What is God like? Part 3

Jesus loves all the children of the world

You can discover what God is like by looking at what he did in Creation, by pondering the name he revealed to Moses and by examining Jesus’ reaction to people.

Jesus was moved to compassion when He saw people in pain.

He cared about the sick. (Matthew 14:14)  He was moved to help the blind. (Matthew  20:34)  His heart went out to those who had almost given up all hope.  (Mark 9:14-29)

Jesus was moved to compassion when He saw people in sorrow.

Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.  As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the town was with her.  When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”  Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.  He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”  The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. (Luke 7:11-17).

Jesus was moved to compassion when He saw people living in loneliness.

The loneliest people of Jesus’ day were men and women with skin diseases like leprosy.  They were shut out of their homes and communities.  No one would come close to them.

One leper approached Jesus and said, “You can heal me if you are willing.”  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man with leprosy. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured (Mark 1:40-45).

Jesus was moved to compassion when He saw people suffering from hunger.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” (Matthew 15:32).

Jesus was moved to compassion when He saw people stumbling around in spiritual disorientation.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:36-38).

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

What is God like? Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote, “We learn about God from what he does. So let’s begin by looking at his work in creation.”  Today, let’s find out about God by the thinking about his name — specifically the name he gave to Moses at the burning bush.

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God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13)

God’s name is “I AM.”

He is the existing God.  At the core of all that exists is this simple fact – God is.  And that is the step of faith He asks of all persons.  He will not appear like a stack of money on a table for us to see.  He will not shout with a thundering voice from heaven.  The Bible doesn’t waste space trying to prove God’s existence.  It simply opens with four simple words: “In the beginning God….”

But God’s name goes past the fact that a Supreme Being exists out there somewhere.  “I AM” declares that he is the source of all that exists.  He is not just one of millions of things that are real.  God is the Creator and the Maintainer of everything that exists.

“I AM” means God is more than an important part of our lives.  He is what makes our lives possible.  All reality is dependent on Him.  We are because God is!

God’s name is “I AM WHO I AM.”

He is the God of ultimate power and authority.  The God in the bush doesn’t play games.  He declares that He is sovereign.  He has the power and the freedom to be whomever He chooses to be.  We do not have any power or control over Him.

“I AM WHO I AM” declares that God is above all power and authority.  He is the Ultimate Ruler of nature, history and the church.

God’s name is “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” (Exodus 3:14 footnote)

Hebrew doesn’t make a big distinction between the present and the future tenses of its verbs.  God’s name can also mean “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.”

If “I AM WHO I AM” reveals God’s independence and power, the “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE” exposes His freedom.  God is capable of adjusting and accommodating Himself to whatever His people may encounter as long as it is consistent with His holy love.  God reserves the right to be flexible and free while being faithful to his holy character.

God is not locked into some grid that can never change.  He is not a frozen deity who can’t do anything else.  And in no place in all the history of the universe is this freedom to be Who He chooses to be more apparent than about 2000 years ago when God the Son decided to become Jesus the carpenter and Messiah.  The Great I AM has the freedom to do whatever needs to be done to accomplish His loving plan on our behalf.

You may find one of the following posts interesting too.

• Fear Not?
• Why won’t God do what I ask?
• What gives God joy?
• The Question at Bedtime

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

What is God like?

“The Bible does not enter into an argument to prove the being and person of God.  It assumes His being and reveals His person and character.  Without preface or introduction, the Bible brings God before us in all of His majesty and omnipotence.  God was at the world’s beginning, and He created the beginning of all things. … God is revealed not by argument but by work.  We learn what He is from what He does.”

Citation: E. M. Bounds, Guide to Spiritual Warfare, Whitaker House, p. 11

We learn about God from what he does. So let’s begin by looking at his work in creation.  (See Genesis 1-2)
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1.   God the Creator is one and only one.

God the creator is the solo artist in the birth of the heavens and the earth.  No council of gods and goddesses can collaborate with Him when the Creator brings the universe into existence.  No other force or person can play a part in conception and construction.  The Creator does not upgrade some out dated substance to make everything we see and do not see.  He does not take a part of Himself to mold the cosmos.  There was nothing beside God before the beginning.  Nothing else existed with God before He started creating.  Now there is God the Creator and the heavens and the earth.

2.   God the Creator is eternal.

Since nothing else existed with God before He started creating, the Creator is distinct from his creation.  God is outside of His creation, just as a painter is outside of his painting or as a potter is outside of her pottery.  The Creator is different from his creation.  He existed without it before the beginning and He will go on existing when it collapses on itself.  He is timeless because He is outside the space-time continuum that forms His creation.  He is completely holy and spiritual.  The Creator is not some exalted man or superhero with a body.  He is transcendent and glorious.  He is unapproachable and unknowable with our senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.  He is above, beyond and outside the dimensions that hem us in on all sides.

3.   God the Creator is completely caught up in the work of creating.

The Creator is powerfully present and intimately involved in every aspect of creation.  From start to finish, God is the exclusive maker.  He does not appoint angels to do the work of making His cosmos.  The Creator does not hire subcontractors or apprentices hoping they will do the dirty work for Him.  He blends, shapes, forms and names every detail.  From the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxies, the Creator attends to all the ingredients.  No one hindered or helped Him in his creative work.

4.   God the Creator is powerful and in control.

All the forces and laws of nature are reflections of His compassionate power.  His whisper summons everything out of nothing.  God’s gentle voice set off an explosion of light and energy that echoes through the vast expanse of space to this day.  His words condense that white-hot energy into atoms and molecules.  God forms the matter into stars ignited by His sovereign will.  Every planet and every plant is in its assigned position.  God’s command causes continents and islands to rise from the sea.  His simple statement compels all the stars and all the sea creatures to fill their precise purposes.  When the Creator says, “Let there be…” then it takes place just the way He intends for it to happen.  His words turned inanimate unconscious stuff into living breathing animals.  The Creator’s deliberate decision to design human beings to manage and to maintain creation in His place inspires us to worship Him.

5.   God the Creator is intelligent, wise & decisive.

He has the artist’s eye for form, balance and color.  Look at the beauty all around us.  He has the engineer’s feel for function, design and detail.  Take the time to observe the similarities and the differences in every form of life.  The Creator has the composer’s ear for music and song.  Listen to the birds, the insects, and the breeze in the trees.  He must have the comedian’s sense of humor, too.  God must smile at the thought of a duckbilled platypus or the sight of dolphins dancing across the ocean waves.

6.   God the Creator is personal and loving.

Only a person can speak and issue commands.  Only a person can decide what it wants and judge the results of its actions.  Only a person can create other persons.  Only a loving person can create other persons to love and give live in return.  God is a loving person who creates humans to be loving persons in His image.

You may find one of the following posts interesting too.

• Origins
• Ask an Evolutionary Creationist
• God is Protective

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Pray for Your Pastor

The following article challenged me.

E M Bounds

E. M. Bounds originally wrote it in the late 1800’s, so I’ve paraphrased it for our time.  E. M. Bounds (1835–1913) became a lawyer at age 21.  After practicing law for three years, he began preaching in the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Bounds served as pastor of churches in Tennessee, Alabama, and Missouri after the Civil War.

One way or another, the practice of praying for the preacher has fallen off.  Some people think praying for the pastor might hurt his or her feelings.  Praying for the preacher will offend pride and self-sufficiency, but these attitudes must be offended and rebuked if the pastor is caught up in them.

Preachers need prayer just as surely as we all need air to breathe.  The preacher needs to pray.  The preacher needs others to pray for him.  It will take all the praying he can do, and all the praying he can get done, to meet the fearful responsibilities and gain the largest, truest success in the church’s work.  True preachers long for the prayers of God’s people.

Gifts, talents, education, persuasiveness, and God’s call cannot diminish the demand for prayer.  These things only intensify the need for the preacher to pray and to be prayed for.  The more the preacher’s eyes are opened to the nature, responsibility, and difficulties in his work, the more he will see.  He will not only feel the increasing demand to pray himself, but to call on others to help him by their prayers.

How can someone who does not get a fresh message from God in prayer expect to preach?  How can anyone preach without having fresh sense of God’s power, grace, love and holiness?  The preacher who is untouched by God’s holy flame is a sad thing.  This preacher cannot deliver divine truth with power.  As far as the real health of Christianity is concerned, a preacher without prayer will always be barren and fruitless.

A preacher may preach in an official, entertaining, or learned way without prayer.  However, there is a vast distance between this kind of preaching and proclaiming God’s truth with holy hands and prayerful, weeping hearts.

Will you pray for your pastor? One of these articles may help you if you choose to pray.

• How to pray for your pastor
• How to pray for your pastor 2
• How to pray for your pastor via @PaulChappell
• How to Pray For Your Pastor on a Saturday

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Why do I feel so bad?

I’ve felt sad and depressed for months. Why does God let me feel so bad? Why won’t he make me better?

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You may need professional or medical treatment.

You may need professional counseling, especially if you have thoughts of harming yourself or others.  If you have suicidal thoughts ask your best friend or spouse to accompany you to your doctor.

If you’ve felt depressed for a long time you should discuss your feelings with your doctor.  Depression often has physical causes that can be treated with medicines.  This would be a good time to ask your physician for a thorough examination.

If your doctor says you’re okay these may help.

In general, your feelings are responses to specific thoughts or situations in your life.  Grief is an obvious example.  When you lose a loved one because of death you can expect to feel bad for a while.  However, some good changes in your life can cause you distress.  For example, graduating from college and moving to a new city to start your career.  Not only will you feel excited with this challenge, you may feel a sense of loss for your classmates and family you won’t see as often.  You might even feel some guilt for grieving these losses and then you’ll feel even worse.

Determine what thoughts dominate your mind.  What are you thinking about?  What are you pushing to the back of your mind trying not to think about?  These thoughts can be causing your sad feelings.  Try writing them down in a journal.  Sometimes simply putting your painful thoughts on paper takes the sting out of them.  Sometimes you may need to talk them out with a  friend or your pastor.

Decide to change your focus.  Take a break from thinking about the stresses in your life.  Start to focus on the blessings and opportunities you have.  Answer your negative thoughts like, “This will never end” with a positive thoughts such as, “But God can help me learn perseverance.”

You may be interested in these posts as well:

1. Why didn’t Jesus do something?
2. Can God really forgive me?
3. How can I overcome discouragement?

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Can I just mind my own business?

Is it possible to share Jesus’ love and compassion with others without giving something?  Can I just mind my own business and let someone else take care of hurting people?

Share Jesus' Love in a Practical Way

Someone said it is possible to give without loving but it is impossible to love without giving.  God demonstrates the reality of this principle.

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

In fact, God gave even though it hurt.

God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

In order to build relationships that express Jesus’ love to others, you will need to give to them.

• You will give your company as you eat together.
• You will give your listening ear as you strive to understand each other.
• You will give your time as you invest in building relationships.
• You will give your acts of love unconditionally.
• You will give your persistence as we determine to do whatever it takes to help your friends and loved ones experience the love of Jesus.
• You will give your tears in prayer as you intercede for them.
• You will give your tender loving care as you encourage others.
• You will give your money, time and talents.
• You will give even though it hurts because you have experienced the giving love of Jesus.

You may be interested in these posts as well:

1. Ten Ways Introverts Can Encourage Others
2. Ten Ways to Build Relationships with Food
3. Investing in Others

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Why didn’t Jesus do something?

I prayed for my father to be healed but he died.  Why didn’t Jesus do something?

You are not the only one who has asked this question.   When Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus, was sick Jesus did not arrive until it was too late.  Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days.  His sisters, Martha and Mary both greeted Jesus with this sentence. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  (John 11:21,32)  Bystanders in the crowd of mourners also asked, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus was confronted three times by three distinct persons or groups – and each time the question echoed in the hearts of everyone who has lost a friend or family member to death.  The question is worded differently or sometimes it’s a simple statement.

• Lord, you could have prevented this death.
• Lord, do you really care about us?
• Jesus, why didn’t you do something?

Jesus was asked three questions and he gave no direct answers – Jesus doesn’t seem answer our questions about death and why it comes when it comes.

• Jesus answered Martha with a statement about who he is: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
• Jesus answered Mary by asking for directions to the grave.
• Jesus did not answer the bystanders at all.

The First Step of Faith

Before I go any further, I want to assure you that if you are asking questions, you have taken the first step of faith.  You trust Jesus enough to ask your question.  Too many Christians are afraid of questions because they’re scared that Jesus can’t handle them.  Believe me when I say the Bible and history are full of faith filled saints who asked questions.

Sometimes actions speak louder than words - Jesus answers our questions with his response at the graveside.  there are questions that words cannot answer.  There are answers that words simply cannot convey.

Jesus wept.

• Jesus wept – because he shared Mary and Martha’s grief.  He felt it deep in the center of his being.  He experienced the same sucker punch in the gut grief gives to all of us.
• Jesus wept – because he loved Lazarus.  This was one of his closest friends.  His heart was broken by his loss just as yours has been broken.
• Jesus wept – because he knows death was not God’s plan for us.  God created us to live in an eternal intimate relationship with him.
• Jesus wept – even though he knew what he was going to do.

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.  Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

A Few Observations and a Question

• No matter how close the resurrection may be – whether minutes, months or centuries – death still causes pain and grief.
• No matter how close it may be – death still breaks our hearts as well as the heart of God.
• Even when grief’s silence feels like it will crush you soul, Jesus is with you, weeping.
• Jesus wept.  You can trust him.
• Jesus wept. You can believe in him.
• Do you have enough faith to wait for the day when all our questions won’t matter anymore?

You may be interested in these posts as well:

1. Why aren’t all Christians healed of illnesses?
2. I God hidden or hiding?
3. How can I deal with the grief I feel?
4. Why does God let bad things happen to children?

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Fear Not?

As I read the Bible, I keep running into verses that say something like “Fear not” or “Be courageous.”  I’m a very timid person and I cannot imagine not being afraid.

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There is a difference between being timid and fear.

There are many reasons that individuals are timid as you say you are.  Part of it is your nature and part of it is experience.  God is fully aware of how your personality is wired and why.  He is not asking you to change that.

This is what the LORD says — he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…. (Isaiah 43:1-3 emphasis added)

When God says, “Fear not” he is addressing something besides timidity.

Fear is the opposite of faith and trust in God.  Fear erodes your confidence in his love, power and wisdom until you’re no longer willing to obey him.  Fear will keep you from loving your neighbor who needs your help.  Fear will slowly but surely undermine your love for God until you end up obeying him only because you are afraid of him.

“Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness.  Fear unleashes a swarm of doubts, anger-stirring doubts. And it turns us into control freaks.” – Max Lucado, FEARLESS

This is the fear God calls you to reject.  Being cautious and timid may give you a slight inclination to fear but you can overcome fear with faith.  Believe the Lord’s promise.  No matter what you may go through, he will be with you.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  (Hebrews 13:5)  ”Be strong and courageous because the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)  If you feel fear rising to hinder you from sharing Jesus’ love with others, simply remind yourself that he is with you.  Then do something in the power of his love.

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, PERHAPS ONE OF THESE WILL INTEREST YOU AS WELL.

1. Ten Ways Introverts Can Encourage Others
2. Seeking to Understand
3. Don’t Worry?

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Asking for Directions

“I will not ask for directions.”

The car was hot.  Summers are like that in Kansas and we did not have air-conditioning.  I was in junior high when our family took a camping vacation out west.  We visited the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and the Rockies.  On the way back to Indiana, my parents wanted to drive through Miltonvale, Kansas to see our denomination’s college campus.
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Miltonvale was a small town with a population of perhaps 8000.  As my father drove up one street and down another pulling our camper behind us, my mother kept suggesting we ask for directions.  My dad refused, saying, “I will not ask for directions in a little town like Miltonvale!”  Eventually we found the campus.  It was very small and boring to a kid like me.

How often have we approached life with the same attitude?  “I will not ask for directions.”  We imagine that we have all the necessary knowledge and skills to reach our goals.  However, we set our sights on objects that ultimately disappoint us.  Then doubt overwhelms us and we ask why we feel so let down and heartbroken.  We wonder how we ended up in such a mess.

The ancient Jewish prophet, Isaiah declared, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way….” (Isaiah 53:6)  That is the answer to most of our questions.  We simply did what seemed best to us.  We did not ask God for directions.  If we did, we did not follow his advice.  We chose to live life on our terms, as we saw fit and now the results disappoint us.
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Good news for all of us!  God waits and longs to help us follow his way out of the messes we created.  He will not hold a grudge or find fault with us.  He simply invites us to ask him for directions – to trust him to lead us to an exciting and fulfilling life.

Jesus will lead you to people, places and situations that will heal and refresh your spirit.  The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)  Take his promise to heart.  You will always enjoy his company as he leads you on new adventures – maybe even in a little town like Miltonvale, Kansas.

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, PERHAPS ONE OF THESE WILL INTEREST YOU AS WELL.

1. Can God really forgive me?
2. Professor Dad
3. Ten Things My Mom Taught Me

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Ten Ways Introverts Can Encourage Others

Pastor, I’m an introvert.  I am painfully quiet around people.  How can I learn to encourage others?

Thank you for asking.  Sometimes we think the person who can easily do acts of ministry is the gifted one and the rest of us never will be able to do it.  I know this isn’t true.  When I started preaching, I was physically sick every Sunday morning.  After four years of standing in front of a room full of people, I stopped dreading the sermon.  Today, I look forward to preaching.

Ten Ways Introverts Can Encourage Others

They are good for extroverts too.  If you keep stretching yourself to use these others will seek you out for encouragement.  They will experience God’s loving support through you.

• Learn the names of a few people you see regularly and use them often.
• Give compliments not complaints.
• Give away plenty of smiles.
• Send handwritten cards of appreciation.

Jesus said, “Treat others the way you want to be treated” (Matthew 7:12).

• Thank someone for an act he or she did that encouraged you.
• Ask a friend how he or she is doing and listen to the answer.
• Greet others with a firm handshake.  Look them in the eye and tell them you’re glad to see them.
• Find a creative way to say, “I appreciate you.”

The apostle Paul told one of his most problem filled churches, “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 1:4)

• Remember the “magic words.”  Say, “Please” and especially “Thank You” often.
• Find a unique way to encourage someone.  For example, give him or her a gift card to his or her favorite restaurant.

Encouraging others is not a hard concept to master.

Simply ask yourself how you want to be treated then do that for others.  Of these suggestions, choose the one that seems most natural to you.  Do it for regularly until it becomes second nature for you.  Keep repeating the process until you’ve mastered all ten.  You will be known as the encourager.

If you liked this post, perhaps one of these will interest you as well.

1. Ten Ways to Build Relationships with Food
2. Investing in Others
3. Seeking to Understand

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.