The Invisible Qualities of God

My friend Ty and I started a Discussion Group a few weeks ago with one of the Nav leaders, Caleb. It's a place where we meet and talk about the arguments for a god, if we agree with those arguments, how things in the Bible compare to other religions, and stuff like that. It's been so awesome going to this thing, and through it, God has been revealing Himself to me in the most unlikely of ways.

Last week, my friend Nicholas came. He's unitarian, I think. He doesn't believe in a god or creator, but he said something SO interesting. The topic last week was the idea that creation in and of itself is an argument for an intelligent creator. The cosmos and earth itself reflect the very being of God. They testify to his glory just by existing. Anyway, Nicholas said that there was always one thing that his faith couldn't explain. Things like Fibonacci's Sequence and The Golden Ratio just astound him. He said, "It's like there's....It's like there is a fingerprint all throughout creation. And it's the SAME fingerprint everywhere."


THAT JUST HAPPENED.


My heart fell to the ground when he said that. I was floored. GOD'S WORD IS TRUTH.
Romans 1:20 says "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Even Nicholas, who does not know God, sees the evidence of God all around him, and it's undeniable.

In Genesis 2 we see a little bit of God's handiwork in taking our breath away through nature, as he plants "trees that were pleasing to the eye" for his creation.

God delights us through his creation. It's there for EVERYONE to marvel at - even those who do not love Him. He is such a good God. And all of this is for the sake of His great name. Even those that do not know Him will marvel at His works, so that no man is without excuse! Nature is so genius! It's unfathomable to me that one could look at this creation around us and not be hit with the knowledge that there is a glorious Creator, divine in nature and glorious in being, that exists exalted high above us.

I've been able to just sit and bask in this good creation of God a lot lately. There's so much beauty surrounding us. I'm so thankful that God satisfies me in this way. I marvel at the earth, which causes me to sing praise to God, which is exactly what I was created to do. I was made for this one purpose, to exalt the Name that is above every name. And when I'm acting out my intended purpose, I'm deeply and fully satisfied by living water, because God allows me to have all that I desire, "namely Himself" as John Piper would say.


"At the stars in the night, I wonder.
At your lightning in the sky, I shudder.
Your glory is a blanket that covers every living thing.
I'm in awe at the majesty of who You are.
Your love is a seal burnt inside my heart.
All of the day I want to be where you are, Holy Father.

And it feels like there's not enough praise inside of me.
All these words, All my heart can sing is Holy.
You are Holy."


Oh, How He loves!

The Link

A couple of weeks ago I hit a really rough spot where things in my life just didn't seem to add up at all. I actually wrote about it in a previous post that you can read here. Basically, I just didn't understand why God had torn certain things out of my life and I didn't understand why I was so deeply broken and confused. A few days after that, I went for a really long drive. That night there was such a deep hurt and I just poured my heart out to God. My main question was "How could you take that part of me and then not fill it?" I knew that there was a reason that so many changes took place so quickly, but it felt like God had just left a gaping wound there, a huge void that I thought He wasn't filling.

I knew that wasn't true.

I knew that the real reason I felt so unfulfilled was because I wasn't allowing God to fill that spot. Even so, I was just confused about WHY things had to happen this way. A few nights ago, I found the link.

I was at Navs for worship, and the message was about the meaning of the Gospel to those who are already in Christ. The speaker said that before we're saved by grace, we are desperate and we have this attitude like, "I just can't do this on my own...it's impossible...I'll never be good enough!" And that's so right, we can't do it on our own, so we run to the arms of Jesus for our salvation. When we are saved, something interesting (and pretty ridiculous) happens. For some reason, we feel like now we can do things on our own. Like, we have this newfound strength within us that means we can do things independently of God.

Uh, wrong.

I need the Gospel of Christ JUST as much today as I needed it the day I was saved. When I was hearing all of this, it reminded me of a place I was not too long ago. Several months ago I was in a place of really deep frustration that brought such anxiety to my life. It seemed to me that I could not escape my sins. I prayed desperately that God would allow me the strength to overcome them and I didn't understand why I kept failing even after praying that. Well, I know now that the reason was I was trying to do it on my own. I had a list of sins to stay away from and essentially became very legalistic in the way I lived. And I failed. Every. Single. Day. And even worse, when I did "succeed," I felt empty and alone. I wasn't dependent upon the grace of God.

So anxiety plagued my life. Turns out, when you try to control your life and take the reins from God, peace is NO WHERE to be found. I remember journaling about this feeling of constant restlessness, wondering if true peaceful joy would ever find me. I wondered when I would wake up in the morning and NOT be stressed out. I couldn't remember the last time I was happy, and I didn't see any hope for this joy in the future. I prayed for release and it didn't seem to come. In fact, it seemed like the opposite of my prayers came true. Every plan I had fell apart.

Little did I know, this was the solution. So you know how I said there was a missing link? (I'm laughing as I write this, because it's just so obvious to me now...) The missing link was THE GOSPEL. The missing link was my Savior. Why did everything fall apart? Because I was living in my own strength. I believed I could conquer my sin. I couldn't. So God literally took my sin out of my life. Sure, there is still sin in my life daily. But since my heart was broken, I learned how to cling to Jesus.

Peace.

Really? That's it? I strived for SO long trying to find peace by doing the right things and praying the right prayers when all I had to do was cling to and depend on Christ? It's bliss, though. It really is. When we let go of our feelings of entitlement and control, and fall helpless before the throne of grace, The Gospel does a FRESH work in our lives. The Gospel that teaches we cannot earn grace, but can only receive it as a gift from The Father. That doesn't change after we're saved. We were, and are, and will be always saved BY GRACE through faith that comes from the Holy Spirit in us.


Matthew 11:29-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

What peace He Brings....And Oh, How He Loves.

The Beauty in Death

So, I actually wrote this about 3 weeks ago...and I just realized that it never posted. So....here ya go. (:


When I think of death, I think of mold. Rotten, rank decomposition. We're conditioned to relate death with sorrow, and for good reason, too. Death is destructive, it tears our hearts and sometimes it even tears our relationships. I've seen families destroyed because of the death of a central loved one. It's not fair and it's most definitely not beautiful.

But for those of us who are in Christ, death has a new meaning. We hear in church and in songs that Christ has overcome the grave and conquered death, but do we really believe it? If this is true, death is no longer dark and dreary, but just the beginning of new life. It is a promise of that which is to come. The end of these weary bodies and this weary place and the beginning of new life in Christ our Savior, forever captivated by His glory that shines into the darkness of our once lost hearts. Death has now become....beautiful.

This is the reason we celebrate Fall. Isn't it strange that we would celebrate trees dying? Why does this make us so happy? I would argue that there's more to it than just the pretty colors. If we knew that the trees were gone forever once they turned colors, we would mourn! But that's the thing. We know that they're not forever lost. The turning of colors can be appreciated for the beauty it displays because it also displays something much deeper...It's a promise of renewal and rejuvenation. We enjoy death of trees because of the momentary display of glory as well as the enduring promise of new life. Though the leaves may fall and the branches may be bare for a time, once Spring rolls around, they will return with all the arrayed splendor we could hope for.

But I'm still afraid of death. Not for myself, but for the people around me. Mostly my sister, Emily. I have to admit that I think about it all the time. Most people would say I have a right to be worried  about this, but is that true? If all of this is true about Christ conquering death and the promise of restoration, then my worry just becomes selfish. The day my sister leaves this world will be a day of NEW LIFE. Jehovah Rophe will steal her away for Himself and heal her every illness and she'll be more alive on that day than she ever was on earth.

Of course, after the trees die, there is a period when we may wonder if they'll ever come back. The winter can seem so long and dreary sometimes. However, if we fixate on the fact that the trees are dead, we miss the beauty held within winter. When our loved ones go on to glory in Christ to behold his wonder and beauty for eternity, the time in between without them can seem so long. We may wonder if we'll ever be reunited with them. But what beauty in life are we missing as we let anxiety fill our hearts? What promise has our God ever made that has not been fulfilled? I'll help you out. Not a single one (2 Corinthians 1:20, Joshua 21:45, Joshua 23:14).



"Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He'll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!


Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay. "


I can't even imagine what our day of redemption will be like. How my soul groans inwardly for that day! The day of our death....what a beautiful day that will be! As God's glory is revealed and we fully know, even as we have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Thank you, Father, for the hope you have given us...that Christ has defeated death and we may look forward with longing to the day when we will see your face and bow before the one who has redeemed our souls and shined His light into the depths of our hearts.

Oh, How He loves!

My Husband

Now before you look at the title and go "Oh no, I thought she was over her obsession with finding her husband," give me a minute to explain. :)

I went to a fall retreat over the weekend. It was pretty random that I got to go; A leader of the Navs on Campus just texted like 3 days before the event and I decided on a whim that it would be a good idea. I've just been a little bummed lately, so I thought it would be a great chance for some rejuvenation and all that stuff that usually comes with church retreats.

It was cold. Like, super cold. But I met some really great people and felt totally welcomed and at home among them. I was worried that I would feel awkward the entire time, but I didn't at all. I really love that about the Navs. They were all so genuine. So we had speakers and worship, played underground church (SO FUN), and did a service project. It was a really nice weekend, so I'm really glad that I went.

On Sunday morning we had two hours for what they call ETAWG, which stands for Extended Time Alone With God. I was a little bit worried at first about it being two hours, because that seems so long. I was honestly worried that I was going to fall asleep! But we began, and I got alone with my God. I have learned in the past couple of years just how sweet the Secret Place with God is. There's just something about getting alone with your Creator that satisfies the deepest parts of your soul. 

I started off by praying that God would reveal Himself to me. All weekend I listened to the words of people who were on fire for God and just thought to myself, "Man...I just know so little of this God that created me..." I felt like I needed to go read books and study the Bible harder and then I realized that I could search the whole world and never find God. What I've experienced in life is that the harder I try to achieve or attain God, the farther I push Him away. It's in the moments when I'm quiet, still, and maybe a little bit broken that He comes and washes over me. In those moments I see who He is and learn more about Him. So I started by praying that God would come to me as I waited upon Him and read His word. 

Oh boy, did He come.

I've read through Hosea before and loved it. But this time there was just something different about it. I read the first two chapters, and let me tell you....they're mind blowing. 

In the first chapter something really scary happens. Israel has turned from God and He eventually says, "You are not my people, and I will not be your God." When I read that, I just stopped in sorrow. My heart was so sad. Probably because I relate so much to Israel and when I see the pain that they caused the God who so dearly loved them, I just want to weep because I know that I've caused Him that same pain. So here I am, just swallowed by sadness. But wait.

I should've known.

God never stops where we think He does. 

In the VERY NEXT VERSE God says the unthinkable. The inconceivable. He says, "In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There is shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living God.'" (Hosea 1:10)

WHAT IS THAT. Oh, but just wait. It gets even better. You think God is incredible for calling a depraved people "sons of the living God"? We think that's the end. That He forgave them and will just wait for them to turn back. Well. We're wrong. 

I will punish her

For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense.

She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry,

And went after her lovers;

But Me she forgot,” says the Lord.

He breaks her. I have seen this happen several times in my own life. I chase after the loves of my heart, trying to find satisfaction in people, things, and activities. I forget about my God. How could we EVER forget about this God that saved us while we were ENEMIES of Him (Romans 5:10)? But God is a jealous God! In order to satisfy us in the deepest places, He must strip us of our idols. You may think that's cruel or unjust, but please....just keep reading.

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,

Will bring her into the wilderness,

And speak comfort to her.

I will give her her vineyards from there,

And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;

She shall sing there,

As in the days of her youth,

As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

“And it shall be, in that day,”

Says the Lord,

“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’

And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’

....

I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In lovingkindness and mercy;

I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.

(Hosea 2:14-15, 19-20)

Wow. I'm just letting this sink in. What sweeter love story exists in all of the earth? That the Holy, Most Worthy God of the Universe would not only save us, redeem us, and renew us...but that He would take us for Himself to be His....bride. 

OH MY SOUL, HOW HE LOVES.