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Have you ever wondered where the term 20/20 vision comes from? It’s basically a standard that eye doctors have come up with that identifies what a ‘normal’ person can see when standing 20 feet away from an eye chart. So if you have 20/20 vision, you don’t need glasses. If you have 20/40 vision, it means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what a normal human can see when standing 40 feet from the chart. (If you have around 20/200 vision you are considered legally blind, in many countries.)
SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION
In Matthew chapter 25 we can see an example of ‘spiritual’ vision when we read ‘The Parable of the Talents’. Here, Jesus tells the story of a master (representing himself) going to a faraway land (representing Heaven) and entrusting his servants (believers like you and me) with a measure of money called a talent (representing the gifts given to us). His command was to ‘do business’ with the talent whilst he was away.
Three servants are noted. To one, five talents are given (he doubled the investment); to another, two talents (he also doubled the investment), and to the third, one talent (who didn’t do anything with the investment – he just buried it).
The five and two talent servants are clearly seen as being in a different category to that of the one talent servant – not because they had been given more talents, but because of their perception of their master.
Consider the words of the five and two talent servants upon the return of their master: “‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five/two talents. See, I have gained five/two more.’” You can almost hear expectancy, approval and an impending receipt of thankfulness in those words.
Contrast this with the one talent servant: “‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’” In these words are fear and harshness.
GOD IS A GIVER NOT A TAKER
The first two servants had spiritual 20/20 vision of who their master (Jesus) was and what he was coming back for (a profit on his investment). And they not only diligently achieved that, but also were keen to seek the approval of their master when he returned to see the good they had achieved. They knew their master was a giver. The one talent servant was quite different. He had a WRONG PERCEPTION of his master, his nature, what he wanted and what he did. He thought his master was a taker!
Many people outside the Church (and even a good number in the Church) think that the Church is just after their money. They think, like the one talent servant, that God is a kind of tyrant – telling us to give this and sacrifice that. Well, here’s the newsflash: God doesn’t need anything! In fact, everything we own is his anyway.
When we battle with decisions to either give money away or keep it in our own pockets, we start to believe a lie. That lie is that we’re owners instead of stewards. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want us to have nice things in life, but it does mean that we should always keep in mind what God wants us to do with HIS money.
GOD DOESN'T CORRECT OUR MISCONCEPTIONS OF HIM
Every Christian will have whatever kind of God they perceive. The three servants all served the same master, yet there were two totally different perceptions evident.
Notice too, that the master never stood up for himself, correcting his servants’ wrong perception. God will let you live with a wrong perception of him. As a result you will handle life (and your finances) according to what perceptions you have.
With this in mind, it’s vital that you constantly keep a check that what you learn and believe is in line with what the Bible teaches. Many well-meaning Christians have been misinformed about God and money and it’s important that you keep your spiritual eyes in focus.
IMPROVING YOUR PERCEPTION
Some people have physical vision that is above average. Such a person may have 20/10 vision, which means they can see at 20 feet what a normal person can see at 10. Hawks, owls and other birds of prey have much more acute vision than humans. A hawk’s vision is eight times more acute than a human’s. A hawk might have 20/2 vision!
When we became followers of Christ the Bible says that we moved from darkness into light. Whereas before we were blinded to the spiritual realm, we now can see Jesus with our spiritual eyes. The difference between the two is this: Your natural eyes gradually weaken over time, but Your spiritual eyes can actually improve through renewing Your minds with the Word of God and keeping an open heart.
So in the area of Your financial stewardship, continue to focus on the giving and rewarding nature of God through Your spiritual hawk eyes!
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