Is God Better Than I Think He Is?

Is it possible to believe God to be better than He actually is? Someone once posed this question. Immediately I said, "No!" That is the right answer, isn't it? But, what does that mean, really? I guess the answer would also have to entail a description of what is meant by "better." If I want a new car and God doesn't provide it, does it mean that I'm believing God to be better than He actually is? We can imagine all sorts of things we want God to do for us, the ones we love and the world at large. So, on that level, I would have to answer "Yes!" I feel guilty just thinking that, but if I filter God's goodness according to my desires, I can find many examples where my expectations fall very short of reality.

God's goodness supersedes our human understanding and is not limited to or defined by our circumstances. We define good and evil by how we feel about a particular event. We define suffering as evil. Does God? People suffer and travail in this life. Tragedies happen. Everyone dies eventually, whether they live long or short lives. We can't have a clear understanding of God if we only look at our circumstances. God's goodness takes the long view. Suffering, in some way we don't understand, is part of the process God uses to develop our character and to enable us to trust His character. It separates us from the unimportant distractions and pushes us to seek God for relief and understanding. We are never more close to God than when we are suffering, I believe. Paul talked about our sufferings filling up the sufferings of Christ - yet another mystery. Perhaps he meant that God suffers with us in whatever our suffering is.

We can be confident that our suffering is never wasted, no more than was Christ's. The good news is that He will ultimately heal, redeem and reresurect. LIFE is eternal, not suffering.

I Want To Be Raptured Now!

I don't know that I believe in a Rapture anymore, but I sure hope there is one - and preferably today!! I think you know what I mean! There are some days that escape sounds fantastic, aren't there?

I think I'm living in ecclesiastical days. I've done all and seen all, etc. The simple joys and pleasures of being with friends and laughing and sharing occupy me now. Seeking God and knowing Him - that's my passion. I don't need to climb any more mountains or conquer any more worlds. I think about various interests I used to have, and they are firmly in the past. My desires have dwindled down to just a few.

I'm tempted to think that there's something wrong with me because of the hustle and bustle of others around me and the constant challenge from the church and world to "be more and do more" and to "fulfill my destiny." Where did all this craziness come from you may wonder! I read a few years ago that the advent of marketing/advertising had created this unrest and feeling that one never has enough or does enough. Where did contentment go? To the store to buy the next new "must have."

So . . . my challenge today? To be content in the life God has given me, and to be at rest in Him, trusting that He has this crazy world, and my life, in His capable, competent hands. I still wouldn't mind being raptured!

Who Is God?

The last couple of days I've been interchanging on Facebook with someone regarding Christian Universalism. The other person is a confirmed Fundamentalist. I am a Universalist. Naively, I thought that presenting some scripture and asking a few questions would cause my friend to "see the light." As our dialog has unfolded, I have begun to understand in a new way that the differences between our theology are far more complex than whether or not there is a hell to which God will send most of humanity.

The bottom line in the discussion is, Who is God? A further question is, what is the Bible, and what does it really say? The answers to these questions frame our God-view and our world-view.

If we see God as the Father of mankind who loves and corrects and provides for his children, Universalism makes perfect sense. If we see God predominantly as the Judge and Punisher of mankind, hell makes sense.

The Bible is a complex collection of writings from many authors over possibly thousands (?) of years. Understood in context, these writings provide a picture of how others interacted with God over time. Without really knowing what the Bible says and how it evolved over time, we can get lost in literalism and come up with some wacky ideas. It is important to search out truth, no matter where it takes us. God is faithful, He will direct and instruct us as we follow Him. We need to take the Bible seriously and ask serious questions. I have to admit, sometimes it is scary and unsettling to ask difficult questions. I've been shaken a number of times as my settled notions have been unsettled. We also have to be careful not to worship the Bible. Some do, even to the point of imprisoning God within its pages. I've even come to understand that scripture is found in many places. God has not stopped speaking.

When I discovered this wonderful God of Grace and Love, I found the true God. His heart is always reconciliation. He will not rest until all of His children are safely home. Who is God to you?

A Very Present Help In Trouble

I have been having car problems and I've been feeling discouraged about that. I seem to have a long track record in that area. When I am overwhelmed by problems or issues, my first response is to think that it's all up to me to find a solution, and my resources are all I have to rely upon. Basically, I forget that God is my Father, and a very good one at that! He is everything to me, and I forget to take all of my needs and worries and concerns to Him. How crazy is that! Instead I worry, I fret, I work myself into a little self-pity party and crawl into a corner. And not to suffer quietly, I whine to everyone who will listen. How pathetic that is!

Then my wonderful heavenly Father comes along and meets my need. He doesn't lecture me about my not coming to Him, or about my whining. He just takes care of everything and blesses my socks off! He truly is my "very present help in trouble," as the psalmist says.

Really, now, how much sense does it make to depend upon me when I can depend upon Someone Who is loving and powerful and more than enough for me?

Amazing Grace!

Yesterday morning I was up with the birds, as usual. I flipped on Joseph Prince. While I don't watch every morning, he usually has a one-liner that captures my attention when I do. I don't even remember the bulk of his message, but this is what stuck with me: "put your faith in grace, not in sin." He referenced the Romans passage, Rom 5:20 "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Wow! It was as though I had never heard that before. You know what it's like - did someone pencil that in while I wasn't looking or what? How many times I've read that passage and never heard it as I did yesterday!

I realized that I've been putting my faith in sin, not grace. So has most of the church, frankly. We are so sin-conscious, it's pathetic! It's not God's amazing grace that keeps me awake at night, but all the ways I sin or have messed up. Grace is God's idea and His standard. He doesn't want me to be sin-conscious, but grace-conscious. How liberating is that!? I can live in perfect confidence that grace always excedes my sins and shortcomings! I can never exhaust it or outrun it. It will always be the frontrunner, and will be so at the finish line. Hallelujah! How great is our God!!

Saying Goodbye

I had dinner tonight with a dear friend. We met in church about 12 years ago, and although, church-wise, we have taken separate paths, our relationship has both grown and endured. She is the one I talk with the most. It's not uncommon for us to be on the phone for 2 to 3 hours at a time, talking about everything we can think of. She is one of my treasures - we will be friends forever, period.

Recently she let me know that she will be moving from Michigan to North Carolina where her husband has found a job. Probably she will be leaving in a few short months, if their plans come to fruition. Times like these cause me to reflect upon the times we've shared, the roads we've traveled together, even the tough times we've battled through. What I'm going to lose.

I'm really going to miss her. I was so comfortable with her easy availability. I know I can call her or email her whenever I want, but it's not the same as that face-to-face contact. We can't get together whenever we want. We will increasingly have fewer and fewer shared experiences. She will make new friends and have increasingly more shared experiences with them. I will hear names of new friends that I don't know. I will be part of the past. Long distance relationships can and do work, I know. I'm really going to miss her, and I think she's going to miss me too.

Thankfully, we are both dependent upon God for our lives, and we know that His plans for us are good. I will always treasure the times we have shared over the last 12 years and trust that God will continue to shape our relationship into what He wants it to be. I remember a Twila Paris song that she wrote when Keith Green died. Some of the words were, ". . . do I trust you Lord when I have to cry?" I'm sure that there will be tears, but I do trust Him with our lives.

Power

Sunday morning, muggy, temps heading for mid 80's, looking forward to pizza with a friend later today, etc. Just read a piece by Frank Schaeffer in Huffpo dissing Christians and justifying his leftist godless theology. The only acceptable targets these days are Christians and conservatives. What a state our country is in! It would be good if Jesus came back soon! This life is wearying at times, and this is one of them. Oh well, enough of that! On to more encouraging themes!

I was meditating this week on the scripture verse, 2Ti 1:7, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." kjv
I was also reminded of this verse, 1Co 4:20, "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." kjv In the first verse, power is coupled with love and a sound mind and contrasted to fear. In the second, power is contrasted to words. So, I began to ask what is this power that is, frankly, so powerful that it can dispel fear and bond with love and a sound mind.

My peeps are pretty much charismatics, desiring and seeking after supernatural displays of God's power through healing, et al. So am I. I've been wondering, A LOT, why it is there is so little power in the church? The organized church is all about words, it seems. Every Sunday a sermon to inspire you to do more, be more, 'fess up, etc. For all the words, nothing changes. The people we pray for don't get well or out-and-out die. We latch on to faith and try to get more or to refine it somehow to receive our desired results. We look for formulas, we read the latest book, listen to the latest expert, and keep asking God what we are missing in our quest. For all of our faith, we don't seem to be getting anywhere.

It all has to do with power, God's power in us. Jesus had it. He didn't have to work up enough faith or use any formulas. My question is, how do WE access His power in us that results in the transformation we are seeking? The Spirit has given us the power, so what is missing?

The Seduction of Faith

Recently, well really, for some time now, I've been confronted with the inadequacy of faith to produce the results we expect. The teaching floating around leads us to believe that if our faith is strong enough and we are following the right procedures enough and we don't have any "known sin" in our lives, then God will grant us whatever we desire.

Reality doesn't support the teaching. So . . . what IS the problem?? Is it about having enough faith? Jesus said all we needed was faith the size of a mustard seed. I have at least that much, don't you? Jesus' sacrifice paid for all of my sins, or is that just past sins and not current? Hmmm . . . interesting thought. I'll have to puzzle on that one.

Is it possible that the sovereignty of God trumps even the strongest faith? Is it possible that even the unwanted events, including tragedy and suffering and death are tools in His hands to accomplish His purposes? What if God really is in control and everything that happens in life is part of the process?

We scramble for explanations when things don't happen the way we want. The disease isn't cured, the miracle doesn't come, the daughter dies an untimely death. That's when the "enemy" comes in handy - someone to blame, to hold accountable, some evil entity that isn't God. That enemy "got something over" on God, or so the thinking goes.

Do we dare to believe that the loving God we know can be behind the tough places in life? Is it enough to know that our sufferings fill up the sufferings of Christ, as the Apostle Paul says?

I believe that God really is in control and everything and everyone serves Him, knowingly or unknowingly. I can put my trust in His plans and purposes because of who He is. We can never discern accurately who He is by looking at circumstances. Human thinking is "good God equals good circumstances." Obviously God has a plan and purpose far beyond our temporal comfort. God is not formulaic. He is dynamic and real and alive. He has no buttons to push and cannot be pushed beyond His limits. His interaction with us is alive and present and He loves us with a consuming passion. You can't do better than that!

Urban Legends

I fell victim to an urban legend today. Oh boy! You know what it's like. One minute I was elated and encouraged, the next, I felt foolish and returned to earth.

You've probably heard the one about the vanishing prophetic hitchhiker. You can find out all about it on www.snopes.com. Apparently it's been around since 40 AD or so, with varying details. In this version, which according to snopes, has resurged with an uptick in volume, a woman is driving down the road and encounters a hitchhiker. She feels led to pick him up. The hitchhiker says, "the trumpet is at my lip" and then instantly disappears. Shaken, the woman pulls her car to the side of the road. A policeman pulls up behind her and asks if she is okay. She then relays her story to him. He tells her, "you're the fifth person who has told me that today."

There I am, getting chills and thrilling that Jesus is coming to collect us, relieved that the struggles of this life are soon to be over, feeling as though I can fly. I was so excited to tell everyone. Thankfully, I only told one person - I'll be calling her in a couple of hours to retract what I told her.

What do I feel now? Let down for sure. It's tempting to get angry with the person who started the tale, but what good would that do? I could imagine someone laughing at my and others' expense at their little joke. But this is different somehow. I was made vulnerable by my desire and familiarity with the messenger. This presentation came through someone I know and trust, and she heard it from the brother of the woman who claimed that it happened to her. It's hard to know what to think or to do, if anything. Was she deceived? Did it really happen to her as she related to her brother? Who knows? It seems so impossible that it could be true when all of the details of her story fit the urban legend.

Then, after feeling deflated and humbled and embarrassed, I began to remember that God is still God and nothing has changed. I am His and He is mine. He loves me without limit and is always at work for my good. His character is the same, as are His promises. And . . . one day . . . in the not-too-distant future, I will be with Him. And, no urban legend can take that away! Hallelujah!!