God is God. There is nothing that I can do to change that. Even unbelief does not change that. God knows this. He is not threatened by me or any other individual for that matter. That is one thing that makes Him such an awesome God.
He is the Almighty, the creator of Heaven and Earth. He alone is worthy of all worship and praise.
And this Almighty God loves me. Now, I shouldn't let that go to my head. His love gives me a reason to live, but it does not make me more important than anyone else.
I say this because I need to be reminded of it. I look at all of the philosophies and thrologies that are out there, and I make a conscious effort to choose what I believe is right. I hear a lot about how God is love. But I have to wonder how His love is different from my idea of love. His love is not just a gushy feeling, but it encompasses things like justice and judgment. It has to, or it would not be love.
He is Almighty, and I am not. He wants my praise, but He will not compromise who He is to get it. Nor will He be changed if He does not. God does not change. He is not like the fickle people we are, who alter our behavior if something or someone does not cater to Him. He is God.
I guess that is why reformed theology appeals to me. I used to think so much less of God. I used to think that my importance to Him could change Him. But that is unscriptural. I used to think that He was content with whatever I had to offer. Imagine, an Almighty God who was impressed by my returning his sixpence. How much more beautiful to think of Him as a Father who looks and the sixpence and smiles, lovingly, knowing it is a gift from the heart. How much more damning that He is also the Almighty God who knows when it is not. I cannot fool Him, even if I fool myself.
A is for Almighty.
Showing posts with label Sovereignty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sovereignty. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Devastation
My son lives about a half-mile from where the tornado touched down in Joplin. I am thankful that he is safe. He volunteered with the clean-up the next day. I cannot imagine the devastation he saw. He said they passed a car that had been in the twister. It had a body in it.
I just listened to Brian Williams report on the tragedy. He stated that "it was not fair." I find that an interesting statement, and wonder what that is based on. Is it not fair that these people suffered, as opposed to others? Or is suffering like this not fair for anyone? If so, what is that based on? Is there a limit to the suffering we should have to endure? If so, what are those limits?
I think this intrigues me because I do not know where he stands in his belief system. If he does not believe in God, this statement makes no sense to me. If there is no God, there is no fairness, everything is random. If there is no God, there is no deserving, because there is no sin or lack of sin. In order to deserve something, don't you have to be able to earn it from someone or something? So no matter how good a person might be, he can't deserve a particular kind of death just based on his morality, especially since without a supreme being, morality at best is subjective.
If he does believe in God, the statement still does not make sense. For the truth of it is that some people do deserve a horrible death. Some people will even get a much more horrible eternity. But we don't like to think about that, unless you are Rob Bell, and then you just make it disappear. So maybe you can tell me, Mr. Bell, if God is so loving that He would not send anyone to hell, why make people suffer like this?
My thoughts go to my son. If he were 4 blocks closer, I would be suffering right now. But that would not change my view of God. God is not my God only when He does not give me pain. Whatever I have to endure in this life, surely I deserve it. And then some. What I don't deserve is His grace and mercy.
I pray for you, Joplin. And even as I write this, there is news of more killer tornadoes in Kansas and Oklahoma. That is a part of the broken world that we live in. Along with war, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc. And through it all, God is God. He is sovereign, and worthy of our praise and worship. But you won't hear that on the news tonight.
I just listened to Brian Williams report on the tragedy. He stated that "it was not fair." I find that an interesting statement, and wonder what that is based on. Is it not fair that these people suffered, as opposed to others? Or is suffering like this not fair for anyone? If so, what is that based on? Is there a limit to the suffering we should have to endure? If so, what are those limits?
I think this intrigues me because I do not know where he stands in his belief system. If he does not believe in God, this statement makes no sense to me. If there is no God, there is no fairness, everything is random. If there is no God, there is no deserving, because there is no sin or lack of sin. In order to deserve something, don't you have to be able to earn it from someone or something? So no matter how good a person might be, he can't deserve a particular kind of death just based on his morality, especially since without a supreme being, morality at best is subjective.
If he does believe in God, the statement still does not make sense. For the truth of it is that some people do deserve a horrible death. Some people will even get a much more horrible eternity. But we don't like to think about that, unless you are Rob Bell, and then you just make it disappear. So maybe you can tell me, Mr. Bell, if God is so loving that He would not send anyone to hell, why make people suffer like this?
My thoughts go to my son. If he were 4 blocks closer, I would be suffering right now. But that would not change my view of God. God is not my God only when He does not give me pain. Whatever I have to endure in this life, surely I deserve it. And then some. What I don't deserve is His grace and mercy.
I pray for you, Joplin. And even as I write this, there is news of more killer tornadoes in Kansas and Oklahoma. That is a part of the broken world that we live in. Along with war, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc. And through it all, God is God. He is sovereign, and worthy of our praise and worship. But you won't hear that on the news tonight.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Simple Answers???
During prayer time today, our preacher asked for prayer for those in Japan affected by the earthquake. Which I think would be just about everyone in Japan, in some way or another. During this time, he confidently stated that God did not cause this to happen.
???
Does he know something that I don't know? No, I am not saying that God is laying a judgment on the people of Japan for something they did or did not do, but can someone confidently and reasonably state that God did not cause this to happen? Again, I am not saying God did, or that He liked it, but can anyone say that God did not do it?
Judges 9:23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, (Who sent that evil Spirit?)
2 Kings 15:5 And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land. (Who touched the King?)
Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Good question! Perhaps one that we do not ask enough!)
Job 42:11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold (All the evil that who brought on Job?)
Isaiah 45:7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Who creates calamity?)
Amos 3:6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? (Unless who has done it?)
I am not saying God directly caused this, although that is plausible. But I cannot say that he didn't. I cannot pretend to know the mind of God. Nope, not me. And not any other human either. And even if God did not directly cause the calamity in this case, is He not the designer of the earth that rests on plates so that earthquakes happen?
I guess what frustrates me in all of this is putting God in a little box that we make. What if God came down and revealed "Yup, it was Me, I caused the earthquake." Would that really shake your world? Because for me, if I didn't know He was in charge, working all things for good, that is what would shake my world.
???
Does he know something that I don't know? No, I am not saying that God is laying a judgment on the people of Japan for something they did or did not do, but can someone confidently and reasonably state that God did not cause this to happen? Again, I am not saying God did, or that He liked it, but can anyone say that God did not do it?
Judges 9:23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, (Who sent that evil Spirit?)
2 Kings 15:5 And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land. (Who touched the King?)
Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Good question! Perhaps one that we do not ask enough!)
Job 42:11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold (All the evil that who brought on Job?)
Isaiah 45:7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Who creates calamity?)
Amos 3:6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? (Unless who has done it?)
I am not saying God directly caused this, although that is plausible. But I cannot say that he didn't. I cannot pretend to know the mind of God. Nope, not me. And not any other human either. And even if God did not directly cause the calamity in this case, is He not the designer of the earth that rests on plates so that earthquakes happen?
I guess what frustrates me in all of this is putting God in a little box that we make. What if God came down and revealed "Yup, it was Me, I caused the earthquake." Would that really shake your world? Because for me, if I didn't know He was in charge, working all things for good, that is what would shake my world.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Romans 12:2
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
In my last post, I put forth the thought that God's mercy is what enables us to live the life of a living sacrifice. Paul continues this thought here, letting us know how we can follow through with this monumental task.
I have to stop there for a second, because I do not think that some think being a follower of Christ should not be a burden. After all, didn't Jesus say that his yoke was easy and his burden light? (Matthew 11:30) Yes, he did. But this should be taken in the context of the yoke of the other rabbis of the time, who placed huge lawkeeping rules and regulations on their followers. In comparison to them, Jesus load was much lighter, because it centered on loving God, and did not burden his followers with man-made rules and regulations.
Being a Christian is not easy. We are told in Philippians 2:12, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" In Matthew 7, he warns that not all those who say, "Lord, Lord" will enter into his kingdom. I could go on, but I hope you get the idea, being a true follower of Jesus is not all fun and games.
Paul gives 2 things that we should do in order to endure. The first is not to conform to the pattern of this world. It is my opinion that what he is saying is that we live in a world that is broken, and where sin is rampant. How easy it would be to just go with the flow. And it is not just the world we live in that is broken, it is the church as well. We are an organism made up of broken individuals. We have lived broken lives, and continue to be confronted by patterns of brokenness. A friend of mine often quotes Proverbs 26:11, and it illustrates the point, "As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly." We must break that old, broken pattern of living that we are so familiar with. Paul continually deals with the imperfections of the church in his letters to them. So not conforming to the patterns of this world is a continual battle that we must meet head on.
The second thing Paul says is that we must be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The picture that is painted here is one of a complete renovation. When you renovate, you take out the old, throw it away and replace it with new. We must develop a new pattern of thinking. It is only through this renewal process that true change can take place. The old way was to think of ourselves first. That way is out. The new way is to focus on God. It is not just putting Him first, it is recognizing His place in the universe, His place in our lives, His place in history. It is seeing Him as the Sovereign God that He is, and then seeing our place as only having any hope or meaning that is imparted by God. A way of thinking that appreciates whatever it is that He as to give, just as the Caananite women in Matthew 15, who was content with the crumbs that would fall from the table. To truly understand the meaning of Psalm 84:10, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
The end result is found in the end of the verse. "Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." If our thinking is transformed, and this can only happen by the mercy of God (Romans 12:1), from the way of this world to a way that understands that whatever we have or whatever is is because of the Sovereign goodness of God, then we can know that we are safe and secure in His hands both for the present and for eternity.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
In my last post, I put forth the thought that God's mercy is what enables us to live the life of a living sacrifice. Paul continues this thought here, letting us know how we can follow through with this monumental task.
I have to stop there for a second, because I do not think that some think being a follower of Christ should not be a burden. After all, didn't Jesus say that his yoke was easy and his burden light? (Matthew 11:30) Yes, he did. But this should be taken in the context of the yoke of the other rabbis of the time, who placed huge lawkeeping rules and regulations on their followers. In comparison to them, Jesus load was much lighter, because it centered on loving God, and did not burden his followers with man-made rules and regulations.
Being a Christian is not easy. We are told in Philippians 2:12, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" In Matthew 7, he warns that not all those who say, "Lord, Lord" will enter into his kingdom. I could go on, but I hope you get the idea, being a true follower of Jesus is not all fun and games.
Paul gives 2 things that we should do in order to endure. The first is not to conform to the pattern of this world. It is my opinion that what he is saying is that we live in a world that is broken, and where sin is rampant. How easy it would be to just go with the flow. And it is not just the world we live in that is broken, it is the church as well. We are an organism made up of broken individuals. We have lived broken lives, and continue to be confronted by patterns of brokenness. A friend of mine often quotes Proverbs 26:11, and it illustrates the point, "As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly." We must break that old, broken pattern of living that we are so familiar with. Paul continually deals with the imperfections of the church in his letters to them. So not conforming to the patterns of this world is a continual battle that we must meet head on.
The second thing Paul says is that we must be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The picture that is painted here is one of a complete renovation. When you renovate, you take out the old, throw it away and replace it with new. We must develop a new pattern of thinking. It is only through this renewal process that true change can take place. The old way was to think of ourselves first. That way is out. The new way is to focus on God. It is not just putting Him first, it is recognizing His place in the universe, His place in our lives, His place in history. It is seeing Him as the Sovereign God that He is, and then seeing our place as only having any hope or meaning that is imparted by God. A way of thinking that appreciates whatever it is that He as to give, just as the Caananite women in Matthew 15, who was content with the crumbs that would fall from the table. To truly understand the meaning of Psalm 84:10, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
The end result is found in the end of the verse. "Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." If our thinking is transformed, and this can only happen by the mercy of God (Romans 12:1), from the way of this world to a way that understands that whatever we have or whatever is is because of the Sovereign goodness of God, then we can know that we are safe and secure in His hands both for the present and for eternity.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The riches of God
God's riches are unmeasurable. I need to dwell on that. He owns it all. There is nothing that is not His. I might think that I own something, but that is only an illusion. All things are his, and that includes me. He owns me. Regardless of what I think of that or of myself, I did not create me nor did I give come into this world with anything of my own doing. Therefore, I could never place God in their debt. He is the maker, creator, and owner of all things.
Placing myself in God's hands is not an option, I am already there. So what does God want from me? Is it my life? An acknowledgement of who He is? Does he just want me to be a good guy and play by His rules? Somehow, I don't think that is what He is about. Truth is, He doesn't need anything from me, because if He did, that would make Him needy, and I don't believe that He is needy in any way. The wants that He has for me are only for my own good and growth, and not superimposed on me.
He has it all. I have nothing. So what can I do? I can worship Him, I can honor Him. I can see His glory and seek to expose that glory in all I say and do as a response to His goodness and glory. He doesn't need my worship. He created this entire universe from nothing, how crazy would it be of me to think that He needs my worship. It is not about me. Ever.
Placing myself in God's hands is not an option, I am already there. So what does God want from me? Is it my life? An acknowledgement of who He is? Does he just want me to be a good guy and play by His rules? Somehow, I don't think that is what He is about. Truth is, He doesn't need anything from me, because if He did, that would make Him needy, and I don't believe that He is needy in any way. The wants that He has for me are only for my own good and growth, and not superimposed on me.
He has it all. I have nothing. So what can I do? I can worship Him, I can honor Him. I can see His glory and seek to expose that glory in all I say and do as a response to His goodness and glory. He doesn't need my worship. He created this entire universe from nothing, how crazy would it be of me to think that He needs my worship. It is not about me. Ever.
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