The holiday triumvirate of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years is the time of year to rest, relax, and reflect. I suggest taking a further step to check priorities and reassess the condition of your heart and world view. We all have a weltanshauung. A weltanshauung is a big picture, world view that shapes how we think and act. A world view helps us celebrate the holidays and live each day. Our daily activities, relationships, communication and emotional well being stem from what is at the core of our personal weltanshauung.
MY world view starts with a fundamental belief expressed in Hebrews 7:7, ‘And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater.’ This verse is a reminder I am not the center of all thought and judgement. There is a greater and there is a lesser in this world. This logic dictates there is also a GREATEST. There is a God and He is the God of the Old Testament. MY world view begins and ends with an awe, reverence and fear of that which is greater. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;” Proverbs 1:7.
The Bible teaches that God created the world ex nihilo, out of nothing. “By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible.” Hebrews 11:3. MY God is at the center of how I view everything from education, politics and relationships to the movements in the Earth’s crust. Since He MADE the world, I don’t separate God from His creation. ‘The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.’ Psalm 89:11.
In fact, I try to exercise more faith in Him, His ability and sovereignty every day. Why? Because I believe that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. At the core of my weltanschauung is who and what I define as God. These days ‘God’ is being defined differently by many people. My God is easy to identify, is yours?
Senseless death at the hands of a terrorist in the Strasbourg Christmas market shouting “God is great”, demands everyone resolve your faith and beliefs. Politics demand you define your God and ask IF He is at the center of your world view or the latest elected official. You can ignore the reality of God but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring the reality of God. An underlying weltanshauung that doesn’t begin with a higher power than yourself results in anger, hatred and self absorption. Wait, what do we see in Washington and on the pages of Facebook and Twitter?
Christmas reinforces faith and belief in God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. This is a weltanshauung that leads to peace, contentment and love for people. Jesus didn’t come so we can all co-exist, He came to save mankind from a worldview that does not start and end with God…His love, power, mercy, grace and wrath. Jesus came to save mankind from a worldview that was self centered and independent from God. Jesus came to reset a worldview where God expresses his love in a way for people to be saved from themselves, not by themselves or elected officials. Jesus came to remind us that the problem is not politicians, fascism or the Russians. The problem is a world hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and putting self before the Creator.
If Jesus is not at the center of YOUR weltanshauung, it’s only a matter of time until your heart hardens to the world around you. During Christmas, check your heart and your world view. Have you written off the uncle who voted for Trump…the cousin who can’t talk about anything other than his job or latest purchase…the friends who don’t share your beliefs…the family member you can’t forgive?
Too many issues are causing people to take their eyes off core beliefs that are needed to shape a healthy world and world view. “Therefore,…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith….Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3.
Before Christmas comes and goes, before the New Year pulls you into 2019, take time to re-establish your personal weltanshauung. Throw off everything that is hindering you and the sin that has perverted your true world view. Revisit your faith…reestablish contact with God…establish a relationship with his son, Jesus.
Commit to a world view that will shape you into the person you want to be, the person God wants you to be, the person Jesus gave his life for you to be. Then, live each day of 2019 with a renewed conviction and purpose. Live with a weltanshauung that starts with Jesus.