"It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them."
We have so many victories in life because of He who causes us to be victorious. We have a champion who fights for our sake though we esteem him not. He fights for us regardless of whether or not we praise him for he loves those whom he has made. By his arm, his strength, and his face (that is, his presence) that our salvation is won. He has procured it for us. He has snatched us out of the devil's hand.
What a mistake it would be to turn around and accept credit for things we have not done! Surely we have victories, but we have victories because of Christ who gives us victory. The armor of God is his very presence. As long as we walk in the light darkness will not touch us and evil will not overcome us. It may attack us but never will it prevail over us. Those who walk in darkness will not understand us until they step into the light. But surely without God, we would fall for who then protects us? Who then fights for us? But praise be to the One who triumphs for our sake!
Showing posts with label sovereignty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sovereignty. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Psalms 30:14-15a
"But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands;..."
We must not forget that God is not only the God of all there is and all that exists (namely the God of Space), but he is also the God of Time. He set into motion the cycle we call day and night. So important was time to him that he set apart an entire day for rest. Every moment of every hour was created for his glory. Every second of every minute has been ordained according to his purposes. So know God is there with you orchestrating every event to the good of those who love him.
God is in the midst of time to the point where Jesus was sent to us not as a fully grown man but as a tiny infant who grew up in time. When God created the world, he created all of it from start to finish. Everything that is happening now was actually set in motion at the beginning of time and creation. Our times is in His hands.
And we know God is good and just because he has been revealed in Jesus Christ to be so. So we trust in him that in every decision he makes is the right decision to bring the perfect outcome. Even though we have free will, the one who is truly free is the one who realizes he doesn't need it.
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands;..."
We must not forget that God is not only the God of all there is and all that exists (namely the God of Space), but he is also the God of Time. He set into motion the cycle we call day and night. So important was time to him that he set apart an entire day for rest. Every moment of every hour was created for his glory. Every second of every minute has been ordained according to his purposes. So know God is there with you orchestrating every event to the good of those who love him.
God is in the midst of time to the point where Jesus was sent to us not as a fully grown man but as a tiny infant who grew up in time. When God created the world, he created all of it from start to finish. Everything that is happening now was actually set in motion at the beginning of time and creation. Our times is in His hands.
And we know God is good and just because he has been revealed in Jesus Christ to be so. So we trust in him that in every decision he makes is the right decision to bring the perfect outcome. Even though we have free will, the one who is truly free is the one who realizes he doesn't need it.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Romans 9:18-20
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”
Salvation is God's choice. There is no doubt about that. However, what people cannot accept is its corollary: condemnation is also God's choice.
One implication is the question asked in verse 19. Paul's answer isn't very comforting, even though it is deeply rooted in Old Testament Scripture (Isa 29:16, 45:9, Job 38-42). How on Earth is God justified to do this? Is He just a tyrant?
God is God. Whatever he does, he does out according to his good pleasure. What pleases God? Certainly not wickedness! He is good, holy, and righteous. He is a God who is for us that none may stand against us.
How do we know this? Because Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. The Scriptures are his divinely inspired self revelation because he is a God who wants to be known for who he is and who he is is perfect, pleasing, and good. Therefore, we have no need to question God's motives, nor is it our place. Who can understand why God does what he does? God is who He says He is and that is enough.
Salvation is God's choice. There is no doubt about that. However, what people cannot accept is its corollary: condemnation is also God's choice.
One implication is the question asked in verse 19. Paul's answer isn't very comforting, even though it is deeply rooted in Old Testament Scripture (Isa 29:16, 45:9, Job 38-42). How on Earth is God justified to do this? Is He just a tyrant?
God is God. Whatever he does, he does out according to his good pleasure. What pleases God? Certainly not wickedness! He is good, holy, and righteous. He is a God who is for us that none may stand against us.
How do we know this? Because Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. The Scriptures are his divinely inspired self revelation because he is a God who wants to be known for who he is and who he is is perfect, pleasing, and good. Therefore, we have no need to question God's motives, nor is it our place. Who can understand why God does what he does? God is who He says He is and that is enough.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Proverbs 21:2
"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."
Does any man truly believe that what he does is evil? Surely if a man thought his actions were wicked he would not do them. Or perhaps he knows what he ought not to do, but finds some reason to justify his doing it and therein he does what he believes to be right? Truly no one does what is evil in their own eyes but only what they can justify.
It is no wonder then that we are not fit to judge each other, for each person only does "what is right for them" and what is "right for them" isn't always "right for you". Hitler told the German people that he wanted to create a supreme race. Not a bad idea on paper, but we didn't see death camps.
Maybe we would tell him today that he has a right to his beliefs and although we might disagree, we each must only do what we think is right, but that's how wars start: two groups working towards opposite ends each doing what they think is right.
A world of relative morality is chaos.
Only one sovereign over humanity can set order for us. God is the only one capable of judging us because he can see our hearts. We know God to be righteous fair in his dealings because of the Cross. We trust that he is just in order to be the one who justifies us.
Does any man truly believe that what he does is evil? Surely if a man thought his actions were wicked he would not do them. Or perhaps he knows what he ought not to do, but finds some reason to justify his doing it and therein he does what he believes to be right? Truly no one does what is evil in their own eyes but only what they can justify.
It is no wonder then that we are not fit to judge each other, for each person only does "what is right for them" and what is "right for them" isn't always "right for you". Hitler told the German people that he wanted to create a supreme race. Not a bad idea on paper, but we didn't see death camps.
Maybe we would tell him today that he has a right to his beliefs and although we might disagree, we each must only do what we think is right, but that's how wars start: two groups working towards opposite ends each doing what they think is right.
A world of relative morality is chaos.
Only one sovereign over humanity can set order for us. God is the only one capable of judging us because he can see our hearts. We know God to be righteous fair in his dealings because of the Cross. We trust that he is just in order to be the one who justifies us.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Mark 6:48
"And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them..."
Jesus saw his disciples struggling in the middle of the sea, and yet intended to just simply walk past them casually. Ironically enough, Jesus was the one who sent the disciples on ahead of him while he stayed back and prayed on a mountainside, and yet this same Jesus was about to surpass his disciples even though they had a head start and were in a boat.
This is not a story about Jesus being able to "calm the winds of your life". This is a story to say that at one point in history there existed a man who could walk on water and do so effortlessly. If you've ever been out on a windy lake, the water isn't exactly calm to walk on. You contrast the disciples struggling and being tossed about in their little boat in the pitch black of night before dawn, and Jesus who waltzes right past them and you start to understand how amazing this God of ours is.
This isn't a story to highlight Jesus's compassion, but rather his sovereignty. Everything obeys Jesus's command, even the laws of Physics themselves (after all, he wrote the laws). When you start to grasp that then you start to realize just who is this king of glory.
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