Category: God

A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words

Each morning I begin my prayers, “Heavenly Father, I praise You and worship You. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. You are merciful and loving; You are Holy and Just.”

Then I think, almost without fail, that those words are never enough to describe who He is to me. Words are never enough to truly reveal the glory and majesty of our Creator.

Moses, Daniel, Isaiah, David, and many more wrote of the wonder of our God in the Old Testament. Their words, inspired by God Himself, make up ¾ of the entire Bible, which is no small book in itself! Still, although all the prophets spoke and wrote of God’s love, mercy, and holiness, the people didn’t completely understand the majesty of God because our languages are insufficient for that task.

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A little book with big truth

I was thinking about this during my prayer time one morning, and the children’s book “Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney came to mind. It’s a story about Little Nut Brown Hare and his dad Big Nut Brown Hare. Little Nut Brown Hare tells Big Nut Brown Hare how much he loves him: “I love you as high as I can hop!” he says. His father responds, “Well, I love you as high as I can hop,” which is, of course, higher. Throughout the story, they try to describe how much they love each other as Little Nut Brown Hare is getting ready to go to bed. Just as he is drifting off to sleep, the little one says with a smile, “I love you to the moon!” After he is off into dreamland, his loving father says, “I love you to the moon . . . and back.”

Then I heard God say, “I love you to the cross… and back.”

A thousand words and more can’t adequately describe the love of God. But this one picture — of Jesus on the cross, of His bleeding brow ringed with a crown of thorns, of His bleeding side — portrays it so well.

“God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love.”

C. S. Lewis

I believe that’s why the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. Words alone were not enough to portray His love. He had to come down from Heaven and show us. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16 (NIV).

I know I love God, but I also know that He loves me and you. He loves us to the cross . . . and back.

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This post was originally posted on Linda Kruschke’s Blog, and is offered here as a reminder of how much God loves the broken believers of the world.

You Must Take Him Out

“And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span [0ver 9 feet tall]. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail.

“Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.“

1 Samuel 17, ESV

Men are going to die unless something happens. But then up steps David, he is untried in battle, but within him is an eager commitment to a faith in Jehovah.  Fear has consumed the hearts and minds of the Jews, which are now full of ‘scary Goliath fears’ and confusion. 

These guys are pretty much scared.  The Scripture says “they were terrified and deeply shaken.” This is an irrational fear. It’s not from God.

David steps out and into the confusion.  He is just a shepherd boy, but he’s resistant to the fear that attacks his brothers.  He identifies the giant before him as evil, and that giant stands in the way of the Father’s will.  David advances without fear.

The space once occupied by fear has been filled up by faith.

This story, is much more than a story.  It may entertain schoolchildren, but it is so much more for us as believers.  Most definitely you will be called upon to face a Goliath of your own.  He’s waiting for you, and you must step forward in faith.

So much points to Goliath’s superiority. 

He is a man-of-war; dedicated, well trained in the ways of death.  Goliath is confident that he will destroy you.  But David steps out.  He is trusting in God alone.  He steps forward with no armor but God.

David is about to kill Goliath, with just a stone from his sling. 

He swings, throws and embeds a rock into the giants forehead– right between his eyes!  The giant collapses, and David moves forward,  and he cuts off the giant’s head. 

Each of us face an enormous evil. 

We’re facing something that is monstrous and destructive.  We cannot reason with it.  We can only face it with the weapons the Father provides for us.  When we advance to that source, we must do so with a faith that is real and undefeated.

Some reading this are pounded with failure.  I understand. But you’re called to take out your personal darkness.

At times, we think that we can negotiate our way to victory.  We hope to rationalize our enemy away by thinking positively about him.  We think we can move against him by being clever.  That does not work.

“By the strength of God’s grace, you trusted the Almighty and conquered your Goliath. The first giant is dead. Satan is masquerading as your former enemy so he can slip past your faith and regain entrance into your life. Resist him.”

     Francis Frangipane

   

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When Life is Dark and Heaven Seems Quiet

God’s people have always had to wrestle with the things from the dark.  As believers, the Bible tells us that we’re in a permanent state of war against Satan. There has never been an armistice or treaty signed to my knowledge.  Each one of us is on the front lines.  The devil has been practicing with a deadly form of “spiritual terrorism.”

  • The Holy Spirit allows us to experience a small portion of the battle to strengthen our faith and dependence on Him.
  • Satan’s lies are hollow. Jesus has completely defeated him. Yet the enemy terrorizes many with his posturing and manipulation.
  • The promises found in the Word are our weapon against the devil’s lies.

Unquestionably, life can get quite dark and desperately bleak. No one needs to educate us about the dark nightmare that is now active. Over a couple of millennia, God’s covenant people have been harmed and harassed.  Enemies are constantly manipulating and twisting God’s Word. As disciples, we’re under steady surveillance by the dragon.

Sometimes heaven is silent. But I believe it is never, ever disinterested or unaware.

And He certainly has not overlooked us.  As we read our Bible, our faith becomes like strong Teflon.  Nothing can stick–even though so much is thrown at us.  When life is really dark or terribly bleak, we can protect ourselves and others. There will be times when we can sense nothing.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Hebrews 12:1

We’re not theologians, we are just simple disciples. The Lord knows this.  I believe He simplifies things in order to help us understand. God has little reason to complicate things for us.

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;“

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

There is genealogy of the Spirit. If you’re a believer you have a spiritual lineage that includes Joseph and David and Esther. There is a real connection with the faithful. Your spiritual ancestry is now godly and victorious.

I believe that I’m “surrounded” by saints of all ages. And I must admit, that helps me.  I am part of a continuum. My faith in Jesus has given me a definite link to all the saints that have gone before me. I’m part of God’s chain of faithful believers. (Hebrews 11:4-38.)

But now the torch has now been passed, and now I must run with it faithfully and honestly.  And when all is so dark, and things seem far too quiet, I still intend to hold up that torch and carry it all the way to my Father’s house.

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.“

Hebrews 7:25

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Prayer Changes My Heart

“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time – waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God – it changes me.”

CS Lewis

One of my blogging friends, Theresa Moore, posted this quote on Facebook the other day and it really stuck with me. C.S. Lewis was such a brilliant man and has such a wonderful way of explaining faith and related matters.

I especially can relate to the last part of the quote: “It doesn’t change God – it changes me.” That is so true. God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But by spending time with Him in prayer I am changed to be more like Him each day. As I pray for the ability to see me as He sees me – both as I am and as He desires me to be – I grow in faith and understanding. I cannot help but be changed by this process.

I have found another thing about prayer.

Jesus said that we should pray for our enemies and for those who persecute us. When we do this, our tendency is to pray that God would change them. But prayer seldom changes the difficult people in our lives (though on occasion it can).

What prayer for our enemies does is change our attitude towards them. When I earnestly pray for the difficult people in my life, God helps me to see them from His perspective and to understand a little better why they might be the way they are and the root of their difficult behavior.

Prayer doesn’t change my enemies.

It changes me. It helps me gain the wisdom and compassion necessary to love them as God has called me to do. And when I love them, perhaps I might help them to change, too.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”
    says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 12:19-21, NLT

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