Often illness or suffering is seen as God’s punishment for sin by those who would espouse their own righteousness.  Some would say, “A God of love would only bring abundant blessings to those who follow Him.  As His Beloved, Blessed, Redeemed Child, the Christian should experience prosperity, health, and a life abounding in the joys of this world.”  But is that true or what Scripture teaches us?  Instead, we find  God, often, works in mysterious ways that our human minds cannot comprehend to accomplish His plan of Love and Grace.

What is a life that is truly blessed?  The one that is filled with all the counterfeit joys of this world? Or the one covered with scars, broken, unable to stand alone who leans into Christ and is carried to the finish line by Him.  Having come to the very end of one’s self, only to find there a Savior who will carry them in His Loving Arms with an Unconditional Love and Grace that they know was wholly undeserved, making that Grace even more precious and joyous than anything else this earth could offer.

THE BLIND MAY SEE

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Christ calls us to a life of self-denial.  As I look back through my life story, I now see that Mom; though plagued by Bipolar Disease has lived such a life.

So, the man who chose to follow Christ goes forward on the way. And when he must learn to know the world and what is in the world, the world’s strength and his own weakness, when the struggle with flesh and blood distresses him when the going is heavy and there are many foes and no friends then the agony of it may wring from him the moan I walk alone… But on that way where a man follows Christ the height of suffering is the height of glory. Even as the pilgrim moans in his heart he reckons himself to be in bliss… And this is the joyful hope that he shall follow where He has gone.               -Soren Kierkegaard, The Gospel of Sufferings

Mom and me

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God has revealed Himself to mankind in many diverse manners.  He revealed Himself in nature, the sheer complexity of all His creation displays so much about who He IS.  Furthermore, throughout Scripture, God revealed Himself.  Over the past few weeks, the focus of this series has been to review the lives of such Patriarch’s as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,  Joseph and Moses.  Through their lives, we have seen God’s Grace, Faithfulness and Sovereignty displayed. Despite their frailties and failures, God provided a way for His People.   He always through trials transformed them into the men of faith they became.  As we came to Moses, I have paused to write about attributes of God as so richly displayed in the books of Moses.  The Glory of God and our role. One aspect of His Glory is His Sovereignty.   Another crucial to our knowledge of God is the truth, God is Holy!

Often, we speak of God as Holy with a rather nonchalant manner.  Too often, we see it at a distance; never recognizing the impact that truth must have upon our own lives.  Throughout Leviticus, God told Moses to tell the people, “Ye shall be Holy; for I the Lord your God am Holy” (Leviticus 19:2).   This was not a request of God, it was a command.  He did not say as we often do, “Well, you should maybe try to live a holy life.”  No, it was much more than a command, “You will be Holy! I, the LORD your God will ascertain that to be the case.”  Sometimes it may be through great trials that He transforms His people.  For the nation of Israel, God reigned judgement upon the arrogant, rebellious unbelievers among them.  He cleansed His People of them then and He will cleanse His church today.

Revering the Truth: God is Holy!

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The children of Israel had become quite content in Egypt.  They grew and became very prosperous as we are told in Exodus 1:7. “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” This was not the promised land God promised to Abraham.  However, the people were happy and rejoicing.  They had forgotten who they really were: a people chosen by God for a promise.  That is, until a new ruler over Egypt took reign.  He removed their privileged status and forced them into slavery.  In this state of slavery, the children of Israel were forced to turn to God, seeking His help.  They would have to learn to trust once more in the Sovereignty of God.  When our lives are filled with only good things, we forget this is not our promised land either.

All too often, we forget God’s Grace and His Sovereign Will when life is easy.  Look at the apostles crossing the sea of Galilee as accounted in Mark 4.  They were content to leave Jesus sleeping in the corner of the boat; until a storm came.  How often do we do the same!  Content not to talk with God, nor read His word, until a storm comes into our lives.  Never thinking about the other shore to which we are traveling, content to steer our boats and treating God as though He is asleep.  So, God allows the trials, sorrows, and disappoints to enter our lives that we might be awakened to our need of Him.  He reminds us that He is Sovereign over our lives, and His plan is for something so much grander than we could ever imagine.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD OVER THE STORMS OF LIFE

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Often, growing up; I heard Christians say, “I was created to Glorify God.” Yet, as I grew in my faith, I came to realize there was nothing inside of me that could Glorify God.  Nothing that I could do to increase His Glory, for He did not need me.  If anything, the harder I tried, the more I brought only shame or sorrow to Him.  My own guilty hands had nothing to bring that could Glorify God for He was holy and fully Glorious. I, on the other hand, often wanted too much, desired too much, and became entangled in my own self-centered desire for self-exaltation or comfort.  God said, ^“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7).  So, how can we Glorify God with our life?

Yet, He also said, “ I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42: 6-8).

Therefore, the glory is His Alone and really never is accomplished by me.  It can only be displayed by emptying of me, so His light might shine for to all who do not know Him.  So, again how can we Glorify God with our light?

Glorify God with Our Praise

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