Smallest are Greatest

I'm on vacation with my family right now in Breckenridge, Colorado. I love going on this vacation every year not because I get a week off of school, or even that I get to rest in general, although those things are great aspects of taking this trip. The main reason that I so love Colorado is that I can walk outside and I can view God's landscape:

Such as at Lake Dylan,

Or looking out from my condo's patio,

These awing landscapes make one thing clear to me:

As great as I make myself, as much money as I get or whatever title I achieve in my future job, I will remain a speck compared to the rest of creation.

Seriously, I have a hard time accepting that people in the world can get so wrapped up in the concerns of their lives and their problems, and everything having to do with them, when they are but a raindrop in a downpour. It doesn't matter how fancy our electronics get or how many gigabytes we can store on one hard drive; it has no importance how fast our cars go or how far we can see into space; in the end, we are still so small compared to the work of God's hands.

"For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field" Psalm 103:14

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" James 4:14

He who makes the sun rise and the earth spin; made heat and cold; light and dark; gravity and friction; He who left His mark on our bodies with Laminin, who limits our lives with genomes; who created genes and molecules and blood; He who created time and logic and thought and emotions... That this person, this Immovable Mover, would love me... that instills in me a God-given feeling of belonging.

Nothing else in this world can make me feel like I belong to someone like my relationship to God. The closest we can get is the intimate relationship between husband and wife, which in and of itself is a fogged mirror of the relationship that God offers.

Who else can unlock my heart as God does? Who else can look into my heart of hearts and understand what is going on? Who else speaks in the whispers of the winds and shows Himself in the sunrise? What other person would create a universe so expanse, and place a man, made in His image, on a single planet and use that man to work out His plan?

This, then, is the reason that I so love the outdoors and being alone in nature. When I sit in the quiet and view God's workmanship, I hear through the silence God's calling to me to come and belong. I find strength in silence not because I strengthen myself, but because I hear God's voice through silence and through the vision of His amazing craft.

So, the reason why I love going to Colorado or going out into the woods or sitting by a creek or taking a long walk is because each time I do, I come back with a renewed feeling that I belong to God.

When I am trampled by this world, I withdraw to a quiet place just as Jesus did; often times, I don't even pray, I simply quiet my voice, my mind, and my heart, so that I can listen to God.

Through these times, I am being transformed into a firmer reflection of Christ, which is all I desire for this life.

"Be Unto Your Name" by Gary Sadler and Lynn DeShazo:

We are a moment, You are forever 
Lord of the Ages, God before time 
We are a vapor, You are eternal 
Love everlasting, reigning on high 

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty 
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain 
Highest praises, honor and glory 
Be unto Your name, be unto Your name 

We are the broken, You are the healer 
Jesus, Redeemer, mighty to save 
You are the love song we'll sing forever 
Bowing before You, blessing Your name 

The Testimony of Creation

Whenever I begin to lose the awareness of God's importance and magnitude in my life, there is one thing that continually reminds me of the awe-demanding power of God. Every time I observe the heavens - the clouds, stars, sun and moon - I am reminded of my utter smallness in the universe; I am reminded of my "cosmic specialness." That God would create a massive universe, the ends of which we have not discovered, despite our state of technology, and within that universe he would place a small planet, suspended in space, held in perfect harmony with the rest of creation so as to support the life of his children, is purely astounding to me.

I cannot look at the sky and convince myself that it all happened by chance. I cannot support than the 6 billion people on earth are here purely by accident. In the same way that I do not find a watch on the sidewalk and wonder "what elements had to combine to create this", but instead wonder "who's hands created such a marvel," I look upon the earth and the heavens and cannot fight my natural instinct to afford such a marvel to Someone's hands. The natural imprint of people (especially children) is to credit wonders such as creation to a Maker; I hear children ask "Who made the world."

The sun and the moon have worked more in my heart than many teachings or studies that I have observed. Silently, their light has moved my heart to much extent and has solidified much of my faith. When I look on the sun in the day, I am reminded of the blazing glory of the Creator, and how he cannot be contained or boxed in, for his power is too great; when I look on the moon, I am quietly humbled and reminded that my life may be small, but I have been called to fulfill a purpose great enough to be noticed by the Creator of the universe.

Regardless of how small I may be, how clumsy my words, or how broken my spirit, I know one thing: that I have been called to be a child of the great Creator, who crafted the universe to reflect his glory, and placed his children in a small part of it to rule. Who am I to reject this call? I, a little man on a small planet in a huge universe; one of 7 billion. I am not the smartest, or the strongest, or the wisest, or the holiest, but the Great Calling can be fulfilled by me, as well as every other person.

Great rewards await those who will answer the call.

Will you?

Continue the Pursuit

I am blessed as a pursuer of Christ to be surrounded by a group of brothers, sisters, and fellow believers who each possess an individual spark of every characteristic that I want to be known for when I become a leader; whether it be patience, kindness, clear-headedness, reliance on prayer, knowledge of the Scriptures, or any other of the multitude.

These people act as examples for me in that one specific area - they usually don't know it, and I usually don't tell them, but I look up to them secretly and silently. Those people may be reading this post, and if you are, then I deeply thank you for being the example that you have been, and I would encourage you to continue the fight and keep in it - for you stand as an example for many people (who you may never know about.)

Not only do I thank you, but I would give a commission: we who stand as examples must seek to refine each and every part of our lives in order to remain standing as a mirror of the One to come. For our example can be used by the Lord even without our conscious effort to bring both the lost and the believer closer to Him.

We do not know how many the Lord has affected through us, but I pray that we would never forget that it is not just the evangelism that we ourselves consciously do that affect the people around us, but also the unintentional testimony that is given through our lives. Lifestyle evangelism provides a solid starting base for a new believer to begin pursuing Christ, and it also gives fellow believers comradeship and encouragement while they run the race.

Pursue the Spirit and uphold a God-pleasing life in every aspect, for you do not know the number of those who are looking up to you.

Refined by Love

I think that as I am refined by God in my pursuit of His heart, my heart for His people is slowly being redefined and renewed. When I see a person making so many mistakes, and I can clearly see their drifting away, my heart breaks for them, and I see just a glimpse of the sadness that God has for His children.

The situation is made clearer to me every day - I see with greater shame the fact that God sent His Son to earth and went through the horror of tearing a piece out of the Godhead in order to save us. And yet, at the same time, I feel an equally strong feeling of thankfulness and love for this Father who loved me enough to do all of that. Every day, it seems like, I see or hear about another one of His children rejecting this amazing sacrifice and pursuing the world. Every time it seems to hit harder and deeper in my soul. I feel a terrible anguish for the people around me.

I am in the process of writing a paper for one of my classes. It is on the subject of Hell and its necessity, and how it can be balanced against the idea of a loving and caring God. As I study the horrors of Hell and the reality that is portrayed in the Bible, it further makes my heart cry for a change - I so desire for they whose souls (and bodies) will burn in anguish in a literal, eternal, dark fire for all of eternity for the simple reason that they could have, should have accepted the message of God.

I have always prayed for God to reveal Himself to me and to form me to Himself. I believe that He is beginning to do that - starting, perhaps, by creating in my a deep love for His people and a great longing for them to be reconciled to Him. I pray now that this would continue - that I would always be refined to greater purity and greater love, that I may show only a glimmer of the Light.

Great Minds Occupied On Little Things

I was having a discussion with my accountability group, and the subject turned to the matter of what was preoccupying our minds and inhabiting our thoughts the majority of the time. We all spoke of what we were concerning with, worried about, and thoughtful of. When it came to my turn to speak, I told the group of men about the thing(s) that had been occupying my thoughts of late - thoughts of God and of theology, of religion and the difference between Christianity and other religions, that is to say, love. 

     

One of the men in my group then told me that, had he not known me as well as he did, he would not have believed me when I told him that I thought about God in my free time. While I deeply appreciate his honesty, and even more so his concern with my spiritual state, I can't help but feel saddened that thinking often about God has become something that is so rare that people don't believe you when you tell them that you are preoccupied with thoughts about God. 

   

  God created us with a supercomputer in our heads - something that can do anything from complex equations to figuring out how to change the oil in your car; you can create a beautiful work of art, and then turn around and set the table, simply because God gave you a mind that can both complete simple tasks and also consider complex and abstract ideas. The human mind has more capability than the greatest computers that we have created (using our minds). Why then, are we so preoccupied with unimportant, irrelevant issues?

     

What should I wear? What should we have for lunch? Who will I date? When will the world end? What style of music should we play in church? We become so consumed by irrelevant things that have no real importance to your life (meaning your eternal life), that we lose sight of the bigger picture. We get so concerned about the world that we forget about the Kingdom. We get so worried about tomorrow that we forget about today. We wake up ten years later and wonder how we got to be the apathetic, stale Christian that we are. 

    

 As a person who hates to waste time, I simply don't understand how people can take the precious time that they've been given and use it thinking about unimportant things - things that we should really put into God's hands, or that shouldn't be put into anyone's hands at all! 

We spend our time pondering questions that have objective answers - simple, universal answers that give us a direct instruction - and we try and label them with a subjective answer, where we say "I'll wear clothes that honor Christ, but what color and style should they be?" or "I know Martha has a deep relationship with Christ, but Mary says she's a Christian, and God made me more attracted to Blondes than Brunettes, so I'll date Mary."

My goodness, why are we concerned about those issues when there is the issue of starving kids in Africa who need care; homeless people in your hometown who need prayer. How can we be so concerned about the little things and miss the huge issues in our lives? Why are there Christians who graduate high school but don't know the books of the Bible? Why are there people that ask for a pastor while they are on their deathbed, because none of us went and talked to them beforehand? 

Why do we miss out on all the opportunities that God has placed before us? 

In the end, it is because we would rather spend our hours watching t.v., playing games, and shopping rather than sitting down and meditating on the Bible. We would rather think about nothing than think about the Everything. 

What would happen if we all spent a little time thinking about God in our everyday lives? (On some day other than Sunday)

Our Shield, Our Brace

I want to feel your love, your pain as you rode upon the tree

The death, the life of the ever-risen King

We now arise with the armor of the Lord

Our Sword, our Shield, we’re marching as to war

Hear now our shout as it rises to the sky

“Your will, not ours,” may it ever be our cry

“Raise swords for the Lord for His victory is nigh.

“Sing loud, strike hard – give the Lord your very heart.”

As the earth fades away, we will look upon His face

We stand before the Lord, and we lean on Christ, our Brace

All light come around, for His eyes are like the sun

We cry “Oh Lord, ‘fore your Glory we’re undone!”

Calling out as we fall, “Mercy, mercy, Lord!

“Be our Savior and our Shield, protecting sevenfold

“We are nothing but a vapor; a darkened flash of light

“Silent echoes, misty waters to your glory blazing bright

“To the Lord be the glory! To our Master be the praise!

“We give you all our will, to the ending of our days

“Lord, you are our fortress, standing strong and true

“The heavens bow before, and belong to none but you

“Bring us to your throne; set us at your feet

“Take our body, soul, and strength as we fall before your seat

“With the angels, hear our cry, ‘Glory be our Lord’s!’

“To the Father, to the Son, to the Spirit evermore!”

With a touch, and a breath, He will grasp us infinite

Bringing close our new hearts to Burning Holiness

Breath fresh our new breath, we will soar in Christ alone

Eternally, we are free, in Father, Spirit, Son!

The Centrality of the Cross

As I walk further into my relationship with Christ, I cannot help but continuously be drawn closer and more intimately into his ever-gracious arms, resting in Him alone and pursuing His will alone. Admittedly, I have daily occurrences where I find myself following my own interests and failing to take into account the presence of God, and the commitment that I made when I devoted my life to Christ; that I would pursue Him, making the Cross the centrality of my faith and my life. 

The ever-increasing regularity of Christ within my thoughts has begun to overtake my typical way of thinking; no longer do I immediately jump to the benefit that I can reap from the situations that I find myself in; the divine conspiracy has begun to unravel within my mind, spreading like a welcomed disease. All manners of selfishness have come under attack by the cross of Christ; His death and resurrection; His atonement and salvation are now found in the background of all my thoughts. 

When I am suddenly overcome by the world; when my broken relationships and my daunting future looms above me, I have but to escape to my refuge, trusting in Him to offer the manner by which to approach the impossible future. When I am caught breathless by my inability to accomplish the future that I am pursuing, I have only to remember the infinite grace that is offered to me by He who was so gracious to come and die in my place. Not I be benefited, but Christ. 

Too many people lose sight of the impossible sacrifice that was made for us, that an all-powerful deity, who made the earth and dwells in a Kingdom that is purely perfect, would leave that Kingdom and come to the sin-tainted earth for the simple end of bringing His followers to his Kingdom. A perfect being in a perfect place came to an imperfect world to die as a perfect sacrifice to bring imperfect people to Him. This is impossible! It does not make sense! So why did Christ do it?

Because love changes everything. 

The love of God, His infinite and perfect love, gives an explanation for the actions of Christ on the world. God loved us enough to take all the sins of the world upon Himself - the Son was separated from the Father - for the first and only time, for the simple purpose of delivering us to Him. How could we ever cease to have this as the center of our thoughts?

The Sovereign came and died for us, and we think so highly of ourselves to give him two days a week and an occasional "thank you" prayer, while sectioning off the rest of our lives to benefit ourselves. I am of course the worst at this - I struggle every day to replace myself with Christ, but I pray that even through my struggles toward selflessness God would work His will and His plan, furthering the Kingdom and working His hand in the world. 

May we never forget the improbable, impossible sacrifice that Christ performed; may it ever be the center of our thoughts and the sole purpose of our interests.