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When is God?
At this last family camp a great deal was spoken about how we receive God and His direction for our lives. I learned a lot. But the one thing that keeps coming back to me is something Becky said.
” God is not the great I was or I will be- He is the great I am “
“Wow!” I thought when she said it. I wrote it down and circled it. It really hit me.
Just how do we look at God? Its easy to read the great stories in the Bible and relish on how God spoke the earth into existance, or how He made man, or the great flood, or the creative devices He used to bring victory to His people so many times while in battle.
It is also great to read the prophecies of how God will show His mighty power in the end, and how beautiful He will appear.
Christ will bring all evil, all illness, all sadness to an end. How wonderful will that be?
But what about today? What about right now? Is God taking a nap or perhaps enjoying his favorite galaxy somehwere far from us? Of course not. Then why is it that we sometimes live that way? Too often we lean on the nostalgic romaticism of God’s performances in the old Testament. Or we cling strictly to the hope of a far off eternity.
We are living in eternity now! God is with us now! He is still and will ever be the Creator of the universe. Do you believe that? Are you showing that?
And God said unto Moses,
I AM THAT I AM:
and he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,
I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3l:14
another wonderful short story–don’t know the author–hope you enjoy it!!
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida , a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his 2 legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, ‘But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn’t let go.’ You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He’s been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril – and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That’s when the tug-of -war begins – and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go. Please pass this on to those you love. God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they got them.
Danger, Danger!!
It is dangerous when one believes in error that they know the Lord.
Look here at the disciples. They had walked with Jesus for three years, and yet they still had very little understanding of who He really was. Jesus was doing his best here to encourage and comfort his disciples because he knew very soon He would be taken away.
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you unto myself;
that where I am there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know,
And the way ye know.
Thomas saith unto him,
Lord we know not whither thou goest;
And how can we know the way?
Oh, poor Thomas, how far from understanding he was.
Jesus sath unto him
I am the way,
the truth and the life:
No man cometh unto the Father but by me.
Jesus is trying desperately to make them understand. I can almost hear him saying, “I am the way! Open your eyes! Open your hearts! Get it! It’s Me, your Saviour, your Father! Please understand this!”
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also:
And from henceforth ye know him and have seen him.
Philip saith unto him
Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
I can hear the exasperation in Christ’s voice. “Come on Philip! How long will it take for you to get this through your thick skull” It reminds me of when I would scold the girls for not scraping their plates before loading the dishwasher. “How many times do I have to show you? Why don’t you get it? It is so basic!”
Jesus saith unto him,
Have I been so long time with you,
(See I told you, Jesus is getting his patience pushed and the disciples still do not understand.)
and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;
And how thou then saith, Shew us the Father?
What was it the disciples were lacking? They spent days on end with Jesus. They had heard his teachings and witnessed his miracles. They thought they knew him. They thought they had an intimate relationship with him. They thought they would follow him forever. But soon they would all scatter. What had they missed? Where did they go wrong? And how do we avoid the same danger?
I think I know the answer, but please, if anyone out there has answers, I welcome them!!!
