God is VICTORIOUS-- God always wins. He has always won in the past, He always wins, and He always will win.
Sometimes we Christians get to feeling as though we are in a war and we are not doing so well. Sometimes the evil of this world gets us down. My son works in retail, and every day he sees people lying, cheating and stealing to try to get things that they do not deserve. Due to the policies of his store, these con artists are usually successful. On other fronts, marriages fall apart, drunk people hit parked cars and leave the scene, and when you read the news, the number of little children who have been murdered recently is alarming. It doesn't always seem as though God is winning.
But He is.
The day Jesus was crucified was the worst day any of His followers had ever experienced. Their miracle working leader was arrested, beaten and then nailed to a cross. They must have been very doubtful of the victory of God. Indeed, their actions showed their doubt... most of them ran away and hid. But on that very dark and dreadful day, God was not losing. He was implementing the plan He had designed from before the foundations of the earth. He was taking our sins on His own sinless shoulders, all our sins, past, present and future. He was doing this so that He could claim His right of ownership over us and "buy us back" from the devil. That is what redemption is, and that is what He has accomplished, successfully... victoriously. Satan no longer has any power over those who put their faith in the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 15:54-57
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 16:33
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
1 John 5:4-5
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Psalm 60:12
With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 20:6
Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.
Next up, W.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Attributes of God--U
God is UNFATHOMABLE-- A fathom is a unit of measure, and to be unfathomable is to be beyond measure, immeasurable. Here we are, considering the alphabetical attributes of God, and this attribute itself says that God is immeasurable and incomprehensible. He is beyond the scope of our imaginations, beyond what we can possibly hope to wrap our minds around. No matter how many of His attributes we study, there will always be deeper truths to plumb and more attributes to discover. This is one of the reasons why we are not going to be bored in heaven.
Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Ephesians 3:8
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.
Job 36:26
How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.
Job 37:5
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Next up, V.
Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Ephesians 3:8
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.
Job 36:26
How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.
Job 37:5
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Next up, V.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Attributes of God--T
God is trustworthy and triumphant, but we dealt with His trustworthiness when we discussed His faithfulness, and we will deal with His triumph when we talk about how He is victorious (a few letters down the line...)
Today, we will talk about the truth of God.
Not many people understand about truth anymore. The powers of evil have very successfully challenged the idea that there could, in fact, exist something objective called "truth." They say that each one of us has the right and ability to design our own idea of what is true, and when something is "true for me" it is irrelevant whether it is true for you or not.
You can insist that a foot is 11 inches instead of 12. I can say, "That's OK. That can be true for you. If you want your foot measure to be 11 inches instead of 12, who am I to argue?" But if this is what you believe, I don't expect that the house you build will come out right. And I would never hire you to build a house for me, or even a bookshelf. Just saying.
If your house burns down, no matter how "truly" your friends decide to believe that it didn't happen, you still have no house.
There is objective truth, whether people want to admit it or not.
There is also one true God. All religions are not equal, and this is because there is one living God who exists, who created the heavens and the earth, who hears and answers prayer, who is sovereign. And there are a whole lot of other "gods" who exist mainly in the minds of the humans who imagine them, who did not create the heavens and the earth, and who are unable to hear or answer prayers. There is one God who will judge the world at the end of time, and there are a bunch of false gods who, if they exist at all, will be judged by Him and sent to the pit of destruction.
You can say that this is not true. To do so reminds me of something one of my kids used to do when she was in trouble when she was very small. I would come to confront her about her misbehavior, and she would close her eyes and squeeze them really tightly. She was trying to wish me away, thinking that she could make me disappear if she did not see me. This is what people are like when they refuse to accept the truth that God exists. It's rather pitiful, really.
You can insist to yourself that there is no heaven and no hell. You can tell this to yourself 100,000 times. You can decide that maybe there is a heaven, but surely there isn't a hell, and if there is a loving God, "obviously" he would never send anyone to hell. You can take a vote, and 99 out of 100 people can vote that there is no God, no absolute right and wrong, and no eternal destiny. However, at the end of time, it doesn't matter how many times you repeated something to yourself or how a vote went. It matters whether God does, in truth, exist, and this truth is not up to us to decide. It is outside of us, yet it affects us, and whether we like it or not, it's the way it is.
You can disagree with me. The problem is, if I am right and you are wrong, it will not go well for you, sort of the way if your house burns down, you no longer have a house regardless of what you decide to believe about the matter.
God is TRUE
Psalm 33:4
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 7:28-29
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 17:3
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Next up, U.
Today, we will talk about the truth of God.
Not many people understand about truth anymore. The powers of evil have very successfully challenged the idea that there could, in fact, exist something objective called "truth." They say that each one of us has the right and ability to design our own idea of what is true, and when something is "true for me" it is irrelevant whether it is true for you or not.
You can insist that a foot is 11 inches instead of 12. I can say, "That's OK. That can be true for you. If you want your foot measure to be 11 inches instead of 12, who am I to argue?" But if this is what you believe, I don't expect that the house you build will come out right. And I would never hire you to build a house for me, or even a bookshelf. Just saying.
If your house burns down, no matter how "truly" your friends decide to believe that it didn't happen, you still have no house.
There is objective truth, whether people want to admit it or not.
There is also one true God. All religions are not equal, and this is because there is one living God who exists, who created the heavens and the earth, who hears and answers prayer, who is sovereign. And there are a whole lot of other "gods" who exist mainly in the minds of the humans who imagine them, who did not create the heavens and the earth, and who are unable to hear or answer prayers. There is one God who will judge the world at the end of time, and there are a bunch of false gods who, if they exist at all, will be judged by Him and sent to the pit of destruction.
You can say that this is not true. To do so reminds me of something one of my kids used to do when she was in trouble when she was very small. I would come to confront her about her misbehavior, and she would close her eyes and squeeze them really tightly. She was trying to wish me away, thinking that she could make me disappear if she did not see me. This is what people are like when they refuse to accept the truth that God exists. It's rather pitiful, really.
You can insist to yourself that there is no heaven and no hell. You can tell this to yourself 100,000 times. You can decide that maybe there is a heaven, but surely there isn't a hell, and if there is a loving God, "obviously" he would never send anyone to hell. You can take a vote, and 99 out of 100 people can vote that there is no God, no absolute right and wrong, and no eternal destiny. However, at the end of time, it doesn't matter how many times you repeated something to yourself or how a vote went. It matters whether God does, in truth, exist, and this truth is not up to us to decide. It is outside of us, yet it affects us, and whether we like it or not, it's the way it is.
You can disagree with me. The problem is, if I am right and you are wrong, it will not go well for you, sort of the way if your house burns down, you no longer have a house regardless of what you decide to believe about the matter.
God is TRUE
Psalm 33:4
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 7:28-29
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 17:3
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Next up, U.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Attributes of God--S
Well, in the last two months we have been forced to invest nearly $2000 into a van that is not worth more that $1300.
We also have to move Shannon into her "permanent" apartment (as opposed to her "summer sub-let" apartment). All information stated that her new lease would begin on August 1. I made a reservation at a hotel for the evening of July 31. You get a slightly cheaper rate if you do a pre-pay deal, so I talked to Shawn, and we thought it through, and he said, "Well, we have to go, and that is the date her lease begins, so we might as well go for it." We got the pre-paid rate which is, and I quote: "non-refundable, non-cancelable and non-changeable."
Shannon's landlady rented the apartment to a new tenant who plans to move in on July 31.
Shannon was able to get in contact with the office that handles her new unit. The good news: she can get the key on Friday the 29th. The bad news: we can't change our hotel reservation. We will just have to hope that we can get the hotel room for the previous night as well, and we will simply have to pay for both nights whether we stay both nights or not. Oh well, it's only money. Right?
My family practice doctor did blood tests on me and sent me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist did further blood tests on me and sent me to an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist told me, "Just because you have symptoms, and just because you have the antibody in your blood that attacks your thyroid, it doesn't mean your thyroid is failing. You can't just blame your symptoms on your thyroid." With that, she sent me away without scheduling any follow up appointments. So I continue to ache. I've had a lingering headache for as long as I can remember. I am tired all the time. My eyes burn and sting and water spontaneously at completely unpredictable times. My hair is falling out. And I have a pile of medical bills to pay, but no answers. I am looking at that endocrinologist's bill right now, and I do not want to pay it.
It is at times like this that I need to be reminded of the sovereignty of God.
God is SOVEREIGN--The simplest way to explain this, and the way I explain it when I teach children, is that God is the Boss. He is in charge of everything, in control of everything, and perfectly able to handle everything.
He knows my hairs are falling out (Luke 12:7). Although I don't enjoy going bald, it is a comfort to know that God knows about it; He planned it for a purpose, in fact.
He knows how much money we just spent on our van. The other night, before the last bill, I leaned up on my elbow in bed and told Shawn, "I am praying that God will heal our van overnight, that the mechanics will arrive at the shop in the morning, and it will just work, and they will call us and we will only have to pay for the repairs they already finished today." Then I sank back onto my pillows and sighed, "But God doesn't usually like my ideas." Indeed, I was right on that last count. The formerly $500 bill increased to $830 before the next day was over.
God knows all about Shannon's move and our involvement in it and how it will go. He already knows everything that is going to happen that weekend, and He doesn't just know, He has orchestrated the details to accomplish His purposes.
This is what it means when we say that God is sovereign, and it is quite a comfort to ponder His sovereignty when things do not seem to be flowing smoothly. I pray that someday I will have ideas that God will like, ideas inspired by Him and not by my selfish fleshly nature. He is sovereign, and those who love Him and follow Him do not change Him. He changes us. And it is for our good and His glory.
Psalm 71:5
For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
Psalm 71:16
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Psalm 141:8
But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 40:10
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
Isaiah 50:7
Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
Ezekiel 14:11
Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Daniel 4:17
The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.
Acts 4:24
When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them..."
Next up, T.
We also have to move Shannon into her "permanent" apartment (as opposed to her "summer sub-let" apartment). All information stated that her new lease would begin on August 1. I made a reservation at a hotel for the evening of July 31. You get a slightly cheaper rate if you do a pre-pay deal, so I talked to Shawn, and we thought it through, and he said, "Well, we have to go, and that is the date her lease begins, so we might as well go for it." We got the pre-paid rate which is, and I quote: "non-refundable, non-cancelable and non-changeable."
Shannon's landlady rented the apartment to a new tenant who plans to move in on July 31.
Shannon was able to get in contact with the office that handles her new unit. The good news: she can get the key on Friday the 29th. The bad news: we can't change our hotel reservation. We will just have to hope that we can get the hotel room for the previous night as well, and we will simply have to pay for both nights whether we stay both nights or not. Oh well, it's only money. Right?
My family practice doctor did blood tests on me and sent me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist did further blood tests on me and sent me to an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist told me, "Just because you have symptoms, and just because you have the antibody in your blood that attacks your thyroid, it doesn't mean your thyroid is failing. You can't just blame your symptoms on your thyroid." With that, she sent me away without scheduling any follow up appointments. So I continue to ache. I've had a lingering headache for as long as I can remember. I am tired all the time. My eyes burn and sting and water spontaneously at completely unpredictable times. My hair is falling out. And I have a pile of medical bills to pay, but no answers. I am looking at that endocrinologist's bill right now, and I do not want to pay it.
It is at times like this that I need to be reminded of the sovereignty of God.
God is SOVEREIGN--The simplest way to explain this, and the way I explain it when I teach children, is that God is the Boss. He is in charge of everything, in control of everything, and perfectly able to handle everything.
He knows my hairs are falling out (Luke 12:7). Although I don't enjoy going bald, it is a comfort to know that God knows about it; He planned it for a purpose, in fact.
He knows how much money we just spent on our van. The other night, before the last bill, I leaned up on my elbow in bed and told Shawn, "I am praying that God will heal our van overnight, that the mechanics will arrive at the shop in the morning, and it will just work, and they will call us and we will only have to pay for the repairs they already finished today." Then I sank back onto my pillows and sighed, "But God doesn't usually like my ideas." Indeed, I was right on that last count. The formerly $500 bill increased to $830 before the next day was over.
God knows all about Shannon's move and our involvement in it and how it will go. He already knows everything that is going to happen that weekend, and He doesn't just know, He has orchestrated the details to accomplish His purposes.
This is what it means when we say that God is sovereign, and it is quite a comfort to ponder His sovereignty when things do not seem to be flowing smoothly. I pray that someday I will have ideas that God will like, ideas inspired by Him and not by my selfish fleshly nature. He is sovereign, and those who love Him and follow Him do not change Him. He changes us. And it is for our good and His glory.
Psalm 71:5
For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
Psalm 71:16
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Psalm 141:8
But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 40:10
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
Isaiah 50:7
Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
Ezekiel 14:11
Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Daniel 4:17
The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.
Acts 4:24
When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them..."
Next up, T.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Attributes of God--R
R has always been my favorite letter.
88 is my favorite number. There is something about it that's round and square at the same time, a chubby symmetry that I just find pleasing. As a small child, I remember lying on my back in the bathtub, staring up at the bottom of a hanging plant that my mom had dangled from the ceiling over the tub. It was only a tub, not a tub-shower. I would lie there staring at the bottom of that jute basket, also visually aware of the white tile, the white organza curtain covering a window that looked out over a row of pine trees, and the small orange flowers on the wallpaper. Lying on my back, I would swish my hair around my head and say, "Eighty-eight, eighty-eight, eighty-eight," over and over until the water got cooler than lukewarm, and then I would add more hot from the faucet, over and over until I got yelled at to finish up and get out of there. I guess I was always a little weird.
But it is sensible that I should like the letter R, as my name was Ruthie Rebecca Rainbow. I liked the way it sounded and I liked the way it looked. When I saw other children spell their names, I felt sorry for them if theirs did not begin with an R.
But this should not be about me. It should be about God. An attribute of God that starts with the letter R is Righteous.
God is RIGHTEOUS--This means that God is right in all He does. He never makes a mistake. He never does anything wrong. And of course, He never sins. Righteousness usually means that someone is right in the moral sense, rather than, say, getting all the answers correct on a math exam. God certainly would always get all the answers correct on any exam. But much more importantly than that, when He considers the hearts of men, God always comes to the right conclusion about what should be done with them. God is righteous.
Psalm 7:11
God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.
(OK, that's a scary one, but it goes to show that He is right when He shows mercy, and He is also right when he pours out His wrath.)
Psalm 7:17
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 9:4
For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
Psalm 9:8
He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
Psalm 11:7
For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
Psalm 36:6
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
Psalm 145:17
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 56:1
This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
If you do a word study on passages in the New Testament that address God's righteousness, you will find that the miracle is how, through the sacrifice of Christ, God imputed His righteousness to us. We are credited with the righteousness of God, because of Jesus. This is an overwhelming thought and a subject for a different day.
[addendum: RESCUER--Colossians 1:13-14, Galatians 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:18. REDEEMER--so many references, how about Isaiah 44:6?)
Next up, S.
88 is my favorite number. There is something about it that's round and square at the same time, a chubby symmetry that I just find pleasing. As a small child, I remember lying on my back in the bathtub, staring up at the bottom of a hanging plant that my mom had dangled from the ceiling over the tub. It was only a tub, not a tub-shower. I would lie there staring at the bottom of that jute basket, also visually aware of the white tile, the white organza curtain covering a window that looked out over a row of pine trees, and the small orange flowers on the wallpaper. Lying on my back, I would swish my hair around my head and say, "Eighty-eight, eighty-eight, eighty-eight," over and over until the water got cooler than lukewarm, and then I would add more hot from the faucet, over and over until I got yelled at to finish up and get out of there. I guess I was always a little weird.
But it is sensible that I should like the letter R, as my name was Ruthie Rebecca Rainbow. I liked the way it sounded and I liked the way it looked. When I saw other children spell their names, I felt sorry for them if theirs did not begin with an R.
But this should not be about me. It should be about God. An attribute of God that starts with the letter R is Righteous.
God is RIGHTEOUS--This means that God is right in all He does. He never makes a mistake. He never does anything wrong. And of course, He never sins. Righteousness usually means that someone is right in the moral sense, rather than, say, getting all the answers correct on a math exam. God certainly would always get all the answers correct on any exam. But much more importantly than that, when He considers the hearts of men, God always comes to the right conclusion about what should be done with them. God is righteous.
Psalm 7:11
God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.
(OK, that's a scary one, but it goes to show that He is right when He shows mercy, and He is also right when he pours out His wrath.)
Psalm 7:17
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 9:4
For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
Psalm 9:8
He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
Psalm 11:7
For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
Psalm 36:6
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
Psalm 145:17
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 56:1
This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
If you do a word study on passages in the New Testament that address God's righteousness, you will find that the miracle is how, through the sacrifice of Christ, God imputed His righteousness to us. We are credited with the righteousness of God, because of Jesus. This is an overwhelming thought and a subject for a different day.
[addendum: RESCUER--Colossians 1:13-14, Galatians 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:18. REDEEMER--so many references, how about Isaiah 44:6?)
Next up, S.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Attributes of God--Q
I have been having some trouble with this one, and would certainly appreciate help and input from others.
Two things that I came up with:
God is quiet, and God is quick. The problem is, God is not always quiet. Sometimes He thunders with a mighty voice (Psalm 68:33). And God is not always quick; I think we all know that! 1 Peter 3:7-9 explains that although God may seem slow, He is really just being patient with us, giving sinners more time to repent. That doesn't sound very quick to me.
So these are not really attributes of God. Quickness and quietness are just ways that God is sometimes, not all the time.
My favorite story about the quietness of God is in 1 Kings 19, where Elijah went out on the mountain to meet God, and God was not in the great and mighty wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but after all that ruckus, God came and spoke to Elijah in a soft whisper, in a still, small voice.
also... Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
Concerning God's quickness... mostly it appears that we ask God to be quick.
Psalm 22:19
But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Psalm 69:17
Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Psalm 70:5
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.
So I don't think that really counts. God can do anything, and in His mercy He often does respond to us quickly. But I don't think this could really be considered one of His attributes.
What do you think?
Next up, R.
Two things that I came up with:
God is quiet, and God is quick. The problem is, God is not always quiet. Sometimes He thunders with a mighty voice (Psalm 68:33). And God is not always quick; I think we all know that! 1 Peter 3:7-9 explains that although God may seem slow, He is really just being patient with us, giving sinners more time to repent. That doesn't sound very quick to me.
So these are not really attributes of God. Quickness and quietness are just ways that God is sometimes, not all the time.
My favorite story about the quietness of God is in 1 Kings 19, where Elijah went out on the mountain to meet God, and God was not in the great and mighty wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but after all that ruckus, God came and spoke to Elijah in a soft whisper, in a still, small voice.
also... Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
Concerning God's quickness... mostly it appears that we ask God to be quick.
Psalm 22:19
But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Psalm 69:17
Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Psalm 70:5
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.
So I don't think that really counts. God can do anything, and in His mercy He often does respond to us quickly. But I don't think this could really be considered one of His attributes.
What do you think?
Next up, R.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Attributes of God--P
I'm at one of those points.
I feel tired, sad, lazy and discouraged. And overwhelmed. I do not feel angry, and that is something to be thankful for. I've been trying to not be angry with myself. It feels sinful and indulgent not to, but I am starting to believe that those self-punishing feelings are from the pit.
Last week I was having trouble driving. I kept going the wrong way, making bad decisions about which route to take, or forgetting which route I was taking and getting into the wrong lane and having to go miles out of my way. This was very frustrating, and I found myself tensing up and mentally berating myself. Fortunately, I was alone. Laura has been telling me, "No negative self-talk." So I tried to fight my impulse, and I found myself in very odd conversations with myself. For example...
Me: That was really stupid. Now you are going to have to drive miles out of your way, and you will waste a ton of time and gas. You are so dumb!
Myself: It's OK. It isn't that big a deal. It isn't a life. So you're a little late and you use a little more gas. Just let it go.
I: Can you do that? Just let it go? You are wasting gas, and gas is expensive.
Me: Of course you can't let it go. If you forgive yourself for this, you will just keep making stupid, mindless decisions and you will bankrupt the family paying for the gas to cover your mistakes. Also you are never going to get anything done if you keep driving all over creation with no logical route in mind.
Myself: Come on now. You have to forgive yourself. And besides, what good does it do to punish yourself? You're already sorry. You don't have to heap extra punishments on and make yourself miserable. It won't even help anything or make anything better if you do. Just let it go. It isn't that big of a deal.
I: Can you do that?
Myself: Trust me. Beating yourself up is not going to save any gas.
So uneasily, I allowed the muscles in my jaw and upper body to relax a little, and I tried to think about something else, the future and not the immediate past, and I drove home feeling as though I had skipped out of working in a hot field to read a book in a shady hiding place.
Today I must admit, given my struggles and shortcomings and guilt, I am not really looking forward to pondering the perfection of God. Because Perfection is an attribute of God that begins with a "p" and it is one that I really struggle with and fail at in my own life.
God is PERFECT--excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement (and I lifted that definition directly off dictionary.com). I think I am glad that God is perfect. Some days I know I am. I long for perfection, and I consistently fall short. I should rest in the fact that God is perfect and one day He will share that perfection with me, and suddenly it will be effortless in me all because of Him. Well, it is undeniably a good thing and a relief that SOMEBODY is perfect, and obviously God is the one who should be, so it is only another sign of my miserable imperfection that I should balk at the idea at all.
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
2 Samuel 22:31
“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him."
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(this one is a little hard for me today, but another day I will embrace it; I just need more of His power, which leads me to the next "p" attribute...)
God is POWERFUL--He has the strength and ability to anything. Amazingly, through the Holy Spirit, He indwells us and gives us opportunity to access that perfect power. I am not very good at this yet.
Exodus 15:6
Your right hand, LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, LORD, shattered the enemy.
Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...
God is PATIENT -- not quick to become angry or execute justice on the wicked
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Psalm 86:15 (ESV)
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 103:8 (ESV)
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Next up, Q.
I feel tired, sad, lazy and discouraged. And overwhelmed. I do not feel angry, and that is something to be thankful for. I've been trying to not be angry with myself. It feels sinful and indulgent not to, but I am starting to believe that those self-punishing feelings are from the pit.
Last week I was having trouble driving. I kept going the wrong way, making bad decisions about which route to take, or forgetting which route I was taking and getting into the wrong lane and having to go miles out of my way. This was very frustrating, and I found myself tensing up and mentally berating myself. Fortunately, I was alone. Laura has been telling me, "No negative self-talk." So I tried to fight my impulse, and I found myself in very odd conversations with myself. For example...
Me: That was really stupid. Now you are going to have to drive miles out of your way, and you will waste a ton of time and gas. You are so dumb!
Myself: It's OK. It isn't that big a deal. It isn't a life. So you're a little late and you use a little more gas. Just let it go.
I: Can you do that? Just let it go? You are wasting gas, and gas is expensive.
Me: Of course you can't let it go. If you forgive yourself for this, you will just keep making stupid, mindless decisions and you will bankrupt the family paying for the gas to cover your mistakes. Also you are never going to get anything done if you keep driving all over creation with no logical route in mind.
Myself: Come on now. You have to forgive yourself. And besides, what good does it do to punish yourself? You're already sorry. You don't have to heap extra punishments on and make yourself miserable. It won't even help anything or make anything better if you do. Just let it go. It isn't that big of a deal.
I: Can you do that?
Myself: Trust me. Beating yourself up is not going to save any gas.
So uneasily, I allowed the muscles in my jaw and upper body to relax a little, and I tried to think about something else, the future and not the immediate past, and I drove home feeling as though I had skipped out of working in a hot field to read a book in a shady hiding place.
Today I must admit, given my struggles and shortcomings and guilt, I am not really looking forward to pondering the perfection of God. Because Perfection is an attribute of God that begins with a "p" and it is one that I really struggle with and fail at in my own life.
God is PERFECT--excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement (and I lifted that definition directly off dictionary.com). I think I am glad that God is perfect. Some days I know I am. I long for perfection, and I consistently fall short. I should rest in the fact that God is perfect and one day He will share that perfection with me, and suddenly it will be effortless in me all because of Him. Well, it is undeniably a good thing and a relief that SOMEBODY is perfect, and obviously God is the one who should be, so it is only another sign of my miserable imperfection that I should balk at the idea at all.
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
2 Samuel 22:31
“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him."
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(this one is a little hard for me today, but another day I will embrace it; I just need more of His power, which leads me to the next "p" attribute...)
God is POWERFUL--He has the strength and ability to anything. Amazingly, through the Holy Spirit, He indwells us and gives us opportunity to access that perfect power. I am not very good at this yet.
Exodus 15:6
Your right hand, LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, LORD, shattered the enemy.
Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...
God is PATIENT -- not quick to become angry or execute justice on the wicked
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Psalm 86:15 (ESV)
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 103:8 (ESV)
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Next up, Q.
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