How You View Is How You Do.  The perspectives of abundance and scarcity can both be correct.  One brings joy!  The other can produce want.  Perspective matters.  It will affect one’s sense of well-being or the lack thereof.

A father put a gold watch in one son's stocking and manure in the other son's...

The first son responded, “Dad, I'm unsure what to do with this watch. It's fragile, and I don't really wear watches."  Minutes later, the second son came running to his father excitedly and said, "Dad! I think Santa brought me a pony! Now I just have to go find it!"

At Christmas time, perspectives vary among people. Some are sad this time of year as it reminds them of what they feel they lack, according to the nostalgia associated with the holiday. Many others enjoy giving and receiving gifts according to the tradition of Christmas.  For others, much will be said regarding the greatest gift.  But Jesus coming as a baby is just the beginning of the greater reason for His appearance.  Our perspective needs to go further than just the manager to the place of understanding His finished work at the cross.  Otherwise, you can celebrate the birth and still have a sense of lacking.

Perspective is a powerful tool! However, it can be dangerous to build one on assumptions and worldly nostalgia, as perspectives can become strongholds if they remain unchecked by the truth of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Wrong perspectives can become strongholds.  They can shape opinions and behavior.  They affect how we relate to God and others.  We should subject our perspectives to the right gospel.  The New Covenant gospel.  Thoughts need to be taken captive to the obedience OF Christ.  Embracing thoughts that are contrary to the obedience of Jesus as our means of righteousness by way of the cross is how disobedience is given birth.  It moves us to attempt to be righteous in the power of our flesh and think it is the means for our relationship with the Father.

The enemy wants believers to have more confidence in their strength and willpower than in Christ’s finished work.

The two-letter word “OF” in 2 Corinthians 10:5 is very important.  Many read that passage as saying bringing every thought into captivity to an obedience to Christ.  But that is not what it says. It should be read more carefully.

When we read that, we will punish all disobedience when our obedience is full. What obedience?  The obedience of faith in Christ. It does not speak of our getting our act together and finally obeying the law.  It means that when we learn to filter everything through the filter of Christ’s obedience and stand firm in the security of the righteousness of God Jesus made us to be, we punish all disobedience by eliminating its power over us through faith in Jesus alone. We put to death faith in ourselves as though we are our own savior.  Sin, shame, and condemnation lose their foothold over us when we know the power of His righteousness at work in us.

Just think of this.  Scripture testifies that He who knew no sin was made to be sin!  He didn’t just take on sin.  He became it!  Why?  So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!  “He became sin so that we could become righteousness.”  But not just any brand of righteousness.  It is God’s righteousness, and knowing this is significant.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

It is the great exchange at the cross!  Jesus became what we were so we might become what He was.  He was righteous by nature. We were sinners by nature.  He was made sin at the cross so that we could become the righteousness of God!  We get to live our lives from the source of a new nature now that we are in Christ!

If you lack this view presented by Scripture, you lack the power to do.  How you view is how you do.  I encourage you to make certain you view things through the lens of the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus, where His obedience is magnified, His finished work is rejoiced over, and we are complete in Him. Perspective has power.  We must make sure Jesus is at the core of our perspective on righteousness and our relationship with the Father. This is why He is the greatest gift of all and always a good reason to celebrate any time of the year.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know!