Over the past few weeks one thing has come around time and again in my reading the Bible. I have found myself reading Scriptures that I have read probably hundreds of times in various forms, and yet, they seem brand new, and I find something else every time I return. One Scripture that I have been reading the past few weeks is Proverbs 20:27, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all His innermost parts." Ok fair enough...but consider...in the Hebrew spirit is literally breath. So, "The breath of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all His innermost parts." That presents a very real picture. To think that the every time we take a breath, the Lord is searching our hearts, our thoughts...and yet it is so true. Our breath is constant, it is our source of life...God knows our every innermost thought, constantly. He is always with us, always by our side, we can do nothing apart from Him. He is the Source and Giver of life, He is our All.
"Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside His mind from us, has us always before His eyes; and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadul to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring us countless benefits: hence it is a choice delight to remember them. The Lord always did think upon His people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their slavation is secured; He always will think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us - we never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows He observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes Him; in our toils He marks all our weariness, and writes in His book all the struggles of His faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organisation is uncared for; all the littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God. Dear reader, is this precious to you? Then hold to it. Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinketh upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore."
-Charles Hadden Spurgeon
18.9.05
11.9.05
A Purposeful God
Well, it has been way too long since I have updated. As most of you know I have begun my freshman year at Gardner-Webb University and it has definetly been a roller coaster ride the past few weeks. I am overcome by the grace and mercy of God at every corner and at every turn. As I look around, God's hand is evident in every aspect, and I feel so blessed that He has lead me to this place. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
One thing that has really struck me the most as I come into my first month here at school is an acute realization in the purposefulness and Sovereignty of God. From 7th. grade through my senior year, I was taught many lessons, big ideas, the "so what" answers to everything, and though I heard them, learned them, and was awed by them, those lessons were not necessarily a real part of my life. Now, I can honestly say that the past few weeks have been the most intense experience of those lessons being fleshed out in the day to day. Day by day, I am able to draw upon those lessons that I learned, helping me stay focused in my walk with God. One of the main things that I am thankful for is the idea that was over every aspect of my education...that God is a purposeful God, He is Sovereign, He sits on the throne, He rules in the affairs of men and nations, He is Lord over ALL! Over these past weeks, I have found myself connecting ideas and drawing from my six years in school, realizing that those years have truly ruined me, transformed me, and shaken my world forever. I can no longer look at history without searching for God's purpose. I can no longer look at my life and not see His hand working, molding, and shaping me with His mercy, grace, and lovingkindness. At school we were expected to think, to take the ideas that were given us and to measure, decipher, and wrestle them into our belief system. We toiled long hours over thesis papers and projects, shedding blood, sweat, and tears...yet at that moment, though we could not see the great work that was being done in our lives, through accomplishing those tasks, through reaching those standards, through wrestling those ideas, we were becoming the people that God has created us to be. As youth, we were thought of as strange by our peers and others, we were thought of as different, and what I have realized is that we were different, very different, because we had an intense realization of God's Hand across time. In being different, we are called to draw others to be distinctive, to be peculiar, to look beyond life's present circumstances to realize the greater purpose of life, it is our destiny, it is our calling. We are creatures, created to worship and glorify our Creator. Whether we do this in our home, in our community, or at larger scale out in the world, the praising of His Name is our sole purpose and calling. Through the trials and tribulations, through the joyful celebrations, whatever the circumstances, may we glorify the Lord above all.
Take joy, take faith, and take hope, He is a purposeful God.
One thing that has really struck me the most as I come into my first month here at school is an acute realization in the purposefulness and Sovereignty of God. From 7th. grade through my senior year, I was taught many lessons, big ideas, the "so what" answers to everything, and though I heard them, learned them, and was awed by them, those lessons were not necessarily a real part of my life. Now, I can honestly say that the past few weeks have been the most intense experience of those lessons being fleshed out in the day to day. Day by day, I am able to draw upon those lessons that I learned, helping me stay focused in my walk with God. One of the main things that I am thankful for is the idea that was over every aspect of my education...that God is a purposeful God, He is Sovereign, He sits on the throne, He rules in the affairs of men and nations, He is Lord over ALL! Over these past weeks, I have found myself connecting ideas and drawing from my six years in school, realizing that those years have truly ruined me, transformed me, and shaken my world forever. I can no longer look at history without searching for God's purpose. I can no longer look at my life and not see His hand working, molding, and shaping me with His mercy, grace, and lovingkindness. At school we were expected to think, to take the ideas that were given us and to measure, decipher, and wrestle them into our belief system. We toiled long hours over thesis papers and projects, shedding blood, sweat, and tears...yet at that moment, though we could not see the great work that was being done in our lives, through accomplishing those tasks, through reaching those standards, through wrestling those ideas, we were becoming the people that God has created us to be. As youth, we were thought of as strange by our peers and others, we were thought of as different, and what I have realized is that we were different, very different, because we had an intense realization of God's Hand across time. In being different, we are called to draw others to be distinctive, to be peculiar, to look beyond life's present circumstances to realize the greater purpose of life, it is our destiny, it is our calling. We are creatures, created to worship and glorify our Creator. Whether we do this in our home, in our community, or at larger scale out in the world, the praising of His Name is our sole purpose and calling. Through the trials and tribulations, through the joyful celebrations, whatever the circumstances, may we glorify the Lord above all.
Take joy, take faith, and take hope, He is a purposeful God.
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