The Presence of Greatness

Today I was having a conversation with someone who said, "Last night was one of the few times that I knew that I was truly in the presence of greatness," when referring to hearing Maya Angelou speak. She said it impacted how she acted, how she thought, how she responded, and how she felt. It caused me to think about the times I've been "in the presence of greatness." I have talked to the Duchess of York, stood within 5 feet of Reba McIntire, cheered for the Titans in LP Field, seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, and heard the Nashville Symphony perform. But all of the talent, wisdom, and character of the figures I thought of pales in comparison to the greatness that I am in the presence of every day. 

Psalm 139:7 says, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?" 

God is always around us all of the time. He is omnipresent.  We should be more than star-struck to know that our all-powerful God is willing to be near us all of the time, always available to speak with us. We need to be ceaselessly thankful for the fact that he didn't just leave us an autograph, but a 66-book-long love letter that teaches us how to live. It should affect how we think and how we act more than being in the presence of any human. We should be more excited to worship and praise our God than we are to praise our favorite performer or athlete. We should constantly acknowledge how blessed we are to always be in the presence of the ultimate greatness.

Deep & Wide

It's the song we sang all the time when I was little. We'd start off class with song & prayer, then go to the Bible story. We'd talk about Jonah, or Noah, or Jesus. But now I'm looking for something deeper.



WRONG.

I think many of us often fall into this "seeking something deeper" mindset. I get caught up in it all the time. Sometimes I feel like I can't bear to hear another retelling of the same stories, the same parables, the same prophecies, and the same miracles. But that's just it. The Bible is deep stuff. It started 6000 years ago and it still hasn't gotten old. There's always more to get out of it & new things to see. Particularly the cross.

We can't get tired of the cross. We can't get tired of the suffering sacrifice of Christ. We can't overlook the gospel because we're looking for something deeper and more profound than what we're used to hearing or reading. But there's nothing deeper than the cross. There's nothing more profound than God sending his son in human form so that he may be the living Word of God and suffer and die in our place so that we don't have to ever experience the separation from God that he experienced.

God's Word is deeper and wider than anything we could ever imagine. Don't give up on it and look for incredible wisdom in the works of man. Don't stop reading it because you think you've gotten everything out of it that you can. What the Bible offers is greater than anything man can think of or anything that man could ever want. So, when we get stuck looking for something deeper, maybe we're just stuck looking in the shallow.

I John 5:9

"If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son."

Lost in Translation

I'm in the process of working on an essay for a scholarship, so when my parents asked what I was doing I said, "analyzing how new media impacts peace around the world." However, what they heard was, "analyzing how nude videos impact pizza around the world." 

In Colossians 4:3-4 Paul says,

"At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison -- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak."

Paul, who has been imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel, prays that he may again share the mystery of Christ. We don't often refer to Christ as a mystery, but that's very much what he is. It is a mystery as to why he created us, knowing that we would disappoint. It is a mystery as to why he would want us to spend eternity in his presence. It is a mystery as to why he humbled himself to such an extent that he became the lowest and most despised of all of his own creation. It is a mystery as to why he lived a perfect life and died so that those far below him may die to an imperfect life and live.

We can't understand why Christ did what he did. That's why it's so hard to explain to those who don't yet believe. We often get bogged down in the confusing facts revolving around the history of Israel, creation, obscure prophecies, and the diverse interpretations of various Scriptures. But Paul tells us to pray for God to make opportunities for us and give us the ability to speak clearly concerning Christ. The Scripture also tells us that we should pray not only for ourselves, but that others may too have doors opened and that they may speak clearly. I Corinthians 14:33 tells us that our God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. God doesn't want us to be confused about what he's saying, and he certainly doesn't want our words to confuse others. If we pray that we may have the opportunity and ability to share God's gospel, and not our often opinion-tainted, humanized version, then we will be able to be filled with and fill others with the clarity that our God provides.

Those Unthankful Jews

I have spent many a Sunday school class condemning the ungrateful Israelites for grumbling in the desert after leaving Egypt. But let's be real- I know few people that can go more than four hours without complaining about being hungry, tired, or hot, much less forty years in a desert. Can you imagine all these people walking across the desert, leaving everything they knew, going to a place they did not know, and unsure of whether they and their children would even survive the journey? From the perspective of most, it seems like they have at least some right to complain. As I read about their journey I think, "God, can't you cut your chosen people a little slack? I mean, they've already been enslaved for qute a few years now and they're wandering in a desert. What on earth are you doing?" Luckily, God tells us exactly what he's doing in Deuteronomy 8.

"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years, Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you."

God knew exactly what he was doing with the Israelites in the wilderness and he knows what he's doing in our lives today. We may struggle and complain and feel that we've got a better idea, but God's always got a master scheme to make us more like Him, draw us closer to him, and ultimately glorify his name throughout his creation. He wants us to rely on him when we face trials so that we may understand that we do not need the things of this world, but we need only our Holy Father to lead us wherever he wants to take us. But even in those hard times we need to remember his infinite blessings, like the food, clothing, and health he gave to the Israelites. God is always in control, he always knows what he's doing, and he never leaves us to fend for ourselves. We need not fear nor complain because God is with us to lead us through trials so that our faith may be strengthened and we may be blessed with the ability to glorify him.

If the Shoe Fits...

Listening to the radio the other day, I heard an advertisement with a girl proclaiming that this particular station, "Fits my lifestyle." That's always what we're looking for. Diets, shoes, friends, furniture, & radio stations are all designed to fit your lifestyle. We like to do the same thing with our religion. Postmodernism tells us that whatever we believe is truth. Society tells us that if it works for us, it's okay. Even under the umbrella of Christianity, there are infinite denominations designed to fit our lifestyles. The bible is clearly against the "all paths to God" view in Ephesians 4 by saying,

"There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

We spend so much time trying to make God and his word fit our lifestyles. We try to make the Bible a practical guide for living that we can twist or redefine to make it mean whatever we want. But that's just not the case. There is nothing practical about carrying our cross to glorify our Creator every day. The Bible does not fit the human lifestyle. So, why do we try so hard to make it fit? Why are we so determined to bring the Bible down to our level? As Isaiah 55 says, "...my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Instead, let us try to make our lifestyles fit the bible. Romans 12:2 says,

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable, and perfect."

Don't conform to the postmodern world by trying to make Christianity fit your way of life, because it won't. Rather we should be making our lives parallel the perfect word, because that's what our God has called us to do.

Faith is the Victory

II Samuel 23:11-12

"And next to [Eleazar] was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory."



Do you ever find yourself in a battle in the middle of a lentil field? Probably not.

But you do fight a battle of faith every day and you'll often find yourself fighting alone. For the most part, we look for the easy way out. When it comes down to your decision to do right or wrong, flight always seems better than fight. At least, that's what Shammah's comrades thought. When they saw something threatening them, they ran. These men left Shammah behind to fight the battle. Shammah stood in the middle of the field and took down every Philistine that came at him by the strength of God.

In this story we look down on the men that ran, but how often do we do the same thing? We spend so much time preparing to fight, but when the time comes, we run. If we're scared or we're not sure what to do, the it seems the best choice  is to run away from it. But Shammah took his stand. Shammah knew that he was going to do the right thing, and he probably made that decision long before the Battle of the Lentil Plot. We need to know what we're going to do in a situation before it occurs. We need to know when we'll say yes & when we'll say no. We need to draw the line before someone tries to cross it. If we do this, we'll be prepared to take a stand for what's right & we won't have to hesitate or question it. And when Shammah chose to do the right thing, he didn't just do it halfway. He stood in the middle of a group of huge Philistine soldiers and killed every one of them. It was probably scary, difficult, and tiring, but he didn't stop until the job was finished. How did Shammah do this?

He relied on the strength of the Lord instead of his own. When we are like the other men who relied only on their own strength, we have every right to run. We can accomplish nothing apart from God. But when Shammah trusted in the all consuming power of God, he "worked a great victory." Shammah didn't just survive, he didn't just win a battle-  through God Shammah destroyed his enemies and gained a great victory.

When we're caught off guard in a lentil field (or anywhere else), it seems easy to run. But instead of running from our battles, let's fight for the name of God and in the name of God. Even when we are at our weakest point and we are all alone, the power of God is greater than any enemy, whether it be society, sin, or any other thing that is not of God. If we choose to take a stand and glorify him, we can overcome all things and achieve a great victory.

A Little Less Talk...

"When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."

Psalm 10:19

This is something I really need to work on, so I will begin here, because God's words will always matter far more than mine.