Not Enough Canvas

“The Bible assumes as a self-evident fact that men can know God with at least the same degree of immediacy as they know any other person or thing.” – A.W. Tozer

God existed before anything else in the entire universe. He’s always been and will always be. He’s eternal. In Him all power is made evident. He is the evidence of everything good and pure. He is the King of Kings, all kings. He is loving to His children. He is everywhere and in all places at all times. He is pure wisdom and reasoning. He is the essence of all knowledge.

We on the other hand are considerably less qualified. We are here for a relatively short time. Our ability to reason is about as long as the end of our nose. Our being is very fragile. An atheist I once met asked me why God didn’t explain creation in scientific terms. Excuse me….who could understand all that stuff? No one on this planet! He thought maybe he could understand it but not a chance. Our brains are so limited in what we can understand and reason out on our own.

In reality we are all pretty ignorant in comparison to the wisdom and knowledge of God. Can you grow a tree from nothing? Yea neither can anyone else.

When we try to paint a picture of God on our heart we see that we really don’t have enough canvas or paint. He is virtually unexplainable.

If He were explainable, he would not be worthy of our praise and worship. He would not be God.

Theologians have tried to categorize some of the attributes of God to help us understand. Him and his character. This is certainly not an exhaustive list but helps us understand why we see him the way we do. Even at that we need to understand that God wants us to know him in a very intimate way not just in a head knowledge kind of way.

The following are traits about God and considered non-transferable. Otherwise He would not be God.

God is self-sustaining. God needs nothing. Although God loves us he does not need us to exist. “from everlasting to everlasting you are God” Psalm 90:2

God is all-powerful. There is nothing He cannot do. He spoke the world into existence. He made us from the dust of the ground. He conquered death. He conquered satan. He has the authority to save or condemn.

God is present everywhere. God is everywhere all the time. Loving, caring, leading and available all the time, everywhere you are past, present or future. “Where can I go from you Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7

God knows it all. His knowledge spans from infinity to infinity. As my grandmother used to say “God has more smarts in his big toe than man will ever have from the beginning of time till the end of time”

God is in control. Our Lord is a sovereign Lord. He is the supreme ruler of the universe. He is in control.

There are transferable attributes that God wants to share with us. Either they are part of that God-image relationship in us or developed in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Here are a few of them.

God is gracious. Grace is not a blue-eyed blonde. Grace can be seen as this: God’s riches at Christ’s expense.

God is holy. God is the essence of purity. He dwells in unapproachable light. His character is the opposite of sin and failure.

God is love. Love is the heart of God. His invention and the joy of his being. Every good gift comes from your loving heavenly father.

God is majestic. Look around you at the beauty of all that He has made. The greatness of His creation is all around us. From the protoplasm to the expanse of the universe.

The greatest of all His character traits is He never changes! He is always the same. Take that to the bank! You can always count on Him for being exactly who He is.

Which of the attributes of God are most fascinating to you?

Read Psalm 29

What's in your wallet?

"What we believe about God is the most important thing about us." A.W. Tozer

Most of us carry pictures of family members in our wallets or purses. They're stored somewhere between our credit cards and driver's licenses, ready to be displayed whenever an opportunity presents itself. Proud grandparents show off cute baby pictures. A traveling businessman gazes at pictures of his wife and kids. Young couples in love long to be near their sweetheart in the photo. The pictures we carry are important because they represent the relationship and responsibilities in our lives.

All people carry a picture of God with them. Not a wallet-sized, glossy snapshot, but an impression in the mind and heart of who God is and what He looks like. Some people see Him as a warm, benevolent friend, while others view Him as an irrelevant religious concept. In either case, it's an image captured by personal experience.

Sometimes the pictures we carry are poor representatives of the actual person. Most people agree their driver's license mug shot is not the best photo ever taken of them. Pictures that are fuzzy or out-of-date are not accurate depictions of a loved one and therefore inadequately portray the relationship they represent.

Many people bear an out-of-focus or inaccurate picture of God. Religion can misrepresent God as being contained in ornate temples or church doctrines. Contemporary media often portrays God as boring, irrelevant, or even comical. The problem isn't in who God is; it's in the picture we carry of Him.

Here are some common misconceptions of who God is-

> Dear Old Dad. Sometimes people perceive their heavenly Father as a cosmic-sized reproduction of their own dad. The problem is that if their relationship with their earthly father wasn't good...they transfer those issues to who they see as their heavenly Father.

> The Force. "Use the force, Luke!" The Star Wars force is similar to some Eastern religions. Life energy is divided into good and evil, equal in power, but subject to an eternal struggle for balance. This impersonal power is thought to permeate the universe, but offers neither a love relationship nor a salvation that is secure.

> The Enforcer. Watch out, God's going to zap you with a lightening bolt! This maker-of-laws only cares if you obey the rules. He's a cosmic killjoy policing the world and He's get the last laugh. Such a picture leaves out the grace of God.

> The Big Guy in the Sky - The Man Upstairs. These are just two of the many cliches assigned to God that are rediculously inadequate. Whether viewed as a sugar-daddy, a Santa Claus figure with flowing white beard, or a distant king these caricatures never capture the awesome King of Kings and Lord of Lords God really is.

Before you decide God doesn't exist, at least find out first who you are rejecting. The real God is the giver of eternal and abundant life. He freely gives all the love and joy you can handle. Take a careful look at Him before you make a decision.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Everyone carries a picture of God in their heart, but is it accurate? Creation, the Bible and the life of Jesus present the best representation of who God actually is and what He is like.

Question to Consider: What's in your wallet? How would you describe God?

A Cosmic Accident or Child of God

"the probability of the universe coming into existence by accident are the same as an entire copy of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing factory" Professor Edwin Carlton, biologist, Princeton University

The Bible begins with the words “In the beginning God”. The supposition is that God is and always has been. God does not have to prove anything about Himself he just is. When Moses asks God who he should tell the people he is(God) he answers, “I am what I am”.

Propositions to consider:

The universe exists. Unless you believe that the universe is some Hollywood special effects thing, you would agree that the universe exists. Science even agrees that it exists.

The universe has not always existed. The main principle of thermodynamics is that energy is always expanding from some central point. Our sun will eventually burn out and that will be that. Expanding energy from a starting point.

Something caused the universe to exist. Duh! Something or someone caused all this to happen. Here are some ideas on that subject.

1) The big bang theory. Astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered back in the 1920’s the phenomenon called the red shift. Distant planets turn to red the further away they are. The supposition here is that the universe started at one central point. Kaboom! And there it started and is expanding down to extinction.

2) God created the universe. There is no cause and effect with God. He is just God. “I AM’ Exodus 3: 14

God is self-existing. No else can say that.

God is self sufficient “He has no needs” Acts 17:25

God is self-eternal. He is the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. He is timeless. His life knows no limits.

Which of these theories makes the most sense to you?

Personally, I think it takes more faith to believe anything other than a God-created universe.

Why would the Creator have to be greater than the universe?

Read Psalm 104

Fingerprint of God

“Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind”

Albert Einstein

Let’s take a look at the universe to see if there are any clues as to whether God exists or not. Romans 1:20 states “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen.” Several days ago we shared a quote from a Russian cosmonaut. Within months of his flight, an American astronaut remarked after orbiting the earth that “he could not see anywhere that God had not been”. However, back to our story.

We see the life of Jesus, healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water and he himself coming back from the dead. Throughout history, God has been showing himself through nature but also suspending all the rules about nature so that his will be done a.k.a. parting of the Red Sea, stopping the sun for a period of time, you know that kind of thing the science community comes up with all the time. I quoted from Albert Einstein in the beginning and he discovered the theory of relativity. Really that’s all the science community can do is discover what God has put in place.

So much of belief is centered around the ability to see something or someone. We accept things that we cannot see everyday. The warmth of the sun (coming soon I hope), the love of another person, the wind, actually anything that we have seen the evidence that something or someone has been moving or been there.

Let’s look at some evidence that God has left for us to discover Him and His plan.

You’ll see the design. This earth works like clockwork with its seasons, the earth’s rotation, the tides of the seas, the predictability of an eclipse, sunrise or set, the delicate balance of the salt content of the oceans, the changeability of the weather, all work together to keep this “big blue marble” in perfect harmony. Take a look at your hands. No one ever has had fingerprints exactly like yours. How does your eye work? It is amazing.

You’ll find morality. Is there evil in the world? Sure, but within all of us there is an innate sense of morality. In all civilizations from the beginning of time, there are certain, absolute morals such as murder, theft, adultery and hatred are all seen as unacceptable things. Is that the result of a society that polices itself or the reaction to a holy God.

You’ll discover spiritual need. If this world provided everything we needed, there would be mass outbreaks of people being satisfied with life. That however is not the case. All people discover that sometime in their life, there must be something they are lacking. It has been said that we all have a “God-shaped void” in our life that only God can fill. People are looking for love in all the wrong places. The needs of your soul run deep and will not be satisfied by the things of this world.

As we look around us, the evidence that we are not here by chance and that a grand, invisible Someone is running the whole thing, is all around us.

What evidence is most convincing to you?

Read Genesis 2:7

What's your take on God?

Parents have taken elaborate steps to see that their children believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and in some extreme cases, leprechauns (I’m Irish and it is a very long story). In essence, we have done the same thing with the stories of the Bible and with the record of our God. Is God the greatest hoax in human history or does he in fact exist? Have all the religious leaders gone to great lengths to keep the belief alive or do they really believe all that stuff?

Maybe you fall into one of these categories of belief in God. Let’s just think about it for a minute.

I am God. Maybe this is a stretch, but it is certainly an option. You may think you’re at the center of the universe and in control of all that happens. Unless you’re like Jim Carrey’s character in the movie, Bruce Almighty, where God gives Carrey’s character the ability to be God for a short time, you’ll soon realize there is very little you can control. Sorry to disappoint, but you are not God.

There is no God. If you claim this, you’re called and atheist. You believe everything has occurred by accident and that there is no higher Someone who is in control. The word secular is also born out of this thought that all things are separate from the thought of a God running everything. Bette Midler’s song “From a Distance” shares the thought that God is out there just letting the world do it’s own thing and everyone in it.

There is a God. Logically the term is theist, a person who believes that God exists. A pure theist believes God interacts with his creation and is involved with them personally.

Hebrews 11:6 says this “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”

I have a friend from high school that was adopted. He has searched for 30 years for his birth parents and spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to learn of his beginning .What traits, talents and history did they have? What did they do for a living? Did they have any weird diseases? Stuff like that. One of the seven great stories of literature is the thought of coming home. Something in each of us wants to find our home, the place where we belong and our life is complete.

Where ever you might be in the above chart, are we really more than just protoplasm that came together by accident or really guided by a loving heavenly Father? You have already formulated an idea about God.

What kind of theist would you call yourself?

Read Psalm 139: 7-12 How did David feel about God?

God, are you out there? Can you hear me now?

“I don’t see any God out there” Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut after orbiting the earth.

Most of us, like the cosmonaut, look out into the vastness of space and wonder “God, are you really out there?” We question God’s existence at some of the most traumatic times in our life. When the judge orders the divorce to be final, the casket gapes at all we call belief, the doctors tell us that they did all they could do or possibly when the boss walks in and says they no longer need you and you could hardly make ends meet the way it was. Is there really a God out there? The search for God has been on going for many years. Archeologists have unearthed relics of worship from civilizations long gone by that were used in search of God.

The apostle Paul visited a place called Mars Hill near Athens, Greece that was a place of intellectual enlightenment where much of Greek worship was done to the many gods that ruled their civilization. Paul noticed that they had an altar dedicated to the unknown god.

Acts 17:22-23 says “Men of Athens! I see in every way you are very religious. As I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with the inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown, I will proclaim to you”

Many people around the world continue to seek that higher power. All religions around the world believe in some higher power. They all bow to a cosmic someone. God does not call us to blind faith because within all of us is a sense of eternity but he does call us to a reasonable faith that begs the questions, Can I know you? Can I trust you? Can you help me? Listen to what the wisdom of Solomon says about the subject “He (God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Points to Ponder Why aren’t you in church today? (it’s Sunday)

Within us is the need to know God. Are you out there?

At what times in your life have wondered if there were a God?

Look Up!Look up!

Look up!

It has been said that we live in the busiest society ever. We text, fax and e-mail to save time when in reality we are busier than ever. I have a friend who is a Ohio State Highway patrol officer and he has told me in Dayton, they stop someone driving over 100 miles per hour at least once a week on average. When the disciples returned to be with Jesus, they think they are going to the Samaritan town to buy food and stick with their agenda. They were in a hurry.

In this story, we see first that the disciples are concerned about Jesus welfare but he uses this as a teachable moment. “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” John 4:32 What was he talking about? “My food’ said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work” John 4:34 Doing the will of the Father was the driving force in Jesus’ life. It was all consuming to Him. If he were concerned about the immediate needs in His life, he may have blown right past this opportunity not only for the Samaritan woman but for the entire village she came from.

A favorite story I have run across is the story of a man in Africa that had a passion for diamonds. Everyday he went to the mines in search of wealth and fortune digging for diamonds. Thirty years went by and he made enough to sell his property and open a new mine far away from his village. The mine went bust and he was very poor again. He sought to move back to his old life and village. To his surprise the gentleman he had sold his house to had torn down the old shack and put up a palatial estate and had purchased several acres around it and put up a large wall. He inquired to meet with the man and find out what had changed in his life. The rest of the story? The man had been putting a garden in behind the little shack and found a large, clear rock during his digging. It was a diamond. A four carat diamond. He continued to dig and they continued to be found. 65 million dollars worth. Sometimes the Lord calls us to a foreign place to share his love but most times the most valuable sharing we can do is in our own back yard.

There is no greater joy in life than to share your faith with a friend.

Read John 4: 34-38

Assignment: Choose one person to pray that they find Christ in their life.

Is He the Christ?

One of life’s most important questions is “Who is Jesus?” Josh McDowell in his book “Evidence that demands a Verdict” makes the statement that either Jesus is exactly who he says he is or he is the greatest lunatic of all time.

Yesterday we read that the Samaritan woman was seeking the Christ. Unabashedly, Jesus states that He is who she seeks. Like most people that encounter Jesus in a personal way, she was changed forever. She went back to her village and instead of hiding in shame, she began to share that she had met the Christ. John 4: 29-30 says “Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

Isn’t that the question we all ask?

Jesus sought this woman out and her life was changed forever. Because of this encounter, she began a journey that would lead her to a real relationship with Christ. As we follow her story, she brings many others along on this journey. Let’s follow the story “Many of the Samaritans for that town believed because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did’. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.” John 4: 34 ff

As followers and seekers, we can point people to Jesus but we cannot make them believers. People are never the same after they meet Jesus. Most are like Sandy Patty and Larnelle Harris in the song “I’ve Just Seen Jesus”, they are never the same ever again.

One cannot stay neutral with Jesus, he is either accepted or rejected.

Who do you say that He is?

Read Luke 9: 18-20

Questions...............

Have you ever asked a question that you wish you could have taken back? One time when I was in college, I made the mistake of asking a professor, well known for his elaborate explanations, a question of uncertain importance. Needless to say, the boredom set in rather quickly. Sometimes we question God on subjects that we already know the answer to or we will never know this side of eternity especially when the matter of our own life should be the subject. We pick up the story of the Samaritan woman, inquiring about the propriety of worship.

“Sir, the woman said, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Then Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. John 4:19-21

Jesus turns the tables here away from religiosity to true worship from the heart. As we read on in this story, we see that she is expectantly looking for the Messiah and without any reservations; Jesus proclaims to her that He is the one. Suddenly, the Samaritan woman moves from casual acquaintance to Lord and Savior.

Why are we so afraid of questions? Ever notice how quiet it is in meeting with the boss when he asks if there are any questions after a presentation? My grandmother used to say that we are afraid of what the answer might be. Jesus says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matt 11:28.We should always take our questions to God and expect an answer. The apostle Paul told us to come “boldly before the throne of Grace”.

Many of us in our religious traditions have been taught that it is improper to question God. Since growing as a Christian is a moving target, we should always allow ourselves to build that relationship with God by questions and seeking to know Christ better.

Read John 20:10-18 Who are you looking for?

It's Your Choice

Just recently I was doing some shopping with my wife and she asked me to buy some toothpaste. You would think that would be a relatively easy thing to do...but not so. There were so many choices - whitening, flouride, sensitive teeth, gel, paste - I couldn't make up my mind. The thing is, we live in a world full of choices and sometimes they seem endless.

Bookstores are the same way, even with religions. Barnes & Nobles, along with most bookstores, have a whole section on all kinds of religions including witchcraft and the Book of Mormon. All this variety reflects spiritual hunger in a buffet of choices.

Yesterday we had Jesus discussing living water with a woman at a well. She thought Jesus was talking about physical water. At this point in the conversation, Jesus begins to probe into the woman's life at a deeper level. He says, "Go, call your husband and come back." (John 4:16) Now, you might wonder why He said this. Jesus already knows what she's going to say, but He also knows what she needs and He wants to help. Her response reveals just how deep that need goes.

"I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." (John 4:17-18)

Do you think she's trying to avoid Jesus' request request by saying she has no husband? Or is she just being honest? It was true she didn't have a husband. Jewish custom limited marriage to three tries before one became utterly suspect in the culture. Living with someone other than your spouse made you ceremoniously unclean and one to be avoided. Jesus ignores these cultural and religious standards and commends her honesty. It must have been strange for her to go draw water in the middle of the day, hoping to avoid human contact, and then bump into someone she had never met, but who knows her past, someone who knows her story.

The truth is, Jesus knows all of our stories. He knows our deepest secrets and our worst faults. But like this woman, Jesus see beyond the sin in us and stretches out His hand of love to offer us a whole new way of living.

The challenge for the woman at the well is the same challenge that all of us face - to go beyond our opinions of Jesus and make the choice to follow Him. Remember Jesus' words, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) Jesus' offer is clear and the choice is yours.

Question to Consider: To what degree have you accepted the love of God offered to you in the form of Jesus Christ?

Living Water

When you think of water, what comes to mind? The list might include the beach, bottled drinking water, floods, fishing, or waterskiing. Estimates vary, but somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth's surface is covered with water. Water is necessary for life. In some organisms, up to 90 percent of their body weight comes from water. Up to 60 percent of the human body is water: your brain is 70 percent water, blood is 82 percent water, and the lungs are nearly 90 percent water.

In John 4.10 Jesus told a woman that asked Him for water, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water." The living water that Jesus offers the woman is a metaphor for God and the life He offers. It's the living water of life that quenches the parched lips of the thirsty. Her response, however, tells us she doesn't yet understand: "Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?" Jesus answers her: "Everyone who drinks from this well water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

We live in a land of spiritually thirsty people. They're our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family. Like Jesus, we can seek them out by asking questions and relating to their everyday needs and concerns. As you do so, remember not to force them to drink - but rather help them along on their path to God.

Question to consider: Is there someone in your life who is spiritually thirsty? Is there someone you can point toward Jesus?

The search is on!

If there were one thing in your life that you are looking for, what would it be? Jesus tells the story of a merchant that bought pearls for a living. The Bible tells us that he was always searching for that one pearl that would make his collection complete. Through all of his searching he finds what he is looking for, that perfect pearl. He was willing to sell all he had to have that one perfect pearl. Captain Jack Sparrow searched for the Black Pearl, Tiger Woods is looking for the perfect swing, the Patriots NFL team was looking for the perfect season, runway models look for the perfect body or hair style. What are you looking for that would make life complete? Many people think if they just get that perfect job, or car or house or spouse, everything would be complete. What do you think?

Getting to Know God on a first name basis.

Everyday I meet people that have all kinds of questions about everything from how much to what in the world am I doing here? I have always thought that there must be much more to life than this. What is it all about? Where do I go from here? Can I really ever be happy? Stuff like that has always gotten my attention. Join us here to ask your own set of questions. My question to you is "Do I really have something more important to do right now?" Later

Get Ready!

We're just days away from the beginning of our exciting 40-day spiritual growth campaign "Why". My prayer is that God will work in the lives of our people to move us to our "Next Step" in our walk of faith. Please be in prayer for the series and those people who will be visiting the Ridge in the next six weeks...this could change their eternal destinies!

Why?

We're starting an exciting, brand new series at the Ridge called "Why". It is a six-week series that answers some of life's biggest questions like-

• Why am I here?
• Why should I believe in God in the first place?
• Why should I trust the Bible?
• Why is the world so messed up?
• Why the conflict....science and the Bible?
• Why Jesus?

Join us here over the next six weeks for daily devotions for the chance to "dig deeper" in God's Word.