You Need a Ruler
John Telgren



Here is a question. Are the longer lines parallel or do they waver? Looking at the picture sure makes them seem as though they are not parallel. However, they are. All you have to do is take a ruler and measure the distance between the lines at each end, and you will see that they are truly parallel to each other. The short diagonal lines that run through the long ones distort our perception.

There is an important lesson in this. Life is filled with short diagonal lines that will distort our perception. These short diagonal lines come in many forms. Many of them are barely recognizable. They enter into us in large doses through the television. They bombard our minds through our ears in the music we listen to. They reshape how we perceive the place of our friends, jobs, possessions, the money we make and what success in life is. This distortion can have grave consequences. The desire to be popular. The need to be accepted. The drive to accumulate. The urge to find significance in doing more and more. The longing to climb higher in life. And the list can go on and on. These are all part of the culture we live in. They may seem harmless. They may even appear to be commendable. But are these godly values?

God has give us a rulers that will help keep the world from distorting our perception on what is truly important in life. Paul makes a couple of statements that indicate we need to look deeper into the life that God has provided for us.

"… while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor 4:18).

"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" (Eph 1:18).

In order to see things from God's perspective, we need to live above the world. In other words, we need to walk with, talk with, reflect with, and work with God side by side so much that we can see the world through God's perspective. Slowing down for devotional time will enable us to make all time God time and life above the world while yet in the world. If you are not already doing so, plan to spend time every single day in reading, reflection, and prayer. And take it with you when you leave. That is your ruler.