Seeing God in 3D

My wife and I were at a zoo several years ago and we were watching an ape play around in his cage. Well, he was actually eating his own feces but I won’t get into that too much.

While we watched the ape an older couple standing next to us started to talk about how amazing our ancestors were and how much we had evolved. My wife and I chuckled toward each other after hearing them talk. We don’t believe that humans evolved from monkeys so we thought it was kind of humorous as we all watched the feces eating ape play around in his cage.

A while back I wrote about how two are better than one. I referenced a study where it was proven that having two nostrils allow your sense of smell to perform some amazing things. It is also true of your eyesight and I want to relate all this to how we should be studying the scriptures.

YOUR PHYSICAL EYESIGHT

Each of your eyes are like a mini super-high resolution video camera. Each eye takes full motion video footage in sync with the other eye and feeds it into your computer, a.k.a. your brain. Each eye has a unique angle that it takes in footage. In your brain the images from each camera/eye are meshed together to create stunning 3D “real-time” video footage. Using this footage your brain can judge height, width, depth, and a host of other attributes about the objects that you are looking at.

Now take away one of your eyes by covering it up. You lose the 3D image and your senses are affected by the lack of information from the closed eye. Try to walk around with only one eye or better yet try to drive your car with only one eye. It suddenly becomes hard to operate without the complete 3D images being fed to your brain.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says that “Two are better than one”. We can see this principle everywhere we look. Two eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs of two as well. So, we can come to the conclusion that our eyesight is extremely enhanced when both eyes are fully operational and functioning in sync with one another.

YOUR SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT

When we study the scriptures we need to remember this principle as well. It is easy to read one scripture and form an opinion about what it is telling us. But we cannot see the object in full “3D” unless we look at it from all sides. So, we have to look at other scriptures that deal with the same subject/object.

When we put each of these “views” of the scripture together we will begin to see a 3D object take shape. We will begin to understand the depth, width, and height of the Word of God. As all these scriptures begin to mesh together we will begin to see a beautiful vivid picture and behold the beauty of God through His Word.

It’s easy to ignore scriptures that we do not understand or that do not fit into our “image” of what we think God should look like. I believe this could fall into a form of idolatry if we are not careful. God is who He is and we cannot form or fashion Him into what we think He should look like. Rather we should carefully examine all the scripture making sure that harmony is achieved in all things.

My wife played the flute in the High School band. I think the flute is a pretty sounding instrument even when played all by itself. However, there are some instruments that when played alone create nothing but irritating noises. When these instruments are joined with the entire orchestra beautiful music is created. So are some scriptures. If you proclaim them alone they will not be of any use to anyone except for irritation. We must strive to harmonize all the scriptures together. After all we as Christians believe that there are no contradictions in the Bible, right?

CONCLUSION

If we understand a scripture to mean one thing and our “view” contradicts with other scriptures then WE have created the contradiction and must change our “view” in order to see properly what God wants us to see. We have one eye covered and cannot/will not see completely.

Pride tends to distort our vision since we as people do not like to be wrong. Because of this we will hold to a contradicting opinion as if it were truth. The whole while God is trying to bring us to see the beautiful 3D image of His Word. We only do this by using both of our eyes.

Make it a point when you study the scripture to abandon all your own pre-conceived ideas. Open both eyes widely and allow all the scriptures to present you with a beautiful 3D image of the Word of God.

God’s Master Craftsman

This morning I was studying Proverbs chapter 8. This chapter brings out some amazing imagery about wisdom. In verse 22 Solomon tells us that wisdom was one of Gods first creations, even before the very creation of the earth.

Then verses 30-31 tell how wisdom was like a craftsman at Gods side during creation. Using this ‘wisdom’ that God created He created all things as we know it. Wow, what a thought. I am thinking about Isaiah 55:9.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Our age has seen a tremendous increase in knowledge and wisdom yet this type of wisdom (earthly) is only a word out of the mouth of God. We can’t even begin to imagine the true wisdom of God.

Through reading this chapter we can conclude that the principles of wisdom are built into the very structure of the creation. Solomon had a unique way of teaching wisdom. One way he did this was using animals that God created like the ant. He looked at creation as being full of wisdom.

In high school I took wood shop for a few years and learned to make furniture. To this day when I am looking at furniture I always look at how it was made. I can understand a lot about the craftsmen that made a particular piece of furniture just by looking at his/her work. I am only a novice at woodworking but I can still understand things about the craftsman.

We can also learn about wisdom simply by looking at Gods creation, because it was made using a craftsman created by God called wisdom.

What Are Your Default Settings?

Every electronic device that is made has default settings that are stored into it’s memory. Theses are usually set from the factory and can be changed by the user. If you use Microsoft Windows your system has default settings that were set by Microsoft when Windows was originally installed. There are tons of settings so I will not try and name them all here.

One of them is your desktop background. This is usually set to an image when you first turn on your new machine. Most of us change it to something that is more personal like a picture of our family, dog, or pet bird. You can change the default sounds, colors, and a host of other settings as well.

You were also created with some default settings. Our very first default settings were love, peace, happiness, and a close relationship with our creator. These default settings were changed in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. These new settings have been passed down and installed into each person at birth ever since.

These new settings took effect immediately and God calls these new settings sin. Why didn’t He call them stink, fluff, or some other word? I do not know. We are told that these new default settings are bad for us and will harm us.

Gone is the beautiful desktop image of our creator that was in our heart from the beginning. It has now been replaced with condemnation and our new image of God is a tyrannical taskmaster who is hunting us down to destroy us. The default sounds of peace that once sounded in our ears have been reset with sounds of anger, violence, and hatred. Our hearts and minds have been re-formatted with these ’sin settings’ which keep us away from enjoying the beautiful default settings of God.

Each day that you live these images, thoughts, and sounds control your life. Like most people you struggle with changing these settings to something better. It seems that you cannot get away from them.

However, God did make a way for you and I to have our default settings put back into place. It’s not with the click of a mouse button or by reading a hard-to-understand book of instructions. These default settings can be restored by simply allowing our creator to re-install the original set of instructions himself. We can’t do it because we lost the original set of instructions in the garden. We now look to the Cross of Christ for this new set of instructions.

The Author of Life Himself will re-write the master set of instructions into your heart and by doing this He can make you a new creation. Will you ever be perfect? Not in this life, but if you trust in our creator you will one day become perfect just as He is perfect. Just like when a computer has been restored to it’s original state, so will you operate with these new default settings.

Operating in this life with the Word of Life inside of you is a wonderful, beautiful place.

From The Inside Out

This is my song of praise for today!

What is Truth?

In our world today we are surrounded by so many things that are not based on truth. Most of the time we are hurt by the truth so we walk around trying to ignore the truth. We feel better being surrounded by fairy tales and illusions so we tend to cling to them instead of truth.

If we define truth according to the dictionary we find this definition:

Truth: a fact that has been verified.

Sounds like something from a court case. Only something that we can scrutinize very closely and verify as a fact will we call truth. If we can’t see it, smell it, touch it, taste it, and test it then it doesn’t exist.

If we use scripture to define truth we start in John 14:6 Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” The very foundation of truth starts with Jesus Christ. From God all truth flows and exists. Outside of God is no truth. He is The Truth.

But wait a minute, doesn’t that go against our definition of truth? Is God a fact that can be verified? We can’t see Him so some say He doesn’t exist. He is only a figment of our imagination. What then can be said to answer this age old question. Is there really a God and if so who is He?

To those who question this God I pose a question. If God does exist wouldn’t He be accessible to everyone? Would He only be a God to the rich who could afford Him, or the smart who could understand Him? Would He only be a God to the poor who really need Him, or to the dumb who need His help? Would He only be a God to the devoted who can hold a religious standard, or only a God to the sinner who cannot follow God’s ways?

If there really is a God would He not be a God for everyone? Would He not provide the needs of the rich, poor, smart, dumb, devoted, and sinner? Would He not provide for everyone? If He did not then what kind of God would this God be?

So what is truth? Is Jesus Christ really The Truth? Is He The God of the rich? Is He The God of the poor? Is He The God of smart? Is He The God of the dumb? Is He The God of the devoted? Is He The God of the sinner?

So many questions wouldn’t it be nice to know The Truth?

Taking Your Next Step

My wife emailed me the other day with a thought provoking comment. She read this on someones facebook profile so I thought I would pass this along. It made me think.

God is not responsible to show you the next step you should take…when you refuse to take the step He’s already shown you!!!

Hmmm. A quick Google search doesn’t find the original author of this quote so maybe it was her Facebook friend. Anyway, God does ask us to take steps and make descisions in life. I could see some truth to this statement given the fact that if we are not obedient to what God has asked us to do in the past then why would He show us what’s along the path next. But, God has always made provisions for His people.

I am thinking of the children of Israel after they left Egypt. They came into the desert and to Mt. Sinai where the Lords presence descended upon the mountain. God intended for this to be a place where His people came up into the mountain and visited with Him. He gave Moses instruction in Exodus chapter 19 to tell the people not to come up into the mountain until they heard the trumpet blow. If they came and touched the mountain before it was time they would die.

We know from reading this chapter that they became afraid and even Moses didn’t understand God’s original instructions. He too thought the people would die if they touched the mountain. He forgot the part about the trumpet. When the trumpet sounded then they could all come up into the mountain in an orderly fashion. We know that because of their fear and lack of trust in God they did not experience God’s presence that day. The path they chose ultimately led them into rebellion and way from God.

Sometimes God’s ways can seem a bit freightning at first, but when we put our trust in Him He will lead us in the ways that we should go. If we choose to not follow because we are afraid then our ultimate path will be one like the children of Israel in the wilderness. It is also refreshing to see how merciful God was to them by even providing for their basic needs in the widerness.

God had so much more in store for them in the promise land and He wanted them to walk into it. However, He mercifully provided their basic needs in the wilderness by giving them mana, the pillar of fire, the cloud, and water from the rock. Don’t settle for a wilderness experience with God. He has so much more for you in the promise land.

The promise land for us today is not physical land somewhere on the earth, but it is a spiritual promise land. When Christ was crucified on the cross he made a way for you and I to enter into this beautiful spiritual promise land. It is a beautiful place where you can drink water that quinches your thirst forever. A place where you receive rest for your weary soul. Oh how beautiful is the promise land of God when you find it by way of the cross!

God is our General Contractor

We all have a dream house in our mind. One that we would love to build for our family. Our plan is unique to us and fits our needs perfectly. However getting to the place in life where finances line up is what limits most of us from accomplishing this dream.

The purpose of Build Your House On The Rock is to encourage you to trust in God. He is our Master Builder, if He builds our spiritual house then it will stand forever. In fact without trusting in Him to do the building all we will be able to build is a shack of a life. It may look fancy but the first big storm that blows through will wipe it out and leave us with nothing.

Our life is like a house under construction. Consider on what foundation your house will be built. What foundation is your life built on today? Are you facing disaster in your life? Has your house fallen to pieces? If you can relate to any of these questions then God wants to help you rebuild your life.

God is our general contractor on this building project of life. He knows how the house needs to be built and we should allow Him to direct the entire project.

Psalm 127:1-2

If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (MSG)

Trusting in God

“All I have seen teaches me to trust in the Creator for all I have not seen.”
R.W. Emerson

TRUST IS DANGEROUS

Trust is a dangerous thing. It means placing our welfare, our wellbeing, in the hands of another. Therefore, trust is only as safe as the thing or person we’re trusting in.

We must make the choice of whether to trust God or not. Indecision will cripple us and keep us bound in a prison of hopelessness. If you have a hard time trusting God for the future you can look to the past and gain strength.

If the person or thing has demonstrated trustworthiness in the past, we are comfortable trusting him or it for the future. If the person or thing has not demonstrated trustworthiness in the past, we are not comfortable trusting him or it in the future. It is as simple as that.

On a side note I recently read a book titled The Present by Spencer Johnson, an absolutly wonderful book. I would recommend that you read it. I will not divulge the secret of the book here but I will just recommend that you read this book. 

KING SOLOMON

In Proverbs Solomon spends much of the time telling us the reults of wisdom and the results of foolishness. When we see how consistently foolishness produces pain and how consistently wisdom produces joy, there is every reason to trust God and follow his principles of wisdom in life.

When we have a healthy view of the fool and his foolishness we can clearly see that foolish living will only bring us pain and suffering, ultimately it will bring death to our life if we follow it.

THE EXAMPLE OF A CAR

Our trust in God is simply the same type of trust that we give to several other things in life every day. Let me give you an example:

Everyday I travel in my car, sometimes at speeds of 70 mph on the highways. This is a deadly thing to do given the statistics of people dying everyday in car accidents. Yet, I trust my car with my life. I trust in it’s power to get me where I need to go, I trust in the streering wheel to direct my car down the winding roads, and I trust in it’s brakes to stop me when I have an emergency.

Now some of you may read this and say my car is a piece of junk, I don’t trust it as far as I can throw it. To that I would ask, why do you not trust it?

I know your answer already. “because it is a piece of junk and has let me down before.” That is how we base our trust in God as well. We can see a great cloud of witnesses all around us that give us great reason to trust in God. The reason your car is not very dependable is either because it is old and time to be replaced, or it has not been treated in a good manner.

God never grows old and weary, and his hand is never too short to reach down and save us. But, we have to trust him to receive it.

AN EXERCISE IN FAITH

Grab a piece of paper, a pen, and plan on spending about 10-15 minutes on this exercise. Now don’t hit your back button already. This will be the most encouraging 15 minutes you can spend.

Find a quiet place where you can think without being disturbed. Answer the following three questions after thinking on them for a few minutes each. Don’t rush through it.

1. Think back to your earliest memory of God in your life. Maybe a sunday school class when you were a kid or maybe even a church when you were 21. Just think about your first encounter with God. Go back to your childhood and try to see a place where you heard about God. Write down as much detail as you can about this first encounter.

2. Think over your whole life and find 2-3 situations where God answered a prayer for you. Descibe as much detail about the answers as you can.

3. Think over your whole life and find 2-3 times where God did NOT answer your prayers. Try and find prayers that cannot be answered anymore. You want things that have no chance of being answered anymore. Be careful as you think about situations. Try and list other things that could have stopped your prayer from being answered.

CONCLUSION

Most people will wonder why I would ask someone to try and find 2-3 things that God has not done for them. Well, this challenges our mind to think. This kind of thinking usually helps us take a good look at why we feel the way we do about God. It helps us identify things that have happened in our life that has caused our faith to lessen.

If we look hard at these things we will most likely see something or someone that failed us rather than God failing us. But we must look at them from a clear vantage point. If we are still in the midst of the emotions tied to them our thinking is skewed.

People can hold onto prayers they did not feel were answered by God for a long time. This leads to our faith growing stagnant and weak. King David encouraged himself in the Lord. He knew what God had done in the past for him and this helped him trust God for the future. If God had worked in his life before than surely God would do it again.

1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

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Related Articles: Remembering the Past to Build a Future

Let Me Grow – Re-Published

I wrote this article in February of 2007. I was reading it again today and it brought tears to my eyes again just as it did the day I wrote it. I was not mearly writing this article from my own intellect but I know God was speaking directly to me the day I wrote this. I decided to re-publish it again in hopes that it will bless someone else.

Increasing Your Attention Span

If you have kids then you can really understand the human attention span. How many times a day do you have to remind your kids to pay attention and listen to you? If you want to increase your attention span and be more attentive to God this article will help point you in the right direction.

I have been studying the book of Proverbs for a while now, and have learned many things. I wanted to blog about what I studied today.

Being attentive to God and His Word is like a springboard to gaining wisdom. The most common command in the first nine chapters of Proverbs is a call to pay attention. Being attentive to God is crucial to gaining wisdom.

If we listen to human reasoning or philosophy them we will end up with earthly wisdom, so let us listen all the more to God so that we may end up with heavenly wisdom.

Here are five practical steps to attentiveness:

1. “Make your ear attentive” – Proverbs 2:2 NASB, Matt 13:9-15

Choose to listen actively and receptively.

2. “Incline your ear” – Proverbs 4:20; 5:1 NASB

When we want to be sure and hear someone we will lean forward and turn position ourselves so we hear every word.

3. “incline your heart” – Proverbs 2:2 NASB

Lean forward mentally as well as physically. Placing much value on the words being spoken or read.

4. “treasure” – Proverbs 2:1; 7:1 NASB

Place a high value on it and make it a point to retain what you have learned.

5. “do not forget” – Proverbs 3:1; 4:5; cp. 3:21; 4:21

Wisdom is so valuable that a sensible person wants it to be a permanent part of their life.