The God. Our God. My God

I love my home church, Creekside Community Church for so many reasons. The Word is preached clearly and accurately; the people are extremely loving; worship is not confined to the time we express it through music; and I have been fed so fully there.

This past weekend was no exception as I was personally ministered to through the devotion given by Pastor Steve Gregg. One Sunday a month, instead of a sermon (a longer time given for exposition of Scripture), someone usually gives a devotion (like a sharing of meditation on Scripture). Pastor Gregg shared from Psalm 86, which is a beautiful psalm of David. What I share here now is one of a few things that stood out to me as Pastor Gregg was sharing.

He Is The God
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
-Psalm 86:9-10

The first point that is crucial for all to understand is that the God of the Bible is not one god among the pantheon of gods man has created. He is not a god alongside Allah, Krishna, Vishnu, Molech, Baal, or the millions of other gods. He is the only true God (John 17:3). The God of the Bible is a Triune God--God the Father , God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. I am not going to get deep into the doctrine of the Trinity, but you can read more here if you are interested.

The point I am making is that there is no other god like the God of all things, and Him being a Triune God is at the core of that reality. He cannot, nor should He be, likened to any other god, like people have a tendency to do. We should also recognize that we did not create Him, but God created us. Therefore we have no right to dictate what God should be like, again another thing we have a tendency to do. He is the God of all things, He reigns in the heavens, and He can do whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3). The beauty behind this is that God is pleased to make us happy in Him, as Psalm 37:4 states, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.". Sadly, those who choose not to acknowledge this wonderful truth miss out on real joy, not the crap shoot joy we seek in temporal things. As David wrote, "You alone are God."

He Is Our God
I continued reflecting on this, that God is not a god among gods, but is the one God and remembered that He is not some distant God who has created things and let them run their course, but that He is intimate with His creation. In fact, He is our God and this "our" implies relationship:

The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
-Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Notice that immediately following the truth given that the Lord is our God and that He is one God, is the command of complete love. This command is given to the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy, but is extended to us all now in these days. This is a communal thing, that we as a people, as a "nation" are to collectively love God with all that we have. Now I am sure that some would say that the command of love is on par with forcing to love, but in reality love of heart, soul and might can never be forced. True love of any kind can never be forced.

This is why we must never neglect meeting together (see Hebrews 10:24-25), letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, "teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness" in our hearts toward God. (Col. 3:16). This is worship, the lifting up of God, exalting Him in our hearts to His proper place over all things, glorifying Him, He Who is the God and our God.

Again, for those of you who read this and have not given your life to Christ, I tell you that the God of the Bible is our God. Our God "so loved the world [all of us] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He is the God who causes the rain to fall on both the good and the evil (Matt 5:45); He gives to all and no one is forgotten or neglected by Him. Providentially we are all given food, drink, shelter, clothing, emotions, etc. by Him in various ways and forms, by His common grace--His kindness and mercy to undeserving sinners like you and me--gives you life in order that you may know Him personally through His saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ--in order that you may know Him as my God.

He Is My God
"I give thanks to you, O Lord my god, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
-Psalm 86:12-13

This whole psalm written by David is in fact an intimate prayer to his God. Not only does he express thanksgiving and love toward God, but he also acknowledges repeatedly God's abiding, deep, everlasting love for him. The God of the this world and of the Bible is so personal that I, along with David and the multitudes can call Him my God. Paul wrote about this on the collective our level in Romans 5:6-8:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But Paul took this collective outlook on the death of Christ and applied it directly to himself as he wrote to the Galatian churches:

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and give himself for me
-Galatians 2:20b

Everytime I read this passage I literally get chills because Paul was not present at Jesus' death; in fact, Paul hated Jesus and all people who called themselves followers of Christ even years after Jesus died. Jesus didn't say on the Cross, "This is for Paul of Tarsus." None of this occurred. But by the grace of God through a radically life-changing encounter with Jesus Himself, Paul wrote this piercingly intimate words of Christ's death being applied toward Him. And by faith I can say the same thing, that Jesus loved me and gave Himself up for me. He is my God and no one can take that away from me.

Now, I who am a wretched man who has done nothing but walk in defiance against the God of all things, can worship in Spirit and in truth alongside the people of every tribe, tongue and nation of our God only because of grace extended to me through wholehearted trust in the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ--my Savior, my King, and my God.

The God. Our God. My God.
By His Grace.

"The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose For Me..."

I am down in Orlando for a couple days visiting some friends. I will then head on over to Port Orange (just south of Daytona) to stay with my mom and see some family. I enjoy times like this when I can drive around and visit with people who mean so much to me and have impacted my life. The problem I notice is that my opportunity to find Internet is sporadic, thus the note posting can be put on hold. There is always the reliable Panera where I have never been harassed for just using their Internet. Right now I am at a small restaurant in College Park that has some fame attached to it. It's name is Christo's Cafe and they surprisingly have free Wi-Fi. It reminds me of a cool northern diner and the food is delicious. I have a steaming hot cup of afternoon coffee and am now able to share a little bit about what God is revealing to me about Himself these days.

I was reading Psalm 138 this morning and God brought His Word in such a timely manner:

I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love
and your faithfulness
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
-Psalm 138:2, 8

Now the first thing to notice of course is how God has exalted above all things His name and His word. This emphasizes again the importance of seeking to be in the presence of God where there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and to be spending time in His word, which he has graciously given us that we may know Him more. I am learning more and more each day how vital God's word is for every aspect of my life and how in turn this draws me closer and closer to God Himself.

But what struck me more today was Psalm 138:8, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me..." It could not have come at a better time as I have a tendency to contemplate and wrestle through God's purpose for my life and why I am actually here. I know for sure this is something everyone does, asking often existential questions like, "Who am I?" or "Why am I here?" Juniors and seniors in college are more likely to ask "What's next?" to themselves and to others (those who aren't are busy partying at the #1 party school in the nation...oh UF...). Purpose is brought into question when people of all ages and walks of life get stuck in a routine and wonder, "Is this it?"

So I know I am not alone, but I know this is something I think about often, wondering if I am somehow squandering away the gifts God has given me or if I am somehow not doing what He wants. Even last night as I was getting ready for bed, I questioned how seminary fits into the grand scheme of all God wants me to do in the time I am here on earth, making the most of it because the days are evil (Eph. 5:16) and my life is like a breath (Psalm 144:4).

As I reflect, I must ask the question to myself, "Can I say with confidence like David that the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me?" Do I recognize that it is because of my Father's steadfast love that He will do what He wants with me life, regardless of how people in this world perceive it as "success" or "failure?" My Father's love endures forever and ultimately it is only His love that matters!

I also find it beautiful that this last verse is Psalm 138 leads right into Psalm 139, which reveals God's intimate knowledge of David--and me!--as David writes:

My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.
-Psalm 139:15-16

Nothing about is is kept secret from God. Before I was ever a thought in my mom's mind, before she was ever a thought in her mom's mind, I was being made in secret by God. My Father knew me before I came into any kind of form and His purpose for me had been mapped out before I, or the world itself, was even conceived! Paul spells this out rather well in Ephesians, tying God's eternal purpose for me into the reality of Jesus Christ's coming:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
-Ephesians 1:3-6

And not only in fulfilling God's purpose of His adoption of me through Jesus Christ, but also in His purpose for the works I walk in by His grace:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
-Ephesians 2:8-10

We all must be assured and trust that God will fulfill his purpose for our lives. He is sovereign. He is in control. He does what he pleases (Psalm 115:3; 135:6). I must trust in Him and His plan, regardless of the plans that I may make for my life and the dreams that I may have. Some of them are good to be sure and as I delight myself in the Lord, He will give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4), but I also know that some of my dreams and plans have selfish, sinful motives.

The lesson I am learning along with the beautiful truth that God will fulfill His purpose for me is that I have to be patient with Him and His timing! I close with another Psalm that speaks volumes in and of itself on patience. See the connection between waiting, hope, God, and His word. Meditate on it and pray through how that can lead into trusting Him for the purpose of your life.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in His word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
-Psalm 130:5-6

By His Grace.