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      http://www.turniphdpubs.byethost32.com/page26.html

The ‘Curmudgeon’ God
                  ["What we think about God is the most important thing about us!"  Chas. Swindoll]

     If there is a God, He must be a crusty cantankerous old man–the ultimate curmudgeon of sorts; a real killjoy! With all of His rules, laws, restrictions and prohibitions, He must be out to spoil our enjoyment of life. Why can’t He just leave us alone so we can get on with our lives and really learn to enjoy living, free to do whatever we want?! Why is He so determined to ruin our fun? Does He derive some sadistic pleasure or satisfaction putting roadblocks or obstacles in our way while we struggle to live life? What is it with Him, anyway?

     Are you not a believer? Are you not sure that God exists? My advice to you is to follow His decrees anyway! Several years ago I became acquainted with an agnostic. His wife was undergoing surgery. As a result, Doug and I spent some time together in the hospital’s cafeteria and talked. He had gotten caught up in a business that emphasized PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). As we ended our conversation, I gave him a piece of advice. I said, "Now Doug, I know you are not sure that God exists, but regardless of whether He exists or not, let me suggest that you spend some time reading the Bible and particularly, the book of Philippians. It is full of practical PMA ideas that you will be able to use." He took my advice and became very excited about the things he was learning from a book that he considered to be written merely by human beings.  

     It’s a good idea to live a life in line with the Scriptures. Generally speaking, the person in the best position to know what a finely designed and well built piece of equipment can or cannot do is the person who builds it. During the Apollo 13 mission to the moon commandeered by James Lovell, the space capsule that was to carry its crew of three to and from the moon, was severely damaged shortly after takeoff by an onboard explosion. What began as a mission to the moon soon became a campaign of survival as the people at Cape Kennedy struggled to get these astronauts back home alive. The Lunar Module (LM) became critical to their survival. The people of Grumman Aerospace Corporation who designed and built the LM knew it inside and out. They knew what the LM could and could not do. And so under their guidance, the engineers of NASA were able to modify the lander so that it could eventually be used as a ‘lifeboat’ to ferry the men safely back to earth.

      Living the way God wants us to live is the best way to live!--Not because it somehow soothes the feelings of a crotchety cranky old God. Consider the words of David;

     God knows us inside and out--because He made each one of us. He knows what we are made of. He intimately knows our inner workings. He understands our tolerances and recognizes well, our limitations.

     He knows what works and what doesn’t. God realizes what we need and what we don’t need, even though it may be what we most want. He is very much aware of what’s good for us and what is not.

 
                                                               Image by Justin Lowery      http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/deed.en

     When we fail to see the heart--the great  heart of compassion in our God, we fail to see Him--to see Him as He really is! And so, be good. Do what is right. Obey God. Listen to what He says. Because after all is said and done, you will find that that is indeed the best way to live. You will be richly blessed!--And, you will give Him the very great pleasure of welcoming you into His lovely home.
                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                         Background image by Will Hume      http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

[The idea for this post comes from Steve Brown’s 15 min. radio program KeyLife aired 5 days each week-Excellent!]

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What happens when God is magnified? Certainly He does not get larger. And yet when we allow ourselves to learn more and more about Him and begin to get the ‘bigger picture’ of what He is about and who He is, our perceptions and awareness of Him almost literally explode with comprehension— even deep appreciation and awe.

God is magnified when we allow ourselves to see Him as He truly is. And in the moment of seeing Him as He is, we see ourselves as we truly are, and for the first time understand! (Psalm 73:15-7) It’s not at all about us and never has been. All of the schemes and small-minded games that we play in our lives begin to ring hollow and tarnish upon closer examination. It becomes crystal clear that it’s all about Him and what He has in mind for us!

Some important questions--Why isn’t all of this clearer to people? Why can’t we understand all of this? Why can’t we comprehend just how very important this is? Why do people not have a clear view of God?

The answer to all of this?--The primary reason comes down to this: God is not being magnified in and through our lives as He ought. It is our responsibility to exalt Him, to lift Him up in our lives, to make it clear that He is the most important reality of our lives by the way in which we live. As Jesus said;

That’s Magnification! One of the best ways to magnify, enlarge, exalt and glorify Yahweh God is to permit Him to cultivate a spirit of gratitude within us. In part this is accomplished by allowing our eyes to be opened to what He is willing to do (and is in fact, doing) in our lives and in the world around us. Awareness to all of this is vital in the development of a thankful heart that makes this magnification possible.

Solomon was charged with the task of building Yahweh God’s temple in Jerusalem. His father, David, who prepared all of the plans and assembled the vast materials to be incorporated into this magnificent building, stated that it would house the ark of the covenant as a footstool–A foot stool for the Almighty God of Heaven (I Chronicles 28:2). Once the ark of the covenant had been brought to its place in this massive awe-inspiring structure upon its completion, the place was so filled with a cloud that the priests, were unable to complete their priestly duties (I Kings 8:1-11). It wasn’t because the temple was full of smoke, but rather the place was thoroughly inundated with the majesty, splendor and glory of God so that they could not accomplish their work. The God who literally fills the universe with His majesty, glory and wisdom imbued and permeated His house with utter magnificence.

Our God is invisible to the natural eye. But He is real. He is big. He is awesome. He is resplendent in glory. And it is appropriate that He be magnified so that all can see Him as He truly is!

     [The thoughts presented in this post were prompted by Bruce Davidson’s devotional remarks at Pleasant Hill Church Spring of 2009]

Yahweh God and His Messiah, Jesus Christ are widely despised, disparaged and discounted; publically ignored (if at all possible) by the world, the news media and the powers that be. Before his speech at Georgetown University this Spring, the president elect insisted that all Christian religious symbols above and behind his speaking lectern be covered or removed. As recently as this May, the National Day of Prayer (which was originally established by congress fifty six years ago) was all but ignored.

It is politically incorrect to pray in the name of Jesus in many places. Attempts have been made (sometimes successfully) to exclude Him from places and events that at one time welcomed (or at least tolerated) Him. All mention of Jesus, His teaching and religious displays/depictions of anything related to Him are prohibited in both public and governmental venues. More and more He is being excised from our consciousness in the name of ‘religious toleration’.

People appear to be deeply offended when Jesus is referred to as ‘the Way’- The only Way. Those who would simply repeat the words of Jesus: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. . ." are bitterly marked as right wing religious bigots and hate mongers.

The only conclusion to be reached is that Jesus is becoming less and less welcome in our culture. In every realm He is being edged out. Our society is doing its very best to ignore and/or marginalize Him to its most obscure place.

But that has not stopped God!  He knew full well in advance that His entrance into the world, for the most part, would not be welcomed (cf. Ps.118:22-3 & Isa.53:). Despite the rejection, ". . . This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good the bad, the nice and the nasty" (Matthew 5:45 [MSG]). "God. . . gives generously to all [Emphasis Mine] without finding fault. . . . For every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights . . . ." (James 1:5 & 16).

We live in difficult economic times in which the powers-that-be have decided that ‘stimulus funds’ are the best option to guard our nation and its people against a serious recession or even economic depression. Billions upon billions of dollars have been disbursed to banks, troubled businesses and other organizations and agencies that supposedly need ‘bailouts’. And despite being ‘awash’ in government funds and the oppressively burdensome debt that has followed, the expected economic recovery is still in doubt. Things have just not worked out according to plan. The next governmental ‘fix’ will likely involve throwing even more good money after bad.

Do you know, however that Yahweh God had His own ‘stimulus plan’?  It is not a one time infusion of billions of dollars to ‘jump start’ the economy. Rather His ‘stimulus plan’ is a yearly long term package. It has been in place and functioning year after year after year for many many years. Helping our national economy, however, was not foremost in His mind when He inaugurated this plan. It was never His primary goal. All I know is that by the mere fact of His action, the American economy has been profoundly affected on an ongoing basis, annually.

It has been well documented that American businesses receives up to 30% of their income annually during the holidays. It is the time during which the Christian community at large celebrates the coming of Jesus into this world as a helpless baby. Can you imagine how the economy would be affected, had Yahweh God, being completely aware that the world would rebuff Him and His Messiah, had reacted by not sending His Son to born of a virgin?

Or, after the fact, recognizing His error, God in His sovereignty somehow withdrew  this promised blessing and in some fashion, made America’s customary celebration an impossibility (of course the whole idea of God erring is a ludicrous blasphemy against the Sovereign God)? Many in our culture have arrogantly shouted at the top of their lungs: "We don’t need  you! Get out of our lives--our world!" Why should it surprise anyone if that’s exactly what He did?! After all the abuse and garbage that gets dumped on Him day in and day out in these United States, who could blame Him? What if He did what we  would do under similar circumstances? Couldn't you imagine Him snorting: "Ok if that's the way you want it, I quit!  I’m gonna take My marbles and go home!!"

Would losing a third of its annual income have any effect on an already stressed economy? Would it influence the stock market at all? Would anyone notice or miss that amount of loss? Would the nation be thrown into a panic?  Can you imagine the devastation of the ensuing collapse of our whole economic system on the heels of this sudden non-event?

It pleases and brings great comfort to me when I consider what Hosea had to say about the great God of Heaven; 

                                                 

God is not human like us. His response to our insensitivity and outright snubs toward Him is not a ‘knee jerk’ reaction. Though He is slow to anger--exceedingly patient toward His creation, He is also a consuming fire, not to be trifled with by continually refusing and ignoring His goodness and mercy. Though it is unthinkable, our great nation may be on the precipice of total obliteration. In large measure, we have turned our backs on Him--Can we afford to have Him turn His back on us?

As it is, give thanks to God that He is not at all like us. Despite the utter rejection and disdain continually heaped upon Him, God in His almighty power and sovereignty chooses to; 
                                                            

Today, "Taste and see that the Lord [is truly] good" (Ps.34:80), because after everything is said and done, He really is!

[Below is an excerpt from "The Gospel Serum", an essay from my book If Our Hearts Condemn Us. . .Will God?— ‘Click’ the link to read the complete piece]: 
   http://www.turniphdpubs.byethost32.com/page20.html

Serum used in vaccines against diseases like polio, smallpox and diphtheria must contain an element of the disease to be effective in preventing those illnesses.  Often broken, hurt and alienated lives experience healing and wholeness only when they are exposed to an element of that same hurt, brokenness and alienation as it is observed in the lives of sinners like themselves, who are experiencing the gracious redemptive work of Christ. 

Paul, a sinful human being, lived openly and boldly. His lifestyle was both dangerous and threatening.  He freely acknowledged his human frailty, admitting his total inability to live up to the holy requirements of God’s righteousness revealed in his own preaching and teaching.  He said; "I am the least of the Apostles and do not even deserve to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect."

Paul’s personal profile in Romans 7: included a whole array of unflattering remarks: 

  * "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin"

  * "I do not know what I am doing ("My behavior baffles me" [Phillip’s translation])

  * "As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me"

  * "I know that nothing good lives within me"

  * "I have a desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" 

  * "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

In a matter of ten verses of Scripture, Paul gave his enemies all the ammunition they could ever have wanted.  By stripping away all the masks of his life, Paul permitted people to look deeply within to see him as he truly was. This had the effect of focusing his readers’ attention on what was truly the most important reality of his life. 

Paul exposed himself to the real threat of censure and condemnation from the ‘squeaky clean’ Judaizers. But Paul recognized that there was a critical need for transparency among believers because he recognized their tremendous need for healing and wholeness did not end with their conversion experience with Jesus.

This was his way of emulating the life of Jesus .

              
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