the role of governance is the role oversight given to a person or a group people who have the responsibility of protecting and providing for those under their jurisdiction. There are different spheres of governance in society. In each sphere, there are those who lead and there are those who are subjects. Each person has a God-given responsibility to function according to the parameters that God has defined their job description to be. The scripture points out different spheres of government and the God-given role and function for each sphere. 

According to 1828 Webster’s dictionary: GOVERNMENT means: Direction; regulation. These precepts will serve for the government of our conduct. 1. Control; restraint. Men are apt to neglect the government of their temper and passions.”

The most important sphere of government is self-government. This is at the heart of every healthy society. When we are willing to restrain ourselves and do what is right and equitable, we develop a building block to a healthy society.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28

God created Adam and Eve in His own image and had a relationship with them. He also gave them authority over everything that He created. Adam in his perfect and sinless state was a self-governing individual and was able to walk with God and steward what God had entrusted to him. However, after the fall, Adam and Eve became subject to fear and pride, which led them to shame, guilt, and blame.

We see the lack of self-governance in our society. The darts of shame, guilt, and blame are flying all around us. People do not want to take responsibility for their own lives and neither do they seek to change. However, they have plenty of opinions for how others should change and behave better. When things go wrong, the pointing of fingers begin, but we hardly hear anyone taking the log out of their own eyes. This creates much chaos, confusion, and division. 

Are we able to govern our tempers and passions and, at the same time, do what is right in the eyes of God? 

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

I was talking to a friend (I will call Stella) yesterday who told me that she had a breakdown of a 35 year relationship with her friend (I will call Karen) due to a political disagreement.  It began with a Facebook discussion, and it eventually led to communicating privately. The problem escalated when Karen claimed that she and her sisters were Christians to enforce her views. Stella remarked that since Karen and her sisters believed that all roads lead to the same God, they cannot be Christians. In addition, Stella emphasized that Karen’s sisters were all liberals, and liberals cannot be Christians.  This caused a great offense in Karen’s heart, and she felt judged by Stella. Karen told Stella that they no longer can be friends unless Stella apologizes for her comments. Stella and I had a very good discussion about this situation, and it reminded me of the subject I have been writing about this week. I think, it would benefit all of us to know on how to deal with these type of sticky situations.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Colossians 4:5

First of all, convoluting the discussion of politics and faith is very dangerous, and it muddies the water to have a serious conversation with someone about salvation. In the heat of a political discussion, it is not the best time to tell someone that they are not a Christian. The person may feel that we are just trying to gain the upper hand in the argument. If the salvation of our friend is a point of concern to us, we should prayerfully consider another time to connect with them and have that important conversation. We need to mindful that their need for Salvation is much more critical than winning any political discussion and keep it in perspective when discussing politics.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 1Peter 3:15

Secondly, if we are going to address someone’s questionable beliefs about Christianity, we need to do it with humility and gentleness. We can ask them questions rather than making direct remarks about their that causes walls to be erected. Paul did this masterfully in Athen (See Acts 17). We can ask them, “Do you know what the Bible says about this subject?” or “Are you aware what Jesus said about this issue?” Sometimes we may not be prepared to have a Biblical answer or offer a scripture related to the subject. In this situation, we can challenge ourselves and the person to search the scripture and talk at a later time about our findings. This approach can also apply to those who truly are believers but have differing views on politics or other subject matters.

Thirdly, Christianity cannot be equated to a political party or left/right leaning views.  People choose their politics primarily based on their family of origin, their history, and their experience with civil government. Many people do not agree with everything a political party stands for, but they lean towards one because of certain issues that are a priority to them. Over the years, I have met and discussed politics with sincere believers from various political leanings. It is important not to draw a conclusion on someone’s faith purely based on their political standing. 

There is much hatefulness going on in our culture right now. In addition, the enemy is after God’s people to be divided over political issues. As God’s people we should be the ones who set the standard for how to discuss issues with honor and respect. We may disagree on some issues but still work together for the betterment of all Americans. If we allow political labels to divide us, then there is no hope for society since we as Christians should know better. The best earthly systems and governments of the world will not last through eternity. We need to be in the business of helping solve societal problems but never lose focus that the most important assignment is to grab people from the pit of hell regardless of their political leanings. 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,  looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. Titus 2:11-15

Chapter 2 of Titus describes the qualities of a healthy and functioning church. Paul is exhorting Titus by reminding him that the grace of God through Jesus opens the door for a righteous life. Therefore, we are called to live a pure life and encourage, exhort, and rebuke others to do the same. When we reject a correction because we feel judged, we could be basically despising the messenger. When we feel judged by people, it can abort God’s process to receive truth, and we can even get further away from His will. This may also lead us to seeing others as our enemies.

None of us are perfect, and we will do things that are out of alignment with God’s will. The devil’s goal is to make things look acceptable, so we can believe we have the freedom to do whatever we want. However, the same enemy who whispered in our ear to go ahead and do it, he will now begin to whisper shame and guilt in our lives and tell us that we live hypocritical lives.

God’s method is completely the opposite of the enemy. From the onset, He tells us the truth about the proper boundaries of right and wrong, and He has empowered us through the Holy Spirit to keep His standard in life. If we fall short of His standard, He uses several different means to bring it to our attention, so we get back on track with Him. When we read and study the Word of God, He uses His word as a search light in our hearts. In addition, the Holy Spirit, our counselor, convicts us in our hearts to get it right. If those methods don’t work, God can use people to speak to us about a situation in our lives. His ultimate goal is for us to admit we are wrong, repent, and get it right with Him.

Obviously, not every correction from others is led by the Lord. People can have their own issues, or they can mean well but impose their own preferences on us. However, the moment we feel judged by others, we close off the communication that allows God to show us something regarding an issue at hand. When we feel judged, we don’t even give it a chance to find out if there is any truth in what was stated that we requires our attention.

If we are the ones who bring the correction, we have to be careful to purify our own hearts from judgment, jealousy, and legalism. We need to ascertain whether the issue we are about to discuss is our preference or a scriptural mandate. Furthermore, the scriptural mandates can be applied differently by different people, and one has to be careful not to expect a cookie-cutter application of scripture. For example, the love and respect between a husband and wife can look very different from one couple to another. While love and respect should be evident in a relationship, one cannot impose their own experience or preference on another couple.

The more we are open to God and to His people, it gives us the opportunity not to be deceived by the enemy or by our own desires. When we are able to discern between the voice of truth versus man’s opinion, we can humbly receive correction and let go of other things that do not apply to us. 

As the Post Modern philosophy continues to permeate our culture and the academic world, truth is sold to the highest bidder and the loudest voice! The standard of right and wrong have been replaced with subjective feelings and personal opinions. Unfortunately, Christians have not been exempt from this either. It seems that our relationship with Christ has been condensed to our five favorite scriptures that we like to quote from time to time. Sadly, some use these scriptures out of context creating confusion for the believers and unbelievers alike. 

These are tumultuous times, and we, as the body of Christ, must confront these issues in our own lives first. One of the consequences of the lack of Bible knowledge and subjective truth is that nowadays it is easy for people to feel judged by others. If someone tells them something that they don’t like to hear, they consider it being judged. This leads them to being offended, and it eventually causes break up of relationships and division. All along, the devil is probably is smiling and thinking that he didn’t have to do much work for God’s  people to get derailed from His purpose.

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”  The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. John 4: 15-19 

I wonder how the above story would have looked like had it occurred these days!? First, Jesus did not mention anything to the woman about God’s love for her. Second, He spoke to her in allegory about being the living water, which initially, she did not understand. Third, Jesus proceeded to tell her that she was married five times before, and now she was living with someone who was not her husband. Basically, He exposed the woman’s sins! The woman at the well could have felt judged, ashamed, and offended. To the contrary, she called Him a prophet. If she had rejected Jesus, she would have missed out on the transformed life He had to offer her.

Nowadays, it is difficult to talk about sin of any form because people feel judged by others. How often do you hear preachers talk about divorce, fornication, gluttony, abortion, or adultery? Many believers would rather concentrating on God’s love and His great plan for people. The new believers miss out on the truth that God has called them to grow up and put our childish ways aside. No wonder we have a culture of entitlement! We make it sound like God is begging people to have a relationship with Him and that He is desperately in need of them.  

While God loves every person, it is not the whole story! If we were not sinners, Jesus did not have to die on the Cross for us. God called us to Himself and He intends to develop the image of Christ in us. He loves us so much that He wants to give us a transformed life and pull us out of the miry pit of sins that have kept us in bondage for years!

The truth is that when God convicts of sin, it is to realign our lives with His good plan. If someone tells us something that exposes our sin, it would be better to admit to it rather than blame the person for judging us. Why are we so afraid of man judging us, but we are not afraid of the consequences of sin!?

One of the privileges of walking with God is our delight in God. Being delighted takes us out of the realm of following a religion and allows us to relate to our Lord in a personal way! God also takes pleasure in His children and enjoys being delighted in us.

3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3-4

23The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37:23-24

The word “delight” has two different meanings in the above scriptures:

Verse 4: Delight (Strong’s H6026): to be soft, be delicate, and to be dainty.

Verse 23: Delight (Strong’s H2654): to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with

1. of men: to take pleasure in, delight in, to delight, desire, be pleased to do,

2. of God: to delight in, have pleasure in, to be pleased to do, to move, bend down.

Our relationship with the Lord is not an equal relationship, therefore, our delight looks different from God’s delight. When we delight in God, it is the declaration of our trust and confidence in the Lord. Being delighted, means that we are willing to be pliable, soft, and vulnerable. We don’t allow the issues of life cause us to have a hardened heart towards God. We don’t get off the Potter’s wheel. When we delight in God, we are yielded, and the Lord is able to direct our path and guide us into His plans and His purpose for our lives.

God’s delight looks different. He is the one in charge. When God delights in us, He has the power to approve of us and bend His ear towards our needs. The delight of God is an awesome favor. It is like Esther when she came before the King uninvited. She could have lost her life, but the King extended his scepter towards her and showed his favor (See Esther 5:1-3). Similarly, when the God of the universe delights in a man, it is the greatest complement and blessing in one’s life. To know that He is pleased with us, fills us with awe, security, and significance. He bends His ears to hear our prayers and shows Himself strong on our behalf. 

We always have a reason to delight in the one who is trustworthy and faithful. He has shown His love towards us through His son and has made a way for us to be in relationship with Him! The beauty of our relationship with the Lord is that as we trust His love towards us, we give Him the reigns of our lives, and He directs our steps. The steps we take produce fruitful results, and they glorify God. The Lord takes pleasure in seeing our lives fulfill His purpose, and He delights in us. As you can see, God’s delight and our delight create a life-giving cycle of faith.

Read Psalm 37. Begin the week by delighting yourself in the Lord, being faithful, and doing good wherever you go. This begins a cycle of faith that will reward you with His delight, His peace, and His joy!

Nathanael was not the only one who had a wrong perception of Jesus based on His background (See Part IV).

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:53-57

When Jesus went to Nazareth, His own people were offended by Him and did not believe that He was anyone special. They were familiar with His parents Mary and Joseph, the carpenter. They also knew His brothers and sisters.  Some of His countrymen may have known Jesus since He was a child and could not believe that somehow he be in a position to teach them. Some of His peers may have been jealous of Him. They knew He had wisdom and had done mighty works, but they could not accept His works. Consequently, His countrymen did not receive Him because of their perception problem. The scripture tells us that Jesus did not do many miracles there and the book of Mark tells that he only healed a few sick people in Nazareth (See Mark 6:5). 

The people’s pride, jealousy, and their sense of familiarity with Jesus caused them not to honor Him. Their lack of acceptance was a detriment to their lives as they missed what Jesus could have done among them.

If we have been a Christian for any length of time, we can also develop a perception problem. We may see young people who grow spiritually and begin to take on leadership roles. In our eyes, they were just a kid a few years ago! There are others who walked in our church with many issues years ago, but God is using them doing to do mighty work in His kingdom. However, we continue to see them the way they were when we first met them. There are others that we are too familiar with, and when God speaks through them, we want to ignore it because it cannot be that important!

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  Matthew 10:40-41

We all need perception adjustment from time to time. If we find it hard to receive from certain people or accept their ministry, we should examine our hearts. We need to find out if we have pride, jealousy, or familiarity with this person that causes us not to take them seriously. God rewards people when they receive His representatives for His intended purpose! God’s representatives are going to bring a blessing to those who receive them if we welcome their anointing in our lives. 

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”  And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” John 1:43-51

Jesus was gathering His disciples and called them to follow Him. Philip invited Nathanael to see Jesus and join them, but Nathanael was reluctant. Nathanael’s perception was clouded with his prejudice towards those who came from Nazareth. Nazareth was a small Jewish town where everyone knew each other. This town was not known for anything special or unique, so it was easy to ignore those who came from that little town.

Nathanael’s mindset makes it easy for someone to look down on others and think of them as not good enough. This also happens in our modern day. Sometimes when people find out where we live, it leads them to draw conclusions about who we are based on our zip code. If we live in a small country town, some may draw conclusions about our education, wealth, or the type of job we hold.  On the other hand, if we live in a beautiful metropolitan area or an upscale suburb, people may assume that we are wealthy, educated, and successful. Whether those assumptions are valid or not, they still do not answer the most important questions. We still don’t know anything about the person’s character, experiences in life, or their need for Jesus.

The Lord could have chosen a more impressive family and place for Jesus to be raised in, but He choose chose Mary and Joseph as the parents and Nazareth as His little hometown.  God was looking for people who were not going to be distracted by Jesus’ outward characteristics but search deeper for who He really was. Nathanael made assumptions about Jesus not because he knew Him personally but because of the town Jesus came from. 

Nathanael’s perception completely changed when Jesus prophetically spoke about him and was stunned at Jesus’ knowledge of him. Immediately, Nathanael professed Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. That was a major shift in perception. He realized that Jesus knew him better than most people he associated with. Jesus was not focused on Nathanael’s outward appearance, nor was He have moved by Nathanael’s perception of Him. Jesus was in tune with what God said about him and was able to see Nathanael for who he really was. It’s interesting that Jesus saw Nathanael as someone who had no deceit in him even though he had a wrong perception about Jesus. Nathanael’s opinion of Jesus did not change Jesus’ view of Nathanael!

We may be righteous people but still have a need of perception adjustment. Drawing conclusions based on people’s outward appearance is a carnal and lazy way to do life. We need to challenge ourselves to go beyond people’s outward appearances, race, ethnicity, or where they live, and develop a Godly perception of others. This allows us to be in tune with the Lord and to do His effective work on the earth.