Day Five: Seeing Life from God's View

"What is your life?" James 4:14 (NIV)

Stuff That Stuck Out:

• The way you see your life shapes your life.
• Your unspoken life metaphor influences your life more than you realize.
• The Bible offers three metaphors that teach us God's view of life: Life is a test, life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment (discussed tomorrow.)
• Life on earth is a Test.
• Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.
• You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies.
• A very important test is how you act when you can't feel God's presence in your life. Sometimes God intentionally draws back, and we don't sense his closeness.
• When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.
• Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.
• Life on earth is a Trust.
• Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God that he has entrusted to our care and management.
• We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. God just loans the earth to us while we're here.
• At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you.
• God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are.
  
• The more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.

Point To Ponder: Life is a test and a trust.

Verse To Remember: "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones." Luke 16:10a (NLT)

Question To Consider: What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?