Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes by June Hunt Read Free Book Online Page A

in their home.
    The life of this man, so accessible, was in sharp contrast to the life of my father, who enforced his belief that children should be seen and not heard. I was so intimidated by his austerity that occasionally, upon hearing his footsteps, I would hide behind a door. It was never normal for me to sit in his lap, kiss his cheek, or share my secrets. I felt my father wore signs that blared, KEEP OUT…NO TRESPASSING…DO NOT ENTER!
    Each evening after dinner, my father demanded the full attention of my mother, literally forbidding her to be with us. I will always remember the loneliness of being barred from receiving my mother’s care and concern night after night.
    Many people think of God in the same way as I perceived my father—imposing, powerful, completely inaccessible, and certainly not interested in the details of their lives.
    But is that true of God? Do you know what your heavenly Father is really like? In John 14:8, Philip emphatically said, “Show us the Father.” Jesus responded, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…I am in the Father, and…the Father is in me” (John 14:9-10). The truth about God can be found in Jesus.
    Being accessible to the poor, Jesus did not wear fashion labels for the elite. He wore no unapproachable labels for the leper. Even the prostitute was moved by His openness. And when the children tried to get close to Him, Jesus rebuked His disciples for trying to pin on Him the label unavailable. From child to leper, from seeker to sinner, no one felt unacceptable in the presence of Jesus. Though He is Almighty God in the flesh, He is always accessible. From the beginning of time to today, God is always accessible to you!
    Whether or not you have ever experienced access to a loving, earthly father, you are always welcome into the presence of your heavenly Father. Seeing yourself through God’s eyes, you know He never has a DO NOT ENTER sign over His heart.
     
    Personalize these verses in your own words:

    Ephesians 2:18

    Hebrews 4:16

    Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…

    I have worth because…I am given access to God.

Day 23

    I Am Given the Mind of Christ

    “We have the mind of Christ”

    (1 C ORINTHIANS 2:16).

    O ne cold evening, the fire was warming, as was our conversation. I was spending special time with one of my closest friends—one whom I’ve known for many years. Several times during the evening, I would start to say something and before I could get my thoughts completely formed, she would finish my sentence. Twice, I remember, we said the same word at the same time.
    My friend and I have a unique oneness of mind and spirit. We know each other’s sensitivities and sorrows, the preferences and the pains.
    How amazing it is that God offers you the same oneness with His Son. He wants you to know His heart by knowing His Word. He wants His thinking to saturate your thoughts. His plan from the beginning has been that His nature become your “second nature.”
    When you are given a new life in Christ, you are given a new nature. Nature simply means doing what comes naturally. God gives you the capacity to think as He naturally thinks. What an extraordinary gift!
    A writer friend of mine told me that every time she sits down to write, she first prays she will have the mind of Christ—His thoughts flowing through her as she writes. Her comment had a strong impact on me—I now pray in the same way.
    In the midst of confusion, you need the mind of Christ. In the midst of conflict, when criticism is caustic and when advice is adversarial, you need the mind of Christ. As long as you live, there will always be those who are mentally and emotionally on the attack.
    Remember Job’s “friends”? Although Job had done nothing wrong, he was besieged with assumptions that he had sinned. He was weighed down by their words and volumes of verbiage.
    At times you may feel like Job, wondering what is true. The advice-givers go on and on, weaving their