Good morning, my Friends. By the time Cliff, Glenn and I – then Pam and I – returned from our morning walk, one thing was undeniable….summer is back in the heartland of America. Temp is in the mid 70s already, and the dreaded HUMIDITY has returned. Yuck! We were all panting and looking for the water dish when we walked through the door! And wouldn’t ya know it…school is starting this week!!! I couldn’t believe it….where did the summer go? Wait a minute…what am I saying…. I’m retired. It’s really Saturday… albeit a hot and humid Saturday.
I want to take a minute and lay out my game plan for the weekly blog (or Thought for the Week). First of all let me say I’m thrilled to have this platform. When I think of myself and the crazy misconceptions I espoused; my out and out erroneous thinking; my belief in my own self-sufficiency, ie. my faith was in the gospel of Presgrave…”if it didn’t make sense to me, it must be wrong”…after all, I’m a “smart guy”! That whole arrogant attitude was grounded in ignorance…not ignorance in terms of stupidity, but ignorance of not being exposed to “the truth.” Oh I had ideas; I had theories; I had answers that suited me… but the fact is, I hadn’t come face to face with Isaiah 55:8-9 “ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you can imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” NLT
I know there are many people reading this blog who are plagued with the same attitude I had before I was exposed to “the truth”. (to review what I’m referring to when I speak of “the truth”…it is found in the gospel of John 8:32 when Jesus told his apostles, “if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” I am referring to the teachings of Jesus. And what did Jesus teach?…the Word of God. He WAS the word incarnate. In John 1:14 it says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”
I am a firm believer that many people will not hear the truth of the Word of God unless they are ready (prepared) to hear it. I was one of those people. Consequently that is my game plan with this blog. I want to prepare listeners with a foundation of scriptural truths… or as Watchman Nee puts it, “scriptural facts!” I am headed toward a clear, concise presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a complete presentation of the Gospel of Grace. That is the cornerstone of Christianity – that IS Christianity! But based on my own experience and the myriad of questions I had – and the same questions I know many others have had – there is a need for answers in order to prepare our minds to hear the gospel truth. (It’s like tilling a field before planting the seeds.) That is my plan for this blog. Each week is intended to set-up the next week as we explore and answer questions that will lead us to Jesus Christ: who he is; why he came; and what it means to us.
Since I am writing this as a “thought for the week”, I am intentionally presenting bite-size morsels with the hope it will prompt you (or challenge you) to open the source book (The Holy Bible) and read for your own enlightenment. (Or maybe you just want to check me out and see if I’m on target. Either way works for me). The point is… I’m going to tackle some big questions and intentionally give clear, concise answers based on principles of truth rather than a dissertation-type response. There are libraries filled with those books and they are great resources for in-depth study. But my plan is to keep this blog simple; easy to understand, and always based on the truth of the Word of God!
OK…my blogging plan has been revealed. Let’s get on with it. Ta-Da!!
Some questions I have always found to be a sure conversation stopper are: “tell me what you believe?” or “what is the source of that belief?” or, my personal favorite, “tell me about your God”? At some point in everyone’s life I think we have to (or should) come grips with those questions in order to have security, peace and serenity in our life. Usually we have to come to grips with my favorite question first. “Tell me about your God or Who is God”?
I John 4:8 describes God very succinctly. God is love. Not only is God a God of love, but His love is unconditional, unending, unfailing…absolutely unfathomable! In Romans 8:38, Paul states: “nothing can separate us from the love of God.” He meets and accepts us right where we are. He’s been waiting for our plea: “I can’t do this any longer without you. I want to come home.” (Ref. the parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15: 11-32)
Now let’s look at some of God’s Majestic qualities. He is omnipotent (all- powerful); omniscient (all-knowing); omnipresent (everywhere at once); alpha and omega (the beginning and the end, ie. timeless), sovereign (nothing greater than…in complete control), immutable (never changes; always the same); part of the Trinity (the Father, the Godhead) the Creator of everything…and more!! Now let’s be honest here…..can anyone reading this really wrap your head around these concepts? Of course not! And God knew these qualities, and many other qualities about Him, would be stumbling blocks for our finite way of thinking. That is why he spoke through the Prophet Isaiah, 55:8-9 (referenced above) “my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts…” and in Psalm 46 “just be still and know that I am God.” To me he is stating very clearly … folks, don’t try to figure me out. You’ll never do it. I’m God….you’re not!! But let me ask you this….would you want to worship a lesser God??
The best we can do in expressing our thoughts about God is to try to describe him in words we can relate to in our realm of thinking. God is love; God is merciful; God is forgiving; God is full of grace. Nothing wrong with that….we all need love, mercy, forgiveness and we certainly need grace. These are qualities of God that are innerwoven in scripture throughout the Bible. Once you open the book and start reading, you can’t miss seeing this for yourself.
Let me close with this statement. The more time I spend in the Word of God, the more I am convinced there are two fundamental truths that form the foundation of everything else either written in the Bible or spoken by the Prophets. These two truths are: God is love and God wants a relationship with us – each and every one of us. Not just a relationship here and now, but an eternal relationship with Him. Next week I will write about how God prepared for us to enter into that relationship.
This blog is a bit longer than most will be, but I thought it was important to lay out the game plan so you will know where we’re going. And, I’ll always end with a question, so… how would you answer the three conversation-stopper questions?
May God bless you and I’ll see ya next Monday.
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