Do you believe God is powerful…He has the power to do whatever He desires?
The big theological word for this is omnipotence. Omnipotence comes from two words: omni – meaning all; and potent – meaning power. So literally it means: all-power. We translate it as all-powerful or almighty. Omnipotence means God is all-powerful. Therefore, He can do anything…everything…that He desires to do. Nothing is impossible to God.
Do you believe God is wise…He knows the best things to do, and how and when?
The big theological word for this is omniscience. Also from two words: omni – meaning all; and science – meaning knowledge. This word literally means: knowing all knowledge. We usually translate it as all-knowing. Omniscience means God is all-knowing. He knows everything. He knows everything about all things. He knows all there is to know about you and me! Nothing is beyond God’s knowing.
Do you believe God is love…He loves you completely?
There is no big theological word for this, so I’ve made up one. Since omni means all and amor means love, my new word for God’s love is: omniamor. This means God is all love, and that all love finds its source in God. He is the originator and sustainer of all love. There would be no love without Him. Also, He is all loving. He loves totally and everything God does, He does because He loves.
If you believe God is powerful, wise and loving then why do you sometimes doubt His desire to bless you abundantly and wonderfully?
Since He is all-powerful, He can bless you if He wants to…He has the power. Because God is all-knowing, He knows the best ways to bless you and when, where and how to do so to bring the greatest benefit into your life …He knows.
So He has the power and knowledge to do wonderful things in your life. Most of us would agree with this statement. Our doubt, therefore, must come from the third aspect mentioned above: His love. Though we know God is love and does love, and we believe He loves us, for some reason we have a hard time believing He truly loves us without strings attached or without holding a grudge. We have a hard time believing He loves us totally, completely, warts and all; and that He wants to shower and demonstrate His love to us in many ways, many times each day!
The Bible says: “God is love” (1 John 4:8b). And because He loves, He desires to bless our lives. Also from 1 John 4: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (vs. 9).
His love of us prompted His giving His Son to us who would die for us!
The most famous passage in the Bible states the same truth: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God loved, so God gave…and He still operates that way today.
He loves you. He desires to impact your life positively, in great ways. He has the power to do so. He knows the best ways to do so. And He has the love to do so.
Believe Him. Trust Him. Open yourself to Him.
Let His love bless you today!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
New Psalm blog post
Turning Mountains Into Molehills
Sometimes the problems in our lives seem really big, and we seem very small; they are too powerful, and we are too weak; they appear so complicated, and we are lost. At least, I’ve felt that way before. Have you?
What do you do? Give up? Quit? Try…but know you’re going to fail? Maybe there is a better way.
The Israelites faced a truly big, powerful and complicated problem. And I think we should respond to the issues in our lives the way they did.
(This excerpt is from a new post on the Psalms blog. To read more, click on the link below or the Psalms tab above.)
(This excerpt is from a new post on the Psalms blog. To read more, click on the link below or the Psalms tab above.)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
AND I WEPT... a poem
Just before morn’ I was led up the steep slope of a great mountain.
The path was crooked, rocky…difficult to climb.
With much effort I reached the top,
My body, aching, collapsed on a rock…
And I wept.
He spoke: “Lift up your eyes and see.”
What vista lay before me; a valley stretching to the sunrise.
Filled with a multitude…countless numbers.
Living life…fretting, scurrying, struggling.
A few were happy, many were sad.
But I could see they all were lost…
And I wept.
My path led down the other side of the mountain;
Down to the multitude.
And through them into the far distance.
This path, I was being asked to walk.
Moments of my life became clear.
Hardships, rejections, a few saved,
Many eternally lost.
A struggle consuming my life…
And I wept.
He spoke: “Be encouraged.”
My path culminated in the sunrise,
Only it wasn’t the sun, but the Son!
It was my entrance into glory,
He awaited me with rewards.
He was smiling, welcoming,
Waiting for my arrival!
I saw His beauty, His delight in my life…
And I wept.
But the path.
It led down the mountain and through that multitude.
There was no turning back.
There would be no other way to reach His glory.
The burden was great, but I knew what I must do.
I sat. Contemplated. Breathed once deeply…
And I wept.
He spoke: “You don’t have to travel alone.”
I looked back from whence I’d climbed.
Waiting for me at the foot of that great mountain was my army.
Small in number; a pitiful force for such a task, for such a multitude.
Is this how Moses felt? Or Gideon?
Had they ever wept?
What would they think?
How would they respond?
What could we accomplish?
Questions and sadness. I knew what this path…this journey…would mean for them.
Sacrifice. Pain. Endurance, faith and trust would be needed.
They would pay a dear price.
This I knew…
And I wept.
I spoke: “Join me!”
And they began to climb.
As they reached the top, they saw the path and the multitude.
Dawning upon them was the journey ahead.
But each also glimpsed the Lord…smiling, waiting for us all.
We worshiped.
I raised my sword…we started down the mountain…
And I wept.
The path was crooked, rocky…difficult to climb.
With much effort I reached the top,
My body, aching, collapsed on a rock…
And I wept.
He spoke: “Lift up your eyes and see.”
What vista lay before me; a valley stretching to the sunrise.
Filled with a multitude…countless numbers.
Living life…fretting, scurrying, struggling.
A few were happy, many were sad.
But I could see they all were lost…
And I wept.
My path led down the other side of the mountain;
Down to the multitude.
And through them into the far distance.
This path, I was being asked to walk.
Moments of my life became clear.
Hardships, rejections, a few saved,
Many eternally lost.
A struggle consuming my life…
And I wept.
He spoke: “Be encouraged.”
My path culminated in the sunrise,
Only it wasn’t the sun, but the Son!
It was my entrance into glory,
He awaited me with rewards.
He was smiling, welcoming,
Waiting for my arrival!
I saw His beauty, His delight in my life…
And I wept.
But the path.
It led down the mountain and through that multitude.
There was no turning back.
There would be no other way to reach His glory.
The burden was great, but I knew what I must do.
I sat. Contemplated. Breathed once deeply…
And I wept.
He spoke: “You don’t have to travel alone.”
I looked back from whence I’d climbed.
Waiting for me at the foot of that great mountain was my army.
Small in number; a pitiful force for such a task, for such a multitude.
Is this how Moses felt? Or Gideon?
Had they ever wept?
What would they think?
How would they respond?
What could we accomplish?
Questions and sadness. I knew what this path…this journey…would mean for them.
Sacrifice. Pain. Endurance, faith and trust would be needed.
They would pay a dear price.
This I knew…
And I wept.
I spoke: “Join me!”
And they began to climb.
As they reached the top, they saw the path and the multitude.
Dawning upon them was the journey ahead.
But each also glimpsed the Lord…smiling, waiting for us all.
We worshiped.
I raised my sword…we started down the mountain…
And I wept.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)