God Is Holy

From The Captivating Pressnce by Albert Edward Day

When we say that God is holy, we are not naming an attribute among many others such as love and mercy and wisdom and power. We are attempting to designate something that applies to all his attributes, something that gives them an awesome dimension. We are saying that he is the changeless one. His love never fluctuates; his mercy is inexhaustible; his wisdom cherishes all that is truly good; his power can always be trusted to act redemptively. The supreme wonder and unrivaled glory is that he is all that he is, unchangeably.

"In him is no variableness", is the New Testament assurance.

So we need not speculate what will be his response whenever we turn to him, whether it be from an hour of victory or from a night of defeat; from an act of which we are proud, or from one of which we are heartily ashamed. Our heads may be held high or bent very low. We may come jubilantly to thank him for what he has done or to barely under a faint cry for help. It matters not who we are or where we are, a holy God is a God in whom there is nothing to adulterate or diminish or alter the transcendent qualities which our weakness or our sinfulness need. He is always God. Nothing is ever missing from him if he is to be what all mankind must have to make and keep it truly human on the way to its fulfillment in him. Sometimes the best of us have days when our dearest friend must say, "you are not yourself today". The fact gives them a hard time and sends them away deprived of what they should have from us.

BUT GOD IS ALWAYS GOD. 

Relational Break

I was reading in Genesis 3 this morning and I began to think of the effects of our sinful acts. Of course there are the effects of our sin that are far-reaching, but the immediate effect is a relational break.

Look at the immediate effect of Adam and Eve's sin (vs. 7-8);

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

this is the first relational break that our sin brings about - a relational break between us and God. This break is a wedge that has been driven between God and mankind since the first sin and it still exists today.

Yet, God in His grace, invites us into His presence (vs. 9-11);

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

We are invited to draw close to God, however sin drives us further and further away from His presence. And still, even in the midst of our sin, God calls us back to Himself. In love and grace, God gives us the opportunity to confess our sin to Him and to be reconciled.

However, what we see is more evidence of the relational break that sin brings about (vs. 12);

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

This relational break, this distance that sin puts between us and God - this distance that sin puts between us and the ones we love - it does not have to exist.

God, in His infinite love and grace sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay our sin debt and we no longer have to bear the shame, the guilt, and the pain of our sinful actions.

In the garden God shed blood to cover the shame of Adam and Eve in the Garden (vs. 21);

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

In much the same way Christ Jesus shed His blood on the cross to cover the shame of all of mankind (Isaiah 53:5);

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Let us no longer be separated from God and one another. Christ has paid the price and made communion available to all.

Go And Do Likewise

Last week I wrote about the issue of immigration titled WWJD: Immigration. Since writing this I have been troubled by the issue of immigration but also by the issues going on around the world that we, as Christians living in America, seem to care less about.  

I am still looking to answer questions on what Scriptures say about Christians protecting and providing for their own before we concern ourselves with what is going on with those that are not "our own".  From what I have found thus far, we are not to draw boarders and look out for "our own", but rather we are to love and care for everyone.

This morning I was reading from Luke chapter 10 and I was struck by an account that I have read countless times, the parable of the good Samaritan. The question at the center of this parable; "Who is my neighbor?" Now, the reason this question was asked was that the experts in the law were looking for a way to restrict those they are called to love and to care for. Isn't that what we, as Americans, try to do daily?

You see, the problem is that we have become Americans, yet we have failed to become Christians!

Many Christians in America today need to ask this question; "who is my neighbor". When we ask this question, when we wrestle with this question, when we take this question to Jesus, we would find that His answer would be much the same as it was in Luke 10. The answer to the question of who our neighbor is, then, is anyone we become aware of that has a need, anyone we access to helping with their need, and anyone we have the ability to have mercy on.

But, and I believe this is the biggest issue, the real reason we don't ask the question, "who is my neighbor", is because we already know the answer and we already know that Jesus would call us to "go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).

“Go and do likewise.”

Go, and see the world as Jesus saw the world. Go, and see other people as Jesus saw other people. Go, and love as Jesus loved. Go, and have compassion as Jesus had compassion. Go, and have mercy as Jesus had mercy. Go, and be a neighbor. Go, and do likewise.  

How He Loves (you and me)



David Crowder Band's song "How He Loves" has been out for some time. It expresses the way that God truly feels about His creation, that is you and I. Not only are the lyrics a wonderful portrayal of God's love for us, the analogies used to paint this portrait bring His love for us to life conveying the emotions and power behind His grace, mercy, and love.

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, / Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. / When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, / And I realize just how beautiful You are, / And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh / Oh how He loves us, / How He loves us all  

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, / Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. / When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, / And I realize just how beautiful You are, / And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh, / Oh how He loves us, / How He loves us all

He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize, / Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, / If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking. / And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, / And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, / I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, / When I think about, the way…

That He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves. / Yeah, He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves.

Psalm 23

The 23rd Psalm is a beautiful reminder of who our God is and all the strength, comfort, encouragement, shelter, rest, love, mercy, discipline, forgiveness, guidance, grace, and hope that He gives to our lives.

The danger in a Psalm such as this, one that we become overly familiar with, is that we allow it to become common to us, and thus, it loses meaning in our lives and of our God.

I invite you to read the following Scripture, the 23rd Psalm, pausing to reflect on the words used and the meaning of these words. A journal entry prayer written by King David;

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."