Category: Attributes of God

Unbiased

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Despite our culture’s best and misguided efforts to promote self-love, many people continue to feel less valuable than those around them for various reasons. We have less money than someone else, we never completed our master’s degree, we do not have our own office at work, our house is the smallest in the neighborhood, our IQ is not as high as someone else’s, our body is not as fit, our health is not up to par, our family’s background is embarrassing, we don’t look as good as others, our sense of humor is less than desirable, our talents are few, etc., etc., ad infinitum.

Sometimes we actually get to feeling that we either do not deserve or cannot earn the care and attention of others. Worse yet, we sometimes suppose we cannot possibly gain the care and attention of God. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the self-professed “Lord of lords.” Catch this verse tucked away in the first portion of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17, NASB).

Simply put, God does not show favoritism as this world does. He will not accept bribes of money, talent, status, or good works. He cares for people on the basis of one thing – His own, consistent character. God is the great One, the mighty One, and the awesome One; yet He cares for us because of His endless mercy. God reaches down to every person in just the same way – out of pure compassion. In God’s eyes, we are all equally helpless, and equally undeserving of His best. However, without one hint of bias toward any particular type of individual, God reaches down to us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

The rich cannot bait God with money. The intelligent cannot sway God with brainpower. The influential cannot gain God’s attention with power. The poorest among us can find God. Those with lowest aptitude can experience His loving arms. Those least known or understood can hear His voice. No matter the world’s opinion of you or your assumptions about yourself, God’s action toward you is unprejudiced. You cry out sincerely to Him, and He responds with mercy. So unlike human beings, God “does not show partiality nor take a bribe.” Lift your head. Look up. God loves YOU because of who HE is.

Standing Before Monsters

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Sometimes, in order to get to the promise, we have to stand before a monster. The path to the sacred and wonderful place God wants to take us is not one of least resistance. We gaze forward, and we see monsters looming on the horizon – circumstances, individuals, problems, and heartaches that appear too big for us to handle.

So it was for God’s people when He called them to take over the Promised Land. Just about to enter the fields of blessing, the Israelites were reminded of this life’s harsh realities. “Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?'” (Deuteronomy 9:1-2, NASB) What a difficult thing to hear! God clearly explains that His own people are about to come face-to-face with mighty giants. The enemy is bigger than them and stronger than them. Not only so, but the reputation of the enemy is well-known across the land so that many ask, “Who can even survive and stand before these monstrous people?”

A similar question often rings in our own hearts. How can I survive the monsters in front of me? I see them. I hear them. I know that they are real. Others confirm that they are real. They are bigger than us. They are stronger than us. By all logical thinking, we are doomed. The job loss should ruin our finances. The illness should destroy us. The circumstantial setback is one from which we should not recover. The troubled relationship should ruin our family. The human enemy should do us harm. The burden should drive us to insanity. The grief should completely stifle us. The unanswered questions should keep us up at night.

But, they don’t. Even though the monsters are bigger than us, they are not bigger than our God! He is a “consuming fire.” Nothing will stand in His path against His will and be able to remain. He consumes the giants that would consume us! Listen to the resounding answer given to the threat of looming giants on the horizon, “Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you” (Deuteronomy 9:3, NASB).

As you look longingly for the “land of promise,” what monsters stand on the border – threatening your demise? Does all common sense declare these giants are mightier than you? Do not fear. They are mightier than you, but they are absolutely helpless compared to God. He goes before you, defying all scary reports and difficult realities. He is a consuming fire, eliminating the monsters that cruelly threaten His people.

Child of God, you will enter into the promise of God for your life because you Lord is infinitely strong and wonderfully alive. He consumes what stand against His children – no matter how ominous the giants appear. We will stand before the monsters, but the consuming fire will lead the way.

Do All Good Things Really Come to an End?

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I recently attended a picnic that included a fun “bouncy house” with a slide for kids to enjoy. Squeals of delight accompanied the antics of the children as they jumped and played. The picnic also included cookie decorating for kids and the time-tested water balloon battle.

As I was leaving the picnic and walking to my car in the evening, I heard a young voice about one hundred feet behind me begin to complain and then cry. This little girl wanted her mom to know that she was not at all ready to leave the bouncy house and all her friends. As the girl entered into a tantrum; I heard her mother say, “All good things must eventually come to an end.” At those words, I stopped in my tracks. I literally paused in the parking lot and thanked God that the mother’s statement was not true. Though countless people throughout the years have uttered the same sentence as this caring mother, it is simply false.

Oh, to be sure, we have all felt the pangs of good things seeming to come to an end: the last day of a great vacation arrives, darkness settles in after a glorious sunset, bad news follows a time of laughter with friends, sickness hits after a long stint of health, discontent invades after a great success, a beautiful flower fades, a loved one moves away, a friend dies, a season of life passes and only memories are left. Yes, in this life we experience loss and grief. The glimmers of goodness are invaded by a pervasive tendency toward disappointment, sadness, and loss. However, the good we experience is not a temporary blip on the computer screen of life, but rather a deep and meaningful reminder of original intentions that will be gloriously restored. Good is not flimsy and of a temporary nature; good is ultimately enduring and victorious.

Recall God’s original pronouncement of His work on the sixth day of creation, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, NASB). Before our human nature turned against God and His plan for the cosmos, the world was very good. Of course! For, it came from a good God. This God is eternal; His goodness goes endlessly back before the start of the world. In the same way, His good will go endlessly forward at the re-creating of this world. When God finally makes His dwelling place with us (Revelation 21:3), we will experience the reality of Psalm 16:11 (NASB), “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Did you catch the all-important words? “Fullness of joy” and “pleasures forever.” This is not the stuff of fairytales. This is truth from the Word of God. As true as John 3:16 is Psalm 16:11. God will once-and-for-all vanquish evil and allow good to prevail unhindered. Imagine! No end to righteous enjoyment! No watching the clock to see when the end of a good thing comes. No incomplete moments. No “having to leave the bouncy house.” No separating of right relationships. No goodbye. No regret. No end to good.

I urge you, then, to consider the way to be a part of God’s plan. In the first century A.D., the Apostle Paul identified the heart of the problem when it comes to goodness and our own, individual hearts. He knew the pain of goodness interrupted – of the seemingly triumphant evil. He said in Romans 7:18-20 (NIV), “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

So we see that good has its limits and end in people, too. But this is not the final chapter of the story. Even in the case of our own, human heart, “All good things do not have to come to an end.” Paul found the answer to our dilemma. When he recognized the sin himself (and, by the way, sin is the absence of good), he cried out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24, NIV, 1984). Paul saw that sin brings the death of all hope and goodness. He recognized his desperate need to be delivered from sin and death. The answer reverberates through the annals of time, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25, NIV, 1984). Unequivocally, Jesus is the One who rescues us from sin and the death of good. Because of Jesus Christ, I will one day experience “fullness of joy” in God’s presence and His divine “pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11)

Hold on, my friend! Allow the glimpses of good you experience now to remind you of the ultimate and enduring reality, “All good things do not come to an end.” In fact, all truly good things will go on forever when our God comes back to vanquish evil and make all things good again. No more tears of sadness then. No more tantrums or frustration. Thank you, Jesus!

Splattered Spaghetti and the Heart of God

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“Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” – Psalm 51:7 (NIV – 1984)

The other day I made for myself a simple plate of spaghetti. Of course, spaghetti is not inherently simple when you consider the red tomato sauce in which it is covered. My dinner was fully prepared – spaghetti drenched in sauce with some added mushrooms and parmesan cheese. I loaded the carbs onto my plate after a day of activity and exercise. My husband was out of town, so I grabbed my dinner from the kitchen counter to take it to the living room. My spaghetti was in one hand; my iced tea was in the other. Before I got past the edge of the kitchen, my balancing act proved unsuccessful, as the spaghetti slid off one side of my plate and splattered everywhere as it landed. The four-foot drop produced quite a mess! The white linoleum in that corner edge of my kitchen was covered in wet noodles, red sauce with cheese, and various mushrooms, which – just seconds ago – looked very appetizing. But now, it looked like someone had gotten quite ill. The dinner hit the floor with such force that sauce splattered onto the surrounding walls and carpet. In fact, I found sauce on the front door of my house, a half-story down and seven feet from the accident!

Though I was hungry, tired, and much wanting to eat; my immediate concern was to clean up the mess before stains set in. I went to the carpet and painted walls first, scrubbing with a good cleaning solution. The more I cleaned, the more I recognized additional spots of the sauce in unbelievable places. Finally, after picking up large heaps of the mess and dumping it into the garbage can, I got down on my hands and knees and started wiping away at the linoleum.

As I cleaned and scrubbed while kneeling on the floor, I thought, “What an inconvenience. What a dumb thing I just did. What a waste of time. This is annoying.” My busy arm came to a standstill as God dropped this beautiful reminder in my heart, “Shelli, this is what I do all the time – clean up the messes of the people I love. My heart is a heart of restoration. Though I don’t have to – for I have no obligations – I choose to be in the business of cleaning up messes, both big and small. People sin and turmoil comes; I forgive and I restore.”

Suddenly, my whole perspective changed. I was no longer bothered by the work I was doing. This inconvenience was now a hint of God’s unfathomable grace. He does not have to, but He willingly works continually to clean up our hearts and make them like new. He will even apply His heart to the restoration of this entire universe one day; though the sum total of its current pain, disaster, confusion, and messes seems insurmountable. God’s love and power are infinite and far-reaching. Just as I went to the farthest places spaghetti sauce splattered, so God goes to the furthest and deepest places human sin wreaks havoc. Projecting into the future, the Bible boldly declares, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.'” (Revelation 21:1, 4, 5, ESV)

In the meantime, our God gets down “on the floor” where we are to clean things up. He sent His Son to live here, suffer here, and pay for sin here. God continually works in the business of cleaning and restoration. Out of pure and unbelievable love, He keeps cleaning and restoring.

Do you see nothing in front of you but a terrible mess? Do you see nothing in you but a disaster? Do you see nothing around you but wreckage? Hear the heart of God, the One who cleans so much more than splattered spaghetti:

“Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” – Psalm 51:7 (NIV – 1984)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV – 1984)

“You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” – Isaiah 58:12 (NIV – 1984)

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” – Isaiah 61:1 (ESV)

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” – Psalm 103:2-3 (ESV)

“I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.” – Jeremiah 33:8 (NIV – 1984)

Two Bloody Robes Tell the Story

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And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. – Matthew 27:28 (ESV)

He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. – Revelation 19:13 (ESV)

The scene immediately preceding the crucifixion of Jesus is heartbreaking and gruesome. It ought to be deeply pondered by every person to let its reality sink in. And then, one incident in particular needs to be tied to its victorious outcome. The scene at the end of God’s Word – in the book of Revelation – is both a fitting, glorious conclusion and a sobering, devastating reality. To those who truly apprehend and order their lives according to real faith in Jesus Christ, the theme traced from the first century to the end of earthly history is one of mystery and majesty. To those opposed to the Christian Gospel, the theme – while perhaps scoffed at – is, in truth, the greatest reality with which one must deal.

Let’s travel from the first century to the end of time using one, simple thread. We shall see things quite easily as we stick to one part of both accounts – a robe. Though countless details exist, let us focus on this one component in order to cut to the heart of what is both similar and different about two historical events, one of which is yet to take place.

In the first scene, Jesus has been arrested, Judas has committed suicide, and Pilate has delivered Christ to be crucified. After Jesus was beaten, the governor’s soldiers began a mockery of Jesus. Matthew 27:27-31 (ESV) records the grievous details:

    Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Note with me, please, the first action of scorn the soldiers pursued: the placement of a scarlet robe on the beaten, bleeding body of Jesus. This robe was part of a greater scheme to belittle both the Person and the claim of Christ. The main point of contention here is the perception by some that Jesus was the King of the Jews. The soldiers would taunt Jesus concerning His real identity. Apparently believing Him to be a fool instead of royalty, they gave him a robe, a crown of thorns, and a reed for a staff. Then they knelt before Him in disdain, mockingly calling out, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Can you imagine Jesus Christ, bleeding on his back and sides beneath that robe and bleeding on His head from under the crown made of thorns? Can you envision Him holding a reed for a scepter as the soldiers spit on Him and rail at Him in hatred? Poor Jesus! How our human hearts ache at the thought of the misery and shame He endured. And yet, what makes this event most amazing is its display of the unimaginable patience of God. How could the Son of God – who is equipped with the power to calm the seas and able to raise men and women from the dead – how could He now restrain Himself to bear the unjust cruelty of these moments? He could – and He did – because of the power of His mercy. Jesus knew what He had to experience on our behalf so we would not have to bear the punishment of our own sin. He withstood the wrath of God and the weight of our sin for us. All of the suffering and scorn He went through was in order to take our place. We deserve to be taunted by Satan for our sin, but Jesus endured the ridicule of Satan, even though He had never done a thing wrong.

Amazing love is what restrained the arms of Jesus so that He did not tear off the scarlet robe and destroy the soldiers in one flash of justified wrath. In boundless compassion, Jesus restrained the full revelation of who He is and chose not to cast off the crown of thorns to show the world His real power. Jesus wore the robe, soaked as it was with His own blood, from the beating He took. Christ wore the robe, though it was placed on Him by those who refused to believe he deserves a real, most regal robe.

Fast forward to the end of time. Plough ahead to the return of Jesus to this earth a second time. We have the privilege of looking to an historical event before it happens, because our timeless God recorded it for us in His word. Hear the words of the apostle John in Revelation 19:11-21 (ESV):

    Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Perhaps all that can be said after a careful reading of this account is, “Wow!” Understand, friend, that the One on the white horse, with eyes as fire, with a sharp sword proceeding from His mouth, and wearing a robe dipped in blood is none other than Jesus Christ. He does not sound like the Jesus who bore the ridicule of Roman soldiers. No longer are people kneeling before Him to make light of His claim to kingship. No! All the forces of evil and followers of Satan are being slain by the sword Jesus now wields from His mouth. His robe now rightly declares His true nature – as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And before anyone should think this scene is too gory, recall what our perfectly Holy God endured on and around the cross. The Righteous One restrained Himself and carried the due punishment of unrestrained, unrighteous humans. In those moments, God displayed His mercy. All the while, though, God remained just. For all His attributes exist in perfect balance at all times. He was able to display mercy in the most real way because His divine justice is also real. At the end of history, we shall witness the fullest revelation of His justice in much the same way we witness the fullest revelation of His mercy at the Cross.

Jesus will then rightly wear a robe that John tells us is “dipped in blood.” What a fitting reminder! Jesus once wore a robe soaked in the blood from his undeserved punishment. Now He wears a robe dipped in blood as He judges and makes war. No more restraint. Evil must be banished. All those choosing not to submit to the plan of righteousness must be judged so that goodness may prevail forever. And as our Jesus rides His white horse to the final battlefield with the armies of Heaven following behind, He is adorned with a robe to remind us of the reason we get to be part of the victory – the first, dismal robe He once wore! His loving restraint during the season of His suffering results in our sharing in the victory of the final dismissal of evil from the universe. None will mock Him then! The full revelation of His kingship is here!

Whether the blood of this second robe is representative of Jesus’ own blood shed for us long ago, or it is representative of the blood of His enemies who are now being judged, one fact remains: the Jesus of mercy is also the Jesus of justice. He makes all things right.

What must He have thought that day the soldiers put that pitiful robe on His bleeding back? Was He envisioning the robe He would one day wear as He rides the white horse to the final war against evil? Was He looking at the soldier and the crowds thinking, “I will wear this robe so you have the chance to be saved from the wrath my second robe will bring?” We don’t know exactly. We only know He loves us and promises to bring justice in the end. Either I put my sin at the Cross with Him at the time of the first robe, or I endure the punishment of my own sin starting with His wielding of the sword as He dons the second robe. He is the same Jesus; I must make a choice. Which robe?

Why Did Jesus Say, “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

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And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Mark 15:34 (ESV)

Jesus is God. In fact, Jesus is the active agent in the creation of the universe. John 1:1-3 (NIV) says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” At one point in human history, Jesus stepped into the world He created and “made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14, NIV) The main reason He did so was to die on the cross for our sins. That event presents a seeming mystery.

The question is, “If Jesus is God, why did He cry out on the cross before His death, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Since Christ is the second person of the Trinity, why did He – at the very least – feel that God had forsaken Him? How does this make sense?

We need to remember the main purpose of His death. Although Jesus died so that we can have eternal life, the reason we gain that inheritance is because our sins are taken away from us. The main mission of Jesus Christ on the cross was to pay the price for our iniquity. II Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) says it beautifully and precisely, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Did you catch the depth of this miraculous statement? God made Jesus to be sin on our behalf! Christ took upon His own body the sins of the world. 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV) declares, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” Clearly, Jesus became a sin offering so that He could bear the weight of our wrong.

Now let us consider the main consequence of sin – separation from God. We, like our progenitors, Adam and Eve, are naturally driven from the presence of God when we stand opposed to His righteousness because of our sin. After disobeying the Lord, Adam and Eve “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God and among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8, ESV) In the same way, each one of us – as we stand in our sinfulness – is separated from the Only One who gives us true joy and meaning. Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV) proclaims, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” The purpose of Jesus shedding His blood on the cross was to cure our main problem – being separated from God. Jesus came to reconcile us with our Creator. Every human heart desires ultimately to be at peace with God, and that is exactly what we receive through Jesus and His cross. The apostle Paul reminds us, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Before we get back to the mysterious cry of Jesus on the cross, let’s bring home to our own hearts the theology discussed above. In a very real sense, true Christians discern the awful nature of sin. When we break God’s heart by sinning, we can hardly stand the weight of our own guilt. We know the pangs of conviction that remind us just how serious it is to defy the Almighty. And with the knowledge of the devastation of our own transgressions, can we begin to imagine what the weight of the collective sins of the world would feel like? Every wrong thought, word, and action of all sinners combined was placed on Jesus when He hung upon the cross. If my own sin produces such a terrible feeling, how must have the collective sin of the world felt falling on one Person, Jesus Christ?

Though He is God, Jesus also took on human flesh. Walking this earth as 100% God and 100% man, Jesus knew the pangs of fleshly emotion and distress. So, as He hangs on the cross being the sin offering for the whole world, He experiences on our behalf the outcome of sin – separation from God. His human nature endures a tragedy beyond description – the bearing of the penalty of the sins of the world. Suffering the separation we deserve, Jesus Christ calls out in deepest spiritual pain, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

For that unimaginable, paradoxical cry I am grateful beyond words. The truth is that I should have to wail, “My God, my God, you have good reason to forsake me.” But instead, perfect Jesus cries to His Father because of us. He willingly chose to be our sin offering so that we never have to know what it is like to be forsaken by God!

The barrier between us and God was torn when Jesus died. Mark 14:38 (ESV) “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” That old, thick curtain that stood between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was ripped in half by God! I imagine He could not wait to get His fingers on that which stood between us and a full, unhindered relationship with Him. With joy, He tore that curtain, for Jesus had borne our separation so we could come close to our God!

Is A Better Day Coming?

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For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. – Psalm 57:10 (NIV)

Today I looked out my kitchen window into the leafless plum tree in my front yard. It is March 1, and only tiny buds appear on that tree, for it is not yet the official season of spring. Much to my heart’s delight, a fat, little robin was perched on one of the upper branches. Just as I spotted the bird, it began to sing to me! (Okay, maybe it wasn’t actually singing to me, but allow me to entertain the thought.) The familiar song of the common robin brought a hugely comforting feeling to my heart: spring is near!

In the dead of winter it is hard to imagine that warmer and longer days will ever arrive. With the temperatures still cool and the brown of leafless branches yet the main color of the horizon, it is also difficult to picture the vibrant activity and color of summer. Yet, the little robin reminds us that the season is surely changing. With uncanny regularity, spring follows winter. The timeless, promise of Genesis 8:27 (NIV) stands true, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

The robin’s cheerful song and orange breast on that brown branch reminded me of something else – God’s faithfulness. Flying right into the face of the cold and dormant nature of winter comes the color and activity of spring! In the same way that God is faithful to turn the seasons because of His promises, we know that He is faithful to turn our lives because of His promises. Flying right into the face of your dark and sad day will come the light and hope of a new life season. God promises to never give to us more than we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). Even the man, Job, said, “But he knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10, NIV).

That little songbird brought to the forefront Psalm 57:10 (NIV), “For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Surely, God’s steadfast nature reaches to the very skies of our world, delivering robins to Western Pennsylvania as a deposit on the promise of summer. God’s faithfulness reaches similarly to the skies of your life, setting forth the deposit on the promise of a season of healing and joy. Ecclesiastes 3:3-4 aptly proclaims, “[There is] a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

God’s faithfulness reaches to both the skies and to the most remote and broken part of our human hearts. In fact, there is no place to which His faithfulness does not extend. That is why the Psalmist could say in 57:5 (NIV), “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” As God is lifted up far past the expanse of this universe, so the hope He gives in His promises far surpasses all the difficulty we face. As He delivers the songbird at the start of spring, so He delivers hope to your heart even as your “winter” goes on. It won’t be long. He is reliable. He keeps His promise. So, let us be like the little robin in my leafless tree set against the gray sky, and let us sing – despite the current weather. For, we know spring is on the way. “I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples” (Psalm 57:9, NIV).

Sin Brings Death: Does That Make God Mean and Selfish?

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 (NIV)

The consequences of sin are not the result of a mean God who delights in making miserable those who oppose Him. The consequences of sin are the result of human opposition to the definition and parameters of the only genuine life available. God created the universe out of nothing at the beginning of time. As much as we may or may not like the fact, God made it all and logically defines it all. Every bit of meaning and every operational standard for the world flows from its Creator. When we rebel against that rightful intention and those uniquely plausible standards, we shun the only life that can make sense and bring authentic joy.

For too long the church of Jesus Christ has allowed the world to think God is simply bossy and unreasonably selfish. It is time we proclaim that God is the Definer of Reality. If we go against His plan, there is simply no other plan to which we can turn except a corrupted version of the real system. God made all reality; there is no other existence outside of Him. Evil is a perversion of His good. Satan is a created being who rebelled. Therefore, when we reject God’s plan, the only option is to become miserable and purposeless. There exists no separate created order where we can define the ways of life and righteousness. We are in God’s cosmos.

Think of it in terms of the simplicity of an automobile. When I drive one, I must operate the vehicle according to the designer’s thoughts. For instance, I will be in big trouble if I say, “Instead of the brake pedal, I choose to use the left turn signal to stop the car.” A severe crash may ensue. Similarly, I won’t be going anywhere if I decide, “I don’t care what the manual says; I am using the radio volume control to accelerate the vehicle.” We find we must operate the automobile according to the designer’s plan if we want a chance of effective driving. When it comes to effective living, we must operate according to the plan of the Grand Designer, the God of the Bible.

Death is the result of sin because God is the Giver of Life. If I go against the Creator, there exists no other life to which I can turn. Death is the only other option. It reminds us of Peter’s response to Jesus’ question when many disciples were walking away from the Lord because of His hard teachings, “You do not want to leave, too, do you?” Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:67-68, NIV). In other words, Peter was clearly stating that there exists no one else to turn to for true and everlasting life. If we walk away from Jesus, we walk to destruction.

The Good News is found in Romans 6:23 (NIV), “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” After we have turned away from God and die spiritually, that death can be overcome by God alone. Only He can make dead people live. Sick people may have a chance at helping themselves get better, but dead people can do nothing to bring back life. It takes God to restore spiritual life. That is precisely why God put on human flesh and came to our world. As a human, Jesus could pay the price for the sin of people; as God, He can give life back to us. The turning away from God is resolved by turning back to Him in the Person of Jesus Christ. Look to Jesus today. He can forgive your sin and give you a new chance to live according to the only plan that works.

Does God See my Couch?

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Our sitting and rising are often indicative of a change in circumstance and mindset. When we shift our location or position, it is usually with intention. Therefore, these events mark pivotal moments.

My rising from bed in the morning is a key moment. My attitude at that point often sets the tone for the start of my day. Many factors play into the feeling at my daybreak rising: How well did I sleep? What were my thoughts as I drifted off to rest the evening before? How well does my body feel? What events await me? What appointments will I face today? What human interactions await me today? How much work lies ahead?

Similarly, our sitting down in a particular spot marks important thoughts. Many factors play into our feelings as we sit down in our office chair: Why I am employed here? What is the real purpose of my life? Who will affirm my value today? Who will try my patience? Will my paycheck cover my financial needs? How late do I have to work? Am I smart enough to complete this project? Why don’t more people like me? Will I have a job next month?

Or, perhaps you are sitting down on the couch in your family room. It is your time to relax . . . or not to relax. Flowing through your mind as you sit in the comfort of your own home may be considerations such as: Why will my mind not stop racing? Will I be lonely again this evening? Why did I make bad decisions today? Why is my house not as nice as someone else’s home? What do I need to get done this week? What should I do with the next hour? Why do I feel so overwhelmed at the end of each day?

No matter where or when we sit – or where or when we rise – one fact remains . . . the Lord knows all about it. He is not a God removed from His creation. He is ever-present and all-knowing. David confidently proclaimed of the Lord in Psalm 139:2 (NIV), “You know when I sit and when I rise.” What comfort! I face no change in circumstances and no shift in thought alone. My God is with me, taking it all into His consideration. No other person on the face of the earth may understand my heart as I bend my knees to gently sit or plant my feet on the floor to firmly rise, but God – who is both on the face of the earth and above the earth – apprehends my every idea.

God sees every positional transition of my body and every mental activity of my mind. He knows. He knows. He knows. Moreover, God generates an endless number of thoughts toward us to cover every circumstance we face. Not only does He see, our Lord is thinking. He is sending His own heart straight to us. The God who is sovereign over the entire universe is thinking innumerable things about you! David said in Psalm 139:17-18 (NIV), “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.”

I recently learned that Lady Gaga has nearly eighteen million people following her on Twitter. This essentially means that at least eighteen million humans are thinking of her. That astounding fact is nothing compared to God’s thoughts aimed at you! His precious ideas for your life cannot even be counted! To meet every question of your heart is a thought of God. To surpass every movement and occurrence of your life is an answer of God. You need not be famous or talented or rich to have the only One who really counts thinking of you always.

Are you sitting and about to rise? Are you standing and about to sit? God knows. Whatever it is you will ponder or have to face in your change of position, God has a thought of His own to meet it and conquer it. He knows when you sit and when you rise, and His thoughts toward you are innumerable! Rise and sit . . . fully assured.

A Warning with an Astonishing Promise

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We simply do not have forever to seek and find God. The implication of His straightforward message is clear, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6, ESV). Obviously, then, there is a time that He may be found; but that time has an end point. Likewise, He remains near in His willingness to receive sorrowful people repenting of sin; but He stays close in this way for only a season. Two future time frames appear on every human horizon: 1) a person’s own death, and 2) God’s full revelation of His final wrath. Since we can escape neither event, we must be prepared for them. The only and glorious provision for safety is seeking God while He is ready to be found. If we need to cry out in repentance, now is the time to call. More important than clean dishes, a televised sports event, completed homework, a dusted dining room, dinner out with friends, a brisk walk, or any other impending task is the responsibility of calling out to our God who – for this moment at least – can still be encountered as One ready to receive us.

And do not be afraid to seek Him now. For this is His promise, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7, ESV). How beautifully the words ring out that a wicked person – one who is guilty of sin – and an unrighteous person – one who is troubled by his vain pursuit of sinful ways – can both return to the Lord to find compassion! We expect our treachery has no cure, and we fear the reaction we so commonly find in other humans. But, no! When we forsake sin and turn toward God, He covers us with mercy and tender affection. Moreover, He welcomes us back in such a manner that the Bible describes as “abundant pardon.” The Hebrew root of the word pardon is forgiveness backed by the idea of “lightness” or “lifting up.” The burden of guilt is removed, and we are once again raised up by God. We can walk freely with a spiritual and emotional spring in our step, for God has forgiven us.

He pardons us abundantly, not sparingly or with a grudge. The same word used here for “abundantly” is used in Genesis 1:22 to describe the multiplication of sea creatures in the ocean and birds in the sky following God’s initial creation. Can you imagine? Can you picture the innumerable fish in the depths of the sea? The untold amount of microscopic plankton filling the waters? The countless little birds and butterflies in the skies above us? Those realities are to remind us of the amount of forgiveness – enough to cover every sin – which God offers to those who cry out now.

Does the compassion of God to us sinful people seem incomprehensible? It surely may be to us, but this does not negate its reality. When you think it’s too good to be true, you need to read God’s reminder to us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV). Yes – it is true – I do not understand the depth of His forgiveness. My mind cannot wrap itself around such an offer of hope. Yet, there it is. The reason I don’t quite “get it” is that God’s thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than mine. He is altogether perfect, the Definer of what is. I will trust that what I cannot understand remains real, for the Maker of human reasoning capacity is greater than human reasoning.

Seek Him now; call upon Him while He is near, because the opportunity will not last forever. He will abundantly pardon. It seems too good to be true, but is is not. It is the way of God.

When We Almost Can’t Believe God Would Still Love Us

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Have you ever had jumbled emotions? Have you ever known a fact to be true from a rational perspective, but your heart could not wrap itself around the concept? Have you ever hoped for something, but were unable to completely believe it could happen? Have you ever been caught between belief and disbelief? If so, then you fit right in with the human race, including Christians throughout the millennia.

So how does God deal with these lackluster emotions of ours? In His perfection – His holiness – does He understand our wavering and our doubts? Let us go to a Psalm of David to investigate. Since every word of the Bible is God’s Word, we shall see from His heart how He reacts to our raw emotion.

Remember that David is in the lineage of Jesus. In fact, the very first verse of the book of Matthew proclaims, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, . . .” God spoke of David early in his life that he was, “A man after [God’s] own heart” (I Samuel 13:4, NIV). David slew Goliath with a motivation to defend the name of the Lord. As king, David denounced idolatry. His overall being exuded a love for God and a trust in His providence.

However, David allowed his own fleshly desires to get the best of him at one point in his life, and he committed adultery with Bathsheba. In a futile attempt to dismiss his sin, David then had Bathsheba’s husband murdered. To what depths the man of God sank! Had he not grasped the grace of God, how could he have survived the horror of his sin? Yet, we find David to be a man fully repentant, crying out to God in Psalm 51 as he confesses his sin and trusts God for his future hope and restoration.

Keeping all this in mind, we move to Psalm 138, a song David wrote in affirmation and adoration of his Lord. It is the last verse, however, on which I want to focus. Psalm 138:8 (NIV) says, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the work of your hands.” What a beautiful and strange statement. It seems just a bit paradoxical that David would both affirm God’s providence in his life and beg God not to desert him. The shepherd boy-turned-king seems to have some juxtaposed emotions here. He boldly declares that the Lord will fulfill His purpose for David’s life. He reminds us that God’s love never fails. Then, in the very next phrase, David pitifully asks God to not abandon him – since David is the work of God’s own hands.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever proclaimed God’s truth to yourself, but then turned around and asked God if He would really stay? Have you ever wanted to believe, but then you needed to express your weakness in believing? By including this passage in His inspired Word, I think that God wants us to know that He understands our mixed-up emotions. He hears our human hearts. He is allowing us to see – through David – that our Lord is faithful to even wavering people. Of course, David knew God and put his ultimate hope in the Lord; but David also knew the pangs of unworthy feelings.

Surely, as David penned the words, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me,” he recalled his terrible sin. Perhaps tears welled up in David’s eyes as he declared God’s unfathomable love to make sense of the life of a man who failed so miserably. Just to know that God had a divine purpose for a sinner could have driven David – as us – to a fountain of cleansing tears. And so, David continues by reminding himself that God’s love “endures forever.” The Lord’s love continues through failure, heartache, rebellion, hopelessness, attack, instability, and disbelief. Despite everything that would seem to push back its tide, God’s love rolls on.

Finally, the frailty of David’s sweetly broken heart comes through as He asks God to not abandon him. How Jesus longed to wrap His arms around David at that point and assure Him that He died to recreate David. Jesus gave His life to make David a beautiful creation – despite his weakness. How fitting it is that one of Jesus’ titles is “The Son of David.” What grace God has to identify with someone such as David. God is declaring that He does not give up on us. Even when we cannot quite grasp His grace – even when we waver between emotions – God is there holding us. I can just hear Jesus saying, “No, David, I will not abandon you.” Similarly, the Lord reminds us in Hebrews 13:5 (NIV), “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

In this verse tucked away at the end of Psalm 138, it’s as if David could hardly believe in the love of God to continue with him. It seemed too good to be true. But, we know that David did “get it” way down deep inside. We, too, know that God understands His love’s almost unbelievable nature. God is patient with us, and He allows us to express our need. He loves us over all the range of emotion that His grace produces.

What Fallen Bridges Tell Us About God

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On August 1, 2007, the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing thirteen people and injuring 145 others. This human tragedy is devastating, with consequences of death. Research points to miscalculation of gusset plate width as the reason the bridge collapsed.

Gusset plates are thick sheets of steel that provide strength at the intersection of beams. Apparently, the gusset plates used on the I-35W Bridge were not thick enough to support the added weight of construction vehicles and concrete that would come with time and use. It is essential for engineers to use exact calculations and mathematical formulas when building bridges. The physical universe only accepts true and accurate work; otherwise, disaster ensues. In medicine as well as construction, precision is necessary. Diabetics suffer physically and may die with a miscalculation of insulin dose, for example. The Creator of the universe has chosen to have the physical world operate according to mathematical and physical laws; this situation reflects His unchanging, reliable disposition.

Supernatural God runs the natural world with serious precision. Proper functioning requires uncompromised accuracy. If God has made this true of the natural realm, how much more is it true of the supernatural realm; for, the supernatural is more real than the physical! God Himself is supernatural, and the One from Whom all reality flows. His spiritual working requires exactitude to the same or greater degree than His tangible working. Certainly, the consequences of spiritual errors are infinitely graver than even the catastrophe of inaccuracy in the physical world. Injury and death are horrors, for sure; but the calamity of a lost soul in eternity trumps all earthly afflictions.

And so, with an urgent heart, the Apostle Paul calls to us in Philippians 1:9 (NASB), “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.” Do you see the connection here between love and knowledge? To Paul – and to God – love is not a feeling. Love grows in real knowledge. The building of a spiritual life requires unequivocal accuracy. If we think bridge building requires right engineering processes, how much more does soul building require right spiritual processes?

Our relationship to God must be built on truth! We need to study His Word as an engineer studies math and science to ensure design and construction according to reality. Our spiritual lives must be built on right knowledge. This will require sacrifice of time and effort. The risk is not physical injury or death, but spiritual injury and eternal death. The stakes are high, and it is time for Christians to take seriously the call for our love to abound in real knowledge and all discernment.

The church of Jesus Christ seems to be missing the call to methodical, intentional, and precise training in spiritual knowledge. Dean (2010) comments on the problems presented in the National Study of Youth and Religion,

    We “teach” young people baseball, but we “expose” them to faith. We provide coaching and opportunities for youth to develop and improve their pitches and SAT scores, but we blithely assume that religious identity will happen by osmosis, emerging “when youth are ready” (a confidence we generally lack when it comes to, say, algebra). (15)

We would not allow our loved ones to drive over bridges that we knew were designed without proper knowledge of or regard for mathematical principles. We trust that bridges are designed by professionals who have invested much time and effort into a solid education in the field of engineering. Here are some pivotal questions: Are we allowing our loved ones to drive over spiritual bridges designed and built on patchwork theology? Are we truly investing in a serious understanding of God as revealed in His Word? How much time do we spend intentionally growing in real knowledge? Do our children know sports better than the revelation of God Almighty? Do we require they know algebra well, but settle for a haphazard understanding of the things of God?

Jesus once said to an earnest inquirer named Nicodemus, “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12, NASB) In other words, the earthly points to the heavenly, which is far deeper and greater. Think bridges – fallen bridges. What is God saying to us through the physical, mathematical knowledge required for safety? He is telling us to get serious about biblical knowledge. Fallen souls are far more costly than fallen bridges.

Reference: Dean, K. C. (2010) Almost Christian: What the Faith of our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.