These last few posts have been about purpose. Our purpose, as God’s creation, is to glorify him. We do that through living in loving relationship with him and with his people, and by placing our whole-hearted trust in God. How that plays out in daily life is unique for each person. As Christians, we're called the body of Christ. As each part of the body serves a different purpose, that’s how we, who love God, are to see ourselves.
Read MoreWe were created to glorify and worship God through a loving relationship with him. We were made to enjoy the type of loving relationship that is demonstrated in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But love isn’t love if it’s not given freely. With our free will, we chose to turn away from relationship with God, through sin, but God sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and conquer death, to pay the heavy price that we owed and could never pay, and to bring us back into the relationship that we were made for.
Read MoreAs I was writing that last post, about God’s purpose being about his glory, an old thought popped into my heard, a thought that I’d stuffed away until now, because it seemed too disrespectful, too terrible. I knew it was wrong, but I hadn’t entirely worked out why it was. That thought had to do with the idea that God wanting glory seemed kind of…egotistical. Have you ever thought that same thing?
Read MoreWe can trust God because of who he is. We know that he is sovereign, so he’s completely in control and able to carry out his plans. We know that he is infinite in wisdom, so he knows the best way to accomplish those plans. And we know that he is perfect in love- and the gospel is a primary way we see this, through his Son Jesus Christ, and his plan for our redemption. So what is his special purpose for us beyond that? What’s the reason for all of this? What does God want from us?
Read MoreI want to tell you this story, because I think it illustrates God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and love. It was a time where he showed me that he is with me, that I am never alone. This is one of my more dramatic stories. Most of what I experience in my daily life with God more subtle. Most of His work in my life is behind the scenes, and sadly, I’m sure I miss noticing the majority of it. But this time, he chose to show his love in a way that I couldn’t miss.
Read MoreMy soul will rest in your embrace. What does that even mean? That phrase comes, once again, from Oceans (where feet may fail) by Hillsong. The soul, according to Merriam Webster, “is the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life”. It’s the spiritual part of us. It’s the part of us that trusts God- or doesn’t. How does our soul rest in His (God’s) embrace? I think it means that we need to trust in his unfailing love, and trust that he will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, in order to accomplish his will. He will show us what and how to do what we can do, and give us the strength to do it. We don’t need to be constantly striving and achieving on our own strength.
Read MoreAs I said earlier, I don't have a hard time believing in the sovereignty of God, or in his wisdom, but in his love? That one has been a little harder. I know what I'm like. I know my weaknesses. I know I'm not deserving. That's probably why trust is a big thing for me and why I'm writing a book about it. Because like I've said, if God was only sovereign and wise, but not loving, I would still be full of fear, not trusting. The good news is this....
Read MoreThe plan for the initial content of this blog, God willing, is for me to eventually put it into a book about trusting God. I have eight chapters outlined. So far I have written an introduction with some basic Christian doctrine. I’ve given some examples of what trusting God looks like and explained why we can’t trust God on our own power (we need the Holy Spirit to help us). That brings me to chapter three, where I want to spend a little time considering God’s trustworthiness and who he is.
Read MoreThat previous story about me as a little kid, trying to walk on water, blaming my inability to do so on my lack of faith is funny, but unfortunately, I held onto some wrong ideas about God, long after, the result of which led to some tremendous pain. I don’t want to tell this next story- but I will, because out of the pain came something beautiful.
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