Tag Archives: God

Knowing God

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Knowing God is more than knowing about Him; it is a matter of dealing with Him as He opens up to you, and being dealt with by Him as He takes knowledge of you. Knowing about Him is a necessary precondition of trusting in Him, but the width of our knowledge about Him is no gauge of our knowledge of Him…What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? To know God. What is the best thing in life? To know God. What in humans gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of himself. – J.I. Packer

Worship Him!

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In the year of  King Uzziah’s death  I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him,  each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,

“ Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the  altar with tongs. 7 He  touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and  your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” (Isaiah 6.1-6 NASB)

A Heart Ready for Worship

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O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

When I remember You  on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63.1-8 NASB)

God’s Constant Compassion

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One day a young man was walking along an isolated road when he heard something like a crying sound. He couldn’t tell for sure what the sound was but it seemed to be coming from underneath a bridge. As he approached the bridge, the sound got louder and  then he saw a pathetic sight. There, lying in the muddy river bed, was a puppy about two months old. It had a gash on its head and was covered with mud. Its fronts legs were swollen where they had been tightly bound with cords.

The young man was immediately moved with compassion and wanted to help the dog, but as he approached, the crying stopped and the dog snarled his lip and started to growl. But the young man did not give up. He sat down and started gently talking to the dog. It took a long time but eventually the dog stopped growling and the man was able to inch forward and eventually touch the dog and begin unwrapping the tightly bound cord. The young man carried the dog home, cared for its wounds, gave it food and water and a warm bed. Even with all this, the dog continued to snarl and growl every time the young man approached. But the young man did not give up.

Weeks went by and the man continued caring for the puppy. Then one day, as the young man approached, the dog wagged its tail. Consistent love and kindness had won and a lifelong friendship of loyalty and trust began.

Romans 2.4 asks the questions, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” God has been reaching out to you for your entire life. He desperately wants to set you free from the prison of sin, heal all your wounds, bring you into His family, and provide for your every need; however, your rejection of Him is just like the snarling dog. God is faithful and will continue to offer you an eternal relationship, but you must accept His call.

Will you continue to reject and despise His offering of grace, or will you confess and repent of your sinfulness, place your faith in Jesus’ finished work, and then become a child of God?

Source: Stories For The Heart, Multnomah, Alice Gray, 108.

Is the Savior Calling?

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I can still remember struggling for several months with the inner turmoil that God was calling me to something more. I was actively serving in the church, visiting those who were looking for a church, and sharing the good news of Jesus with others as I went about my day. Yet I still had this feeling of discontent. I remember saying, “There has to be more to Christianity than this. I just feel like I am missing something.”

Eventually I sat down with my pastor and shared with him what I was feeling. He gave me the opportunity to teach at our church’s Wednesday night Bible study. Preaching that one simple study changed my life. Within the next five years I went from being a manager of a shoe store, to a missionary in Brazil, to a student at a Bible college, a youth minister, and then senior pastor of a church.

Being able to slowly work through the holy discontent of being called to more in my Christian walk is a comfort and memory I will cherish for the rest of my days. I never thought I would be able to pastor a church or write sermons that would help others grow in their spiritual journey into Christ-likeness. In truth, I was right! It has been over twenty-two years since I stood in the pulpit to preach for the first time, and were it not for Christ equipping me to carry out all that He called me to do I would never have been able to accomplish anything for His kingdom. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15.5).

What is Jesus calling you toward today? Is it to be more disciplined in your daily walk? Does He want you to be a more vocal witness? Is He opening doors for you to be a leader to others in your local church? Is He calling you to spend some time on a mission trip? Or, is He calling you to Christian ministry? If you are experiencing a holy discontent with your current Christian walk or calling take time to visit with your pastor. Share with him about your feelings. You never know where one conversation will lead you. The conversation I had led me to writing this blog post twenty-two years later!

Thank you Jesus!