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My God is…Searching the heart 1 Chronicles 29:16-18

20 May

1 Chronicles 29:16-18 – O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for HiResyour holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

Stewardship Sunday

At my church we just had Stewardship Sunday where we look at all the Lord has done for us and assess our own situation to see if our actions and priorities are lined up with our gratefulness to the Lord. In the service we had a guest preacher who did a wonderful job preaching on a subject many people don’t want to focus on. He pointed out that we are to give of our time, talents and treasure with a happy heart, and as a response for all the Lord has done for us (and all He has promised to do in the future).

O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.

This scripture reading reminds me of that same sentiment. We are to remember that everything we have, EVERYTHING, is from God. He created all things and supplies all we need on a daily basis. When we talk about things we’ve purchased or been given, we almost immediately focus on ourselves. Everything becomes about me; my car, my house, my children etc. For me I think this is one of the areas of stewardship that I need to work on the most. I don’t acknowledge very often that all I have is because of the Lord. I often think that it is a result of my husband’s and my hard work. But even then, our intellect, our talents, they too are all from God. Without them, we would not have many of the things the Lord has allowed to bless us.

I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things

I remember reading this verse during a Bible study a few years ago, and I have to tell you it made me a bit uncomfortable. The idea that God would search my heart was scary. I knew what He would find there, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t uprightness. Webster’s dictionary defines uprightness as being “marked by strong moral rectitude”. Even just a few years ago (and a lot of times even now) I find myself not feeling very righteous. I’m afraid if I search my heart what I will find, much less if God searched it. But He does search our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves, but that’s not even the best part. Because of Jesus Christ, our righteousness is not dependent on our righteousness. Because Jesus died for us and saved us from our sins, when God searches the believer’s heart, He sees Jesus. Because we know Jesus and continue to grow in our relationship with Him, conforming ourselves more and more to His ways, we are freed up to do those righteous things that seemed so foreign to us.

In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things

I’m guessing for most of us, the uprightness of our heart, our response to Jesus’ righteousness for us is not always what it should be. But what joy it brings when we realize that our heart is being changed and conformed to the ways of our Lord. When by His saving grace we are able to act in an upright manner, offering freely of our time, talents and treasures.  When we start living in God’s grace and taking full advantage of all of it’s goodness, we are able to enjoy the opportunities to serve and to give. They are no longer burdens but blessings.

 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10

I have been raised by good tithers, my parents always gave at least 10% to the Lord. I believe it was much more than that, but the typical tithe was what I remember as a child. We were never rich. We didn’t always have extra money, but the Lord did bless us and I can’t really say we ever truly went without anything we needed. Because of their example I have almost my whole life tithed of my treasure. in fact my mother would often say to both my grandma and I on Stewardship Sundays of the past, “This sermon was not for you, You all ready give more than you can afford.” I think I may have to disagree with my mom (sorry mom). I think that even if I gave away all of my money, the Lord would find a way to provide for me. God says test me on it. But the truth is I’m not sure I’ve really been tithing.  I’m not sure if I have tithed with my talents and my time. I’m greedy about my time. I don’t like to give too much of it away. I like to do what I want to do when I want to do it. I can also be insecure, and I let fear hold me back from using my talents as well. So if I am truly going to tithe, I need to do some soul-searching and some honest evaluation of how I spend my time. Even now that gives me pause, because I’m pretty sure watching TV is not going to make the top of the tithing list. EEK. My comfort zone is getting invaded!

O Lord keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

This is my prayer today. That I would keep the Lord and serving the Lord in all things at the front of my mind. I pray I would not let earthly distractions pull me off course. I don’t want to let myself get over stressed about things I do not have control of and act as if one more thing would really be too much for me, when really He supplies me with all that I need to do the tasks He has called me to do. I know that I will not always be able to say yes to every opportunity, but I pray I am more open to things that might take away from “me time” and allow myself to feel the joy expressed in these verses.

Where are you directing your heart?

 
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Posted by on May 20, 2013 in My God is searching the heart

 

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My God is…the potter Romans 9:20-21

13 May

Romans 9:20-21 –  But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to thePotter's Hands one who molds it, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?

We are the clay

To start writing this blog, I decided to research a little bit about how pottery is made on Wikipedia (the most trusted source, I’m sure). There are many stages the potters put the clay through as they create their pieces.

  • Greenware refers to unfired objects. Clay bodies at this stage are in their most plastic form. They are soft and malleable. Hence they can be easily deformed by handling.

When we first learn about Jesus, and come to know Him as our personal savior, we can be like the greenware. We’re a bit soft and malleable. The devil really works on us during that time to try to deform us and make us seem unusable. We haven’t had our faith tested much, but we don’t know a lot yet either. We need us some learnin’! It’s important in those early stages of our faith that we remain in the word of God. We don’t want to be led astray or “deformed” by not knowing the truth about our Lord. People will want to argue, distract you or led you back to a not so great lifestyle. But we’re not only pliable and malleable to people and the devil. It is also often our greatest time of growth in our faith and knowledge. It is as if someone has just turned on the lights. We can start to see our purpose and we can start to understand God’s plan for our future. Plans to include us in His heavenly kingdom.

  • Leather-hard refers to a clay body that has been dried partially. At this stage the clay object has approximately 15% moisture content. Clay bodies at this stage are very firm and only slightly pliable. Trimming and handle attachment often occurs at the leather-hard state.

This is an interesting stage of our faith, maybe we’ve been going to church for a while, we’ve started listening to some Christian music, and we don’t hate it. We like it when one preacher preaches, but not when the other one does. We want things to be routine, comfortable. We’re still a little new in our faith, so change is sometimes confusing. We’re not sure what is allowed and what isn’t, so we struggle with our self concept, and again must turn to scripture to find those answers. This is also the time you start to realize that all your gifts and talents can be used to the Lord’s Glory.

  • Bone-dry refers to clay bodies when they reach a moisture content at or near 0%. It is now ready to be bisque fired.

We’ve become comfortable in our faith. We’re sure that God loves us and that we love Him. Life seems really good during this stage of our faith. The word seems clear to us, we’re not worried about being led astray. We’re even pretty sure we’re ready to talk with our friends and relatives about what we believe. It’s a good time! But there is more coming, and you must arm yourself with the word of God once again.

  • Biscuit [6][7] refers to the clay after the object is shaped to the desired form and fired in the kiln for the first time, known as “biscuit fired”. This firing changes the clay body in several ways. Mineral components of the clay body will undergo chemical changes that will change the colour of the clay.

This stage of our faith may not be much fun. We may be strong in our faith, joined a Bible study or two and may  be growing in knowledge. We try to surround ourselves with like-minded people, and are in the word almost everyday. We remember to spend time in prayer. Then why is this time so hard? Because life is hard. Your mom gets cancer, and suddenly you’re wondering where God is in all of this. Your daughter get’s pregnant, even though you pray for her every day. Your husband has a drinking problem, and you’re feeling neglected and dejected. You still remain in the word. You cling to the Lord with all your might. Almost every moment seems like a prayer. You’re not sure you could make it without the Lord. Actually you’re sure you couldn’t. Your life is hard, but your relationship and dependency on the Lord is growing. You’re starting to see some big changes in your life. You will never be the same. People are going to be able to see the change in you.

  • Glaze fired is the final stage of some pottery making. A glaze may be applied to the bisque form and the object can be decorated in several ways. After this the object is “glazed fired”, which causes the glaze material to melt, then adhere to the object. The glaze firing will also harden the body still more as chemical processes can continue to occur in the body.

After we’ve been through some rough times and found that we can rely on God, our behavior starts to change. We start to do things with God in mind. We put Him first and try to give Him the glory at every turn. You may still go through some hard times. Your health may be failing, your spouse might have died, and your children live far away. But the relationship with you and the Lord continues to grow. He brings you a peace that surpasses all understanding. We’re still being made solid in the Lord, and we’re beginning to reflect the work of the Lord in our everyday life. You might find that more people seem to know you’re a Christian, and they’re not surprised.

I don’t know that we all go through all of these stages or that we don’t go through them a few times, but I liked the definitions of the clay and they helped me to think about God as the Potter.

God is the potter. 

God has a plan for you. Before He formed you He knew how you were going to be useful. He knew in what ways you would reflect His glory. In the very beginning he formed you. He intentionally made you with all the gifts, talents and attributes you need and want. He used the times in your life, the home you were raised in, the schools you went to and the people you met to help mold you into who He intended.

Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, “Why have you made me like this?” 

This part of our verse really gets to me. There have been so many times in my life that I have done a lot of self-loathing. I didn’t like who I was and didn’t think I had much to offer the world. But God does have a plan for us. We are to bring Him glory. Our lives should be lived out as a reflection of Christ in us. Each thing that happens to us, good or bad, is an opportunity for us to glorify God. We can point to Him as the source of all blessings, and the comforter of all pain. God molded you and me to be what He wanted us to be. We’re His workmanship. So whether you feel malleable, in the fire or adorned, remember the one who formed you. He has a plan for you. A plan to prosper you and not to harm you.

Are you malleable?

 
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Posted by on May 13, 2013 in My God is the potter

 

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My God is…Upholding me Isaiah 41:10

03 May

Isaiah 41:10 – do not fear, for I am with you, girl-at-door
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;

The devil is a bully. What do bullies do? They pick on you when you’re alone. They almost never attack or bully when they’re out numbered. The devil wants to separate you from God and those who point you towards God. The devil wants to make you feel alone and helpless. The devil wants to rob you of your joy in the Lord. But WE ARE NOT ALONE! We don’t have to fear, because God is with us. The devil doesn’t want us to feel like God is with us, but He is. In Matthew 1:23, the angel even says that Jesus should be called Emmanuel which means “God is with us.” Have you ever been bullied? Remember how alone you felt? We don’t have to feel that anymore. We need to remember that God is with us and that He’s got the situation under control. Expect Him to show up in cool and unusual ways!

I will strengthen you, I will help you

Going back to that bullying idea. The devil wants you to feel weak. Bullies try to take away your power. Well, our power is in the Lord. He is the source of our strength and our power. When we’re in trouble, when the devil is attacking, God will strengthen you. He will help you. Trust HIM!

WARNING!!!

You’re going to be attacked. And let me tell you the closer you get to God, the more you spend time with Him, the more the devil gets frustrated. He attacks. And he’s good at it. But we have one who is stronger. One who can show us the way. The one who can stop arguments in their tracks by helping us own up to our mistakes. Do you know how quickly arguments end when one person says, “Your right, I shouldn’t have done that.”? So often in our marriages and friendships, we end up trying to defend ourselves instead of owning up to our sin. It’s not easy to do, but boy does it change things. Because we have God on our side, we’re able to admit our sins and restore relationships. Without God, I find admitting my wrongs is almost impossible.

I will uphold you with my victorious right hand

But with God all things are possible. No matter how far wrong things have gone, God is able to fix the problem. Relationships, our needs, our dreams and our faith are all in God’s hands. He can take care of any of them. This part of the verse reminds me of something that happened a few weeks ago on my morning walk with my friend. She and I were walking, and she was on the street side of the sidewalk. We’re walking along fine, when she loses her balance and starts to fall toward the street, where a semi was barreling along. By the grace of God, I was able to grab her arm and pull her back from what could have been disaster. That’s what God does for us. We’re walking along. Everything seems to be going well in our lives, then WHAMO!  We trip up. Life gets hard. We make a mistake, we sin, and fall short of the Glory of God. We don’t reflect Him in our lives. But God upholds us with his victorious right hand. He reaches out and pulls us back to Him. By His grace we are able to continue on.

Have you tripped up?

 
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Posted by on May 3, 2013 in Isaiah, My God is upholding me

 

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My God is…seeing Genesis 16:13

11 Mar

Genesis 16:13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, eye“I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Do you ever feel invisible? 

Do you ever feel like you’re not important to the people in your life? Maybe they’re not as attentive as you hoped. Maybe you wish they’d pay a little less attention to you. Or maybe you’re abused, beaten, cursed at or neglected. The verse above mentions a woman giving a name to the Lord. Hagar was the name of the woman. She was Sarai’s maidservant. Now Sarai and Abram had been hoping for a child for a long time, but they hadn’t been able to have one. Sarai, taking things into her own hands decided that Hagar should sleep with Abram and give him the son she couldn’t. Did anyone ask Hagar?

Being chosen isn’t always good

Hagar was chosen by Sarai to sleep with her husband. She conceived, and then she didn’t like Sarai much anymore. I don’t know if it was jealousy that Sarai was beloved by Abram (the father of Hagar’s soon to be baby) or what, but she hated Sarai. So much so that it was obvious to Sarai. Sarai didn’t like Hagar either, and Sarai asked Abram to punish Hagar for her hatred. Abram said Sarai could do with her what she wanted. Sarai was so mean in her treatment of Hagar, that Hagar left. She had been chosen to carry Abram’s baby by Sarai, but she still didn’t hold much value. Beaten and mistreated, Hagar fled from them.

“You are the God who sees me”

There Hagar sits in the wilderness, pregnant and alone. She has to feel pretty worthless at this point. Her baby daddy didn’t stick up for her and his wife was intolerable. Now that she was gone, it was clear to her that no one cared. But there was someone…God. Separated from the life she once knew, she sat near a spring in the desert. The Angel of the Lord spoke to her, and asked her what she was doing there. She said she was running away. The Angel of the Lord told her to go back and have Abram’s baby. Hagar was astonished. She couldn’t believe that the Angel of the Lord had spoken to her, and that God was aware of her plight and cared about it. God promised to increase her descendants.

“You are the God who sees me”

Like Hagar in the wilderness, I think it’s often in the wilderness, when we are feeling most alone that we find God. He was there the whole time, but when we know we have no more control over our lives, then we are more open to the Lord and His path. When we’re going through those struggles, it’s easy to wonder where God is, but like Hagar, who had every right to be depressed about her situation, God sees us. He knows the path that is best for us. He knows our desires, hopes and dreams. He also knows the plans He has for us, and wants us to achieve. I have quite a few friends who are going through times in the wilderness. They’re struggling. They feel abandoned, hurt and confused. I pray they know like Hagar that they have a God who sees them. He sees and is ready to take action on your behalf.

Do you still feel invisible?

 

 
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Posted by on March 11, 2013 in My God is Seeing

 

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My God is…My Bridegroom Isaiah 62:5

06 Mar

Isaiah 62:5 – As a young man marries a young womanWedding Groom Waits
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.

As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride

Like most women, I love a good wedding. Yes, I love the beautiful dresses, the make up, the rings, the flowers, and the reception. I love it all. It’s a blessed thing to be able to join a couple at their wedding and rejoice with them in their future together. But, one of my all time favorite parts of a wedding is watching the groom. I love to see him as he squirms around trying to catch the first glimpse of his bride. He shifts his weight. Leaning right, then leaning left, he waits to see her enter the doorway. But the most glorious moment? When he sees her for the first time on the day they’re becoming husband and wife. His face beams. Those watching him can feel the love he has for his bride beaming off of him like hot sun rays in summer. My heart warms, my eyes water. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s a truly amazing thing when you’re the bride.

So will your God rejoice over you

Our God rejoices over us just like the bridegroom waiting for his bride. Imagine, there He stands. Waiting for a glimpse of the one He loves so much. He sees all that you’ve gone through. There is no one who knows you better. He’s your soul mate. He’s waiting for you. He’s leaning left and right just to catch sight of your face. He sees you and His face lights up. He’s beaming. Everyone around can tell that you love Him, and He loves you. He’s going to be with you forever. Never leaving you. Never forsaking you. He delights in you and rejoices over you. Everything else is inconsequential when you have His love. His love sees you through, set you free to be you and allows you to have eternal life with Him in Heaven.

I understand that if you’re a man reading this, it might be harder for you to put yourself in the place of the bride, but I think you can understand the feeling of seeing the one you love, and that person lighting up your life and being the only one who can bring you true happiness, joy and peace. God rejoices in you. He sees you and He gets who you are and what you want to become. He delights in you.

Who Rejoices over you?

 

 
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Posted by on March 6, 2013 in Isaiah, My God is my bridegroom, Uncategorized

 

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My God is…disciplining Hebrews 12:4-13

25 Feb

Hebrews 12:4-13

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you disciplining-daughtercompletely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Who likes to be disciplined?

I know, you do, don’t you! I’m sure when you were a child and your parents disciplined you, you said, “Thank you mom and dad for not letting me go to my friends party. I really needed to learn a lesson about respecting you more.” RIGHT! I don’t think any of us respond that way in the moment, but it is true that sometimes we can see the wisdom in our parent’s discipline.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Truth be told,only parents who don’t care about their children ignore their responsibility to discipline. God loves us so much that He is willing to discipline us. God wants us to grow in our relationship with Him, and sometimes we need redirection at least and full on discipline at the most. When we struggle with a sin, we can find ourselves replacing God as the most important thing in our lives. Problem is, when that happens we can get off track and end up someplace neither of us wanted it to end up.

God’s discipline is perfect
Our parents did their best. Sometimes they got that discipline thing just right. Other times, they over punished, or maybe let us get away with something that later became harmful. Our Earthly parents sometimes discipline out of frustration and anger instead of out of loving care. God always gets it right. He knows how much, when, and how it is best delivered. God’s discipline is always in our best interest. He never has his own agenda, except to have a closer, stronger relationship with you minus our distractions.

Now do you like discipline?

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2013 in Hebrews, My God is disciplining

 

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My God is…a Lamp 2 Samuel 22:28-30

04 Feb

2 Samuel 22: 28-30 leaaping-over-wall

You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.

You save a humble people

I am called to be a humble person; To put God at the top of my list. Nothing else should be more important to me than the Lord. Unfortunately, all too often, I find myself trying to do things my own way, veering away from the Lord. I like to think that I have had great ideas, or that somehow I was responsible for the good things that happen in my life (the bad things, I’m often willing to say were God’s doing).

But your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down

Immediately upon reading this part of our verse for today, I am reminded of Psalm 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I find that pretty much everything that has caused me grief is some how related to my pride. I think of myself instead of others or the Lord. I may even think myself better than others (and dare I say the Lord). Sure I can have those french fries, I’m worth it. Says who? It’s alright if I park in the reserved space, I’m only going to be a couple of minutes. I don’t have time to make the meal for that family. I have to get ready for a party. Whatever it is (and there are so many more examples), they all relate back to pride, or putting myself and my own needs above the needs of others.

For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.

But I am not left in my pit of prideful despair. The Lord is working on me, He is showing me my faults and like pealing away at an onion, each layer reveals something new I need to work on. Does God do this because I am such a disappointment to Him? No He does it because I am such a disappointment to myself. He points out (sometimes gently, sometimes blatantly) the things I need to work on, because it is in my best interest. He loves me and wants me to live free from all of my pride filled pains. He is a lamp showing my sin so that I don’t have to live with them anymore. Revealing the sickness so that I might be healed. It’s like going to the Dr and finding out you have a cracked rib. You knew you had a lot of pain in your ribs, but you didn’t know what was the source. Dr. God (sorry for the silliness) takes an x-ray of your chest and shows you that you’re indeed broken. Without God showing you your brokenness, you wouldn’t know what to do differently to allow you to heal.

We live in a sinful, painful world. I would venture to say that there isn’t one person out there who is reading this that hasn’t known some pain that has lingered on for years. But God can heal you of that pain. He is a lamp that will lighten your darkness.

For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.

Forgiveness is the stuff of freedom. Once we have been healed of our sins and are living with our Lord as the center of our lives we can find the confidence and freedom the end of this verse so displays. We can take on the world, and all its future hurts. We can leap tall buildings in a single bound! OK  we can leap over our problems and no longer be in pain because of them. He wants us to be freed from our sins, but often our pride, in the form of self loathing or self boasting get in the way of us seeing the hurt and dealing with it. I don’t know about you, but I want to have the Lord shine His light in my life, that I might have the confidence in this verse. That with the Lord all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

Can you leap over a wall?

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2013 in My God is a Lamp

 

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My God is… Revealed Matthew 16:16-18

25 Jan

Matthew 16:16-18 – Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered pull-back-curtainhim, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

revealed  past participle, past tense of re·veal (Verb)

Verb
  1. Make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
  2. Cause or allow (something) to be seen.

Cause or allow (something) to be seen.

In our scripture for today, Peter is able to say that Jesus Christ is Lord, and Jesus points out to him that he couldn’t say that unless it was revealed to him from God the father. Knowing God is not something we do on our own. The Father in heaven uses many means by which we come to know Him as God. `He reveals it to us through scripture, baptism and communion.

Make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.

As Christians, we can’t make someone believe. That’s God’s work, but we can let them know about God. We can tell others about God with our words, but for many people our actions speak louder than words. Some ways we might show evidence of God in our lives:

  • Caring for others (old and young)
  • Responding differently than the world does to pain, stress and unkindness
  • Remembering that everything we do is a witness (sometimes for God, sometimes against Him)
  • Loving those who are not easy to love
  • Putting God above everything else in our lives

Blessed are you! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven

We are blessed to know that Jesus is the Son of God. Knowing that He is our Savior and that we will be able to spend eternity with Him in heaven because of His sacrifice. Living in that freedom isn’t always easy as a human, but when we do, it can get the attention of the unbeliever. God is at work in our world. Let Him use you to reveal Himself to others. You will be blessed!

Are you revealing?

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2013 in My God is Revealed

 

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My God is…above all John 3:31-36

23 Jan

John 3:31-36 – He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks

God should be above all!

God should be above all!

in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

He who comes from above is above all

Whether we admit it or not, God is above all. Whether we act like it or not, God is above all. God is the ultimate, the big cheese, the big kahuna, the master of the universe. Sin, He’s above it. Kings, above that too. Nature has got nothing on God (He created it after all).

He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. 

We can’t fathom it. We’re from the earth, God is too big to fully understand this side of heaven. He is beyond our comprehension how He is so far above us. Some times we say that His above all things in our lives, but more often than not we put other things in front of our relationship with God. We don’t put God in His proper place above everything else. We watch TV instead of doing a Bible study or praying. We go out with friends instead of helping our neighbor whose lawn and soul desperately need your attention. We put our needs above God and others. But even if we don’t act it, God is above all. He is most important.

Just because we act a certain way doesn’t make it true (or false). 

We say we eat healthy and then go out for french fries. We think of ourselves as kind and then talk behind someone’s back. We act as if we have it all together, while at home we’re crying our eyes out. Even though we don’t act like God is above all, He is. He is above all, no matter how we act, whether we acknowledge Him or not. God is above all.

What’s the big deal? 

Why does it matter that God is above all? Because your God, who is above all, chose to save you. He died on the cross, not because you deserved it, but because He loves you. He saved you not because you would always put Him above all, but because He knew you would fail and wanted to live with you in heaven anyway. He loves us and even though He is above everything else in the Universe (and beyond). That is amazing and miraculous. It is something we need to remind each other of, while we’re working to keep God above all else in our lives. To God be the glory.

Above all by Michael W Smith

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began

Verse 2
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure
What You’re worth

CHORUS
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2013 in John, My God is above all

 

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My God is a Sun Psalm 84:11

21 Jan

Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God is a sun and shield; Morning web
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

What is that? That bright thing in the sky?

I live in Oregon, and this morning my son looks out the window and says, “What’s that bright thing in the sky?”. Now he is thirteen, so it was really a joke, but here in Oregon, we don’t take the sun lightly. As I sit here writing this, the sun is shining directly in my eyes. If I look up, I have to quickly look away. My eyes can’t handle the brightness. Like Moses on the Mountain, God’s radiance is like the sun, too great for us to look at without being blinded by its brightness.

What is the purpose of the sun? 

The purpose of the sun is to give us light here on earth. It is to allow us to see the evils that linger in the dark, and to remove the dirt and gunk that has built up in our lives. Ever taken a flashlight to look into a dark part of your home, only to find out that it’s incredibly dusty or dirty? God is that sunlight. He helps us to see into our lives, into the dark recesses of our lives (where we don’t really want to look). When we see the dust, we have to decide whether to get rid of it, or pretend it isn’t there.

Cleaning out the cobwebs

In our entryway, there is a chandelier of sorts hanging from the ceiling, and suddenly when there is sunshine coming through the top windows, you become keenly aware of the cobwebs that have formed on that light fixture. As we get to know God more, His Sunlight shines and we see the cobwebs of sin that were not visible before building that relationship with Him. Some of the cobwebs and dust you can get rid of easily, others you have to work a little harder at removing. Sins are the same way, some are easy to break, but others are harder to reach and be truly rid of in your life.

Watch out for spiders

God is using the light to shine on cobwebs of sin in our lives, not to point them out and to make you feel guilty, but instead to make sure you don’t get stuck in them and eaten by the evil one, the devil. He wants you to be free from your sins, not trapped by them, and shining His Sunshine on them allows us the freedom to avoid those sins in the future, and remove the guilt that still lingers.

Don’t ignore what you see

It’s true here in Oregon, that if you ignore the cobwebs, they may not be visible again for a while. Who knows when we’ll get more sun. In our Christian lives it would be a travesty to have God’s Sunlight and then not have it. We don’t want to hope to not be convicted by the Lord and His Sunlight, but instead like Oregonians, run out into the Sun to soak up every blessing He has for us.

Are you soaking up the Sun?

 
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Posted by on January 21, 2013 in My God is a Sun, Psalm

 

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