The Blessing of Pain

Pain is referred to as a feeling or a sensation of hurt. This can manifest itself in the forms of our physical well-being and also our mental condition. Generally, neither human nor animal enjoys the feeling of pain, however, what we see within the pages of Scripture is that God actually created this sense for our good. Though we may not like it nor appreciate it at times, He intended us to benefit from this.

The book of Genesis outlines for us the origin of all things. In fact, the very first chapter records for us where everything came from. However, I want to challenge you by asking, would you believe me if I told you that God made us with the capability to feel pain on day six of creation?

For many of us, our natural instinct is to think of pain as being a result of our sin. This, however, is not the case. The only thing sin did was demoralize our hearts in how we respond to pain in our lives.

Genesis 3:16 says, "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply your pain...'"

Did God say to the woman that He would create pain for her? No! He specifically said He would "greatly multiply" the pain that was already there. Notice these are God's words immediately following the fall of man, thus there had to be pain before sin ever entered the world.

Imagine Adam and Eve in the garden before corruption took over. If one of them were to step on a rock or stub their toe, it would have hurt. Obviously, because of the verse reference above, bearing children did cause at least a small amount of pain for the woman.

For us, a common misconception is to have a false thinking that Adam and Eve had perfect bodies in the garden. They were not perfect; they were innocent. Their bodies did not decay, but they were not immune to pain.

Pain is good in that it:

1. Reveals what is in our hearts.
2. Can warn us of danger.
3. Gives us opportunity to trust God.
4. Loosens our grip on this life.
5. Reminds us that God's comfort is greater than our suffering.

Pain is a gift from God, but was multiplied as a curse from God. Sin does not cause pain. Sin causes death!

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death..."

Closing Remarks: There will be no pain for the child of God in eternity. We will be in a much better position than Adam and Eve ever dreamed of, thus our bodies will be absolutely perfect in every way. Nevertheless, there will still be variations of strengths and weaknesses and gifts and talents among us.

When pain and suffering come your way, count it all joy! Give thanks and praise to God your Father knowing that this is His will for you in Christ Jesus.

God's Attributes are Infinitely Equal

What defines an attribute? An attribute is an inherent characteristic of an individual. The attributes of man vary and are at different levels depending on the person. However, in the case of God, there are no variations within His character. They are each infinitely wonderful and glorious. There is not one attribute of God in which He exercises less or more than another.  God exerts His grace upon all of mankind and all of creation in the same infinite degree as He applies every other attribute that is defined within Him.

God is creative, eternal, immutable, perfect, incomprehensible, incomparable, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, wise, faithful, jealous, joyful, peaceful, patient, mysterious, free, sovereign, majestic, supreme, real, holy, wrathful, just, righteous, loving, merciful, graceful, kind, good, beautiful and glorious! In all of these things and even more, God is the meaning of infinite in all of His ways.

Before jumping into any Biblical concept, we must first have an accurate understanding of who God is. Without God and His character as our starting point, it becomes very easy to fall into a false set of doctrinal beliefs that can have a catastrophic effect on an individual’s hermeneutics and truly hinder the walk of a Christian.

So who is God? What is He like? How has He revealed Himself inspirationally in His Word and generally throughout all of creation? These are very important questions that we need to address before ever coming to any conclusion.

There is a view out there, known as Calvinism, that can at times tend to really emphasize the attribute of God’s sovereignty. This isn’t necessarily a huge problem, yet at the same time it’s a real misrepresentation of the Godhead. Yes, God is sovereign. His sovereignty goes to infinity and beyond! However, when one seems to emphasize one attribute over another they (myself included) begin to grow in their hearts and in their minds a clearly imbalanced view of God.

In no way am I saying that I have it all together or that I know everything about God, because in all honesty I am far from truly tackling this subject. However, I see Biblically and experientially within my own life that when we overemphasize one of God's attributes, we fail to maintain an accurate and appropriate perspective on who God says He is and how God says He works. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally this type of mindset can sprout forth heresies in all four directions and many never come to realize the dangerous possibilities of heretical teachings that are not far off.

Let me explain. The Jehovah’s Witnesses' emphatically declare to be of highest importance the attribute of God’s love. They state that God is so loving that He would and could never send an individual to hell for all of eternity for simply not believing in Him. Every believer in Christ has the responsibility to stand up and raise their objections. We as Christians' are to stand upon the essentials of the word of God and be willing to die on this very clear and extremely important hill of doctrine.

God is love, yet He is wrath. He is just. He is jealous and righteous. God alone carries the divine right and obligation to send all that is sinful into a Christless eternity in order to be tormented day and night in the burning consummation of His fury.
 
We must recognize that at the same time God exercises His love, He is exerting His wrath. At the same moment that God is sovereign over all the universe and every circumstance in life, He is also managing His complete and infinite freedom.

The image below is a simple illustration showing that each of God's attributes' are at an infinite equality.

 

God's Wrath is a Blessing to the Christian

As I was praying this morning I began thanking God for His grace, kindness, and mercy towards me. I thanked Him for His justice in my life, and then I found myself thanking Him for something that I don't normally thank Him for. I expressed my gratitude for His wrath.

Does this sound strange? Do you ever do this? As I began to think more about what I said, the Holy Spirit revealed to my heart that if God was not wrathful, then I would still be lost in my sin. This is true for all believers for two reasons:

1. God had to pour out His wrath upon Christ on the cross in order to even offer the way of salvation.
2. God also had to pour forth His wrath toward us by taking our old man and placing him on the cross with Christ. Thus our old man has been crucified and God has made us new.

The above examples show that God's wrath is His blessing poured out in our favor!

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving of full acceptance, that if one desires to understand God in His love, they must first have an accurate view of God in His wrath.

Therefore, the very reason we as Christians have the right to proclaim the name of Christ is a direct result of His wrath in our lives. He gave us life by showing us wrath. Consider it a blessing.

The Challenge of Forgiveness

What do you think about forgiveness? Who should it be extended to and in what cases? How often should I forgive? What if their sin against me is just too great?

These are all questions that we struggle with when faced with the choice to forgive or resent. Let's be honest and admit that when somebody hurts us, our natural inclination is to hate. Our natural desire is to get back at them for what they have done, or to even simply become such a worldly success in hopes that they regret doing wrong toward us.

These attitudes, thoughts, desires, beliefs, and/or actions are natural to us because they are our default. Many times we will make the expression or statement about something we are really good at by saying, "It's like second nature to me!" I want to tell you right now, so listen up, unforgiveness and sin of any kind are not "like" second nature to any of us, they are first nature! This is who we are apart from God.

Think about it. What would be the easiest thing to do in a situation where you are the victim, or you are the one feeling violated? No matter who you are in this world, the most effortless and weak thing to do is to hold a grudge. It is not, however, just the most effortless or simple, but it is what is most pleasant in our eyes. As sinful humanity, we take great pleasure in thinking the world revolves around us and our problems. We seem to find enjoyment, delight, and satisfaction in watching other people suffer.

So how does Christ address this area in our lives? In the book of Matthew, the disciple Peter brings a question to Jesus. This is one of those moments when Peter thought he was really being generous. According to the Jewish custom, it was acceptable to forgive someone up to three times, then after that they were encouraged by their peers, their culture, and sadly just the plain evil of their heart to give that individual no more chances. In the verses below, notice what Jesus says:

"Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive Him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." - Matthew 18:21, 22

Christ is not saying that as soon as someone has wronged you 490 times, then at that point you don't have to forgive them anymore. What He is proclaiming is actually a representative of true unending forgiveness. Forgiveness means, "to cease to feel resentment against (an offender)" and it also implies letting it go and never bringing it up again. It has the idea of dropping it, or forgetting about it, because in all honesty, if you are keeping track, then you have never truly forgiven anyone.

Rarely will I pick up a remote and find myself watching television. Yet when I do, I find it interesting to watch murder cases, such as on Dateline, 48 Hours, etc. If ministry wasn't where the Lord was pushing me towards, then I would enjoy being a Crime Scene Investigator. The challenge of bringing in all of the evidence and finding out who did it by building the story of what happened, excites my thinking. I get a kick out of solving the case and answering the mysteries.

Yet the number one thing that breaks my heart the most on almost every one of these shows may surprise you. It's not the murder that pierces my gut, although I do feel for the families, but what cuts me to the quick is to watch the families and friends of both the victim and the murderer show absolutely no forgiveness. There is such a lacking in this area. It's like they don't even know that it is a word in the dictionary.

Instead, these people who once conversed with this now criminal, show hatred, disgust, bitterness, unforgiveness and so on towards this man or woman. What they fail to realize is that they are all capable of exactly the same thing, and now by hating this person, they have thus murdered him/her in their hearts. They have placed themselves into further bondage and condemnation, acting unjustly, rebellious, and having a higher view of themselves which ought not to be.

Many times we as Christians can act like the world in this fashion, however, God's word is very clear by informing us that if you do not know God, then you know not true forgiveness; thus it is impossible to do something you know nothing about. In fact, the only way we can wield a forgiving heart is by looking to our Savior and showing the same grace to others that He has shown to us. If our sin was infinitely against God yet He forgave us, how much more should we forgive others no matter who they are for the minor offense they have caused us?

Forgiveness is not holding it against them anymore. It is letting it go and never bringing it up again. It is recognizing your own fallen nature and sympathizing with them, although not condoning their actions.

The Lord is still bringing this to fruition in my life. I have, by His grace, come up with a resolution that I want to live my life by in this area. Resolved, as Christ forgave me on August 10, 2008 of all my iniquity past, present, and future; by that very power of His finished work 2000 years ago on the cross where His blood was shed, so I have forgiven everyone that I ever and will ever come into contact with already. The date that He forgave me was also the date that I, by His grace, forgave everyone else.

I would love to see a generation rise up that is willing to be the bigger person and forgive.

Gaining a Berean-like Humility

Acts 17:11 says, "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

Currently, I am a student of New Tribes Bible Institute. As I have walked now through three full semesters, I have found it to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have had the opportunity to make some of the best friends a guy could have asked for, and classes are absolutely phenomenal.

I have also grown in my knowledge and understanding of the Word of God far beyond the rate that I could have ever dreamed, and I am confident that many others would proclaim the same. However, I have realized something that has been quite the challenge for me in having daily time with my Lord.

You can learn a lot of facts in Bible class, but you get to know God in devotion time!

Class is great! So don't misunderstand, but we are not called to just be satisfied with that. God doesn't want us or find fulfillment in watching us sit in Bible class for three hours a day, while at the same time it not have any effect on our lives! He desires us to grow up into all spiritual maturity. His aim is to make us into true disciples of Jesus Christ.

However, purely by the grace of God, He is continually revealing an area of my heart that is not in line with His word. Because of this revelation, I now tend to be finding myself looking through new eyes and seeing this same struggle, that I so heavily deal with, playing out in the lives of my brothers and sisters.

I notice that it is more of a struggle with those of us who have taken Bible classes in the past. I believe that I have caught a glimpse into what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 8:1 when he says, "...Knowledge makes arrogant..."

Taking a journey through Bible school, growing up in church, and even being born into a missionary family, sets a path that we can all find ourselves on at times. Having been indoctrinated by the generation before, we can grow arrogant in our thinking, prideful in our way of speaking, and sadly just plain puffed up in ourselves because of our so-called, "wealth of knowledge."

When this past semester of school was over, just before we all left for summer break, many of us who were still on campus had gotten together in one of the lounge areas' to have breakfast. I do not remember the day, but what happened while we were there broke my heart.

Somebody turned on the television and began flipping channels. They had finally stopped and left it on a Christian network station that was allowing a pastor to answer mailed-in theological questions. I was not familiar with this specific pastor, but I was intrigued to listen in on the answers he would give to these heartfelt questions.

As I am watching this show, behind me I hear one of my fellow classmate's say, "I just looked him up on my phone and it turns out he's a heretic!" I turned around with an absolute broken spirit because just two days before, God had revealed to me what Acts 17:11 is truly saying. What hurt worse was the fact that it wasn't anything even major. I am beginning to believe that Satan wants us to major on the minors, and minor on the majors.

In no way did I view this individual or the others that were in agreement with them as lower than I, but I looked at them through the eyes of grace, acknowledging that so often in my Christian life that has been me, and I was not aware until God's Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see my sin.

If you read Acts 17:11 you will see that there are two aspects to this verse; And pay attention to the order of what occurs first and what comes second.

1. "...they received the word with great eagerness..."
2. "...examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

They did not only examine the truth to make sure it was accurate, but the very first thing they did when anybody would pick up a Bible and preach/teach the word of God to them, they would receive it with great eagerness. With all joy, they understood the power of God's word!

I wonder sometimes, as I look at your heart and mine, where has the early church apostolic humility gone? And when you find it, why is it not contagious? Why is it not spreading like a wildfire? I am praying that God will fill us with His joy and His passion to truly and wholeheartedly receive His word with great eagerness as the Bereans did.

Please take this to heart and apply this to your life. You don't have to fully agree on everything in scripture with your pastor, teacher, or TV evangelist. There is a ground to stand on when it comes to divine truth, but many times we foolishly choose to die on the wrong hills' that really don't matter. Pray to God to open your eyes and to give you this eagerness.

Faithful and Willing

Are you willing for God to use your life overseas? Are you willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel? Are you willing to lose your life for the name of Christ?

I would like to be able to tell you that I am willing, however, I have not yet been placed in any of those circumstances. I do recognize, however, that I have a lot to learn about sacrifice...especially being an American, I have the potential to accomplish and obtain things that others around the world cannot, simply because of where they live.

God has given me an enormous amount of opportunity, but with that comes tremendous responsibility. I can swear to you up and down that I am fully willing to go overseas, but I think back to Isaiah, when he had the vision of God in chapter 6.

Within this chapter God gives Isaiah a vision of Himself sitting on His throne in heaven. He is so big that the very train of His robe filled the whole temple.

Isaiah 6:1-8 says, "In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.' And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.' Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

Isaiah was willing to be commissioned by God to go out to His people. However, notice that before the Lord asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Isaiah had to be found faithful.

By seeing God as He is, Holy, Isaiah finally began giving God the reverence that He is due. God's holiness revealed to the prophet his infinitesimal nature compared to God and even his own sinfulness against God.

As I look over my life and think about many of the choices I make, whether to be obedient to God or not, I am confronted with this passage of Scripture. I may be 100% willing to go, but if I am not being faithful in public and in private, then why would God begin opening doors? Why would He call me into service if I am not obedient right here right now?

You see, God wants every one of us to come to a point where we acknowledge His holiness and our sinfulness. He doesn't, however, just want us to recognize our sinful condition, but He wants us to turn from it at the very moment in which God reveals it to us, as He did in the case of Isaiah.

Isaiah saw his sin and immediately turned away from it and focused his attention upon the Lord. God saw his heart, forgave him, and made him clean. Because Isaiah was now in a purified state, he was ready for service.

God alone is the Omniscient One. God alone has all knowledge, thus He has every answer that I am seeking. I need to come before Him in humble submission seeking His will for my life. Everyday I find myself praying and asking God to reveal to me more of His will for my life. When He doesn't answer, it is not because He didn't hear me. It could be one of two reasons: either there is something wrong in me and my heart is not right, or He knows that I simply don't need to know it all at this specific moment in time. God is faithful and He will always supply all of my needs.

The Lord is excited when we are willing to be used by Him, but He looks for a faithful heart to start. God has a purpose for each one of us, but as we are waiting we need to live in obedience to God and trust in His Word, knowing that He has not forgotten us, but is preparing us for the service of which He has chosen.

You can be willing and not be faithful, but you cannot be faithful without being willing!

The Judgment Seat of Christ

 

The Judgment Seat of Christ, or in other words, the Bema Seat, will only ever be experienced by those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ alone for their salvation. It is for them that have been made a new creation and who are set apart from this world. It is to be a place of reward for the child of God.

However, the title sometimes confuses people. Most of the time when we think of judgment, we will usually tend to view it as unfavorable, unsympathetic, antagonistic, etc. For some reason we place a negative connotation upon this word, that in all honesty and actuality, doesn't belong there. It needs to be clearly understood that the definition of judgment, simply means, "an evaluation."

An evaluation of what, you may ask? An evaluation of your life. No matter who you are, whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian, there is coming a day when you and I will both stand before God Almighty, and we will each give an account before Him on how we lived our lives here on this earth.

For the believer in Christ, this is to be an ever-increasing joy knowing that one day God is going to reward us for our faithfulness to Him. Christians' will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ fully clothed in the righteousness of God Himself, and they will see His infinite grace poured out upon them.

For the unbeliever, however, they will stand before God fully condemned in their sin. They will never see the Judgment Seat of Christ, though, but they will bow before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment; and this judgment does carry with it a negative connotation because everything is laid out in the open as plain as day. They will look upon their sin, which is against a Most Holy God, and they will have no excuses, and they will see the infinite wrath of God poured out against them as they enter into an eternal hell.

Paul spoke quite a bit on this subject, making it a hot topic in his letters; and how he described this so-called, Judgment Seat of Christ, was by comparing it to a Bema Seat. A Bema Seat was a platform in Greek towns where rewards were given out and presented to the winners in the athletic games. It is there that the champions' would be honored and receive their reward(s).

As a Christian, I have always had the thinking that this specific time, whenever that may be, would simply be God and I alone together evaluating my life as a believer. This is not the case. Not too long ago I was meditating upon God and His Word, and His Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see His revelation.

Think about it: Who all is in a courtroom? The judge, jury, attorney, defendant, witnesses, etc. It was not just the judge and the champion at the Bema Seat...there were also many witnesses! So especially at the Judgment Seat of Christ when God rewards His children and displays His grace for all to see, is He just going to keep that between the two of you? That would be absurd!

Didn't Christ say all through Matthew chapter 6 that whatever you do in secret, God your Father will reward you openly? What if the entire church body is present together with the LORD at the Judgment Seat? What if the myriads upon myriads of believers' in Christ will all be gathered together in a big stadium like thing watching all that receive rewards and crowns for their faithfulness?

These are exciting questions to ask, however, Paul also speaks of some who will be ashamed because they wasted the opportunities that were given to them by God. What if all of us also watch and see them that shrink away in shame?

Obviously, we would all have perfect minds and hearts at that point, so there would be no ridiculing or envying or gossiping or anything slanderous whatsoever, but their could still be in us a sense of disappointment. If you are a Christian, then every Christian that you know will someday see your entire life laid out on a table. They will bear witness to all that you did in privacy, and they will see every motive of your heart.

If this is truly the case, that it's not just God and I, then how do I want to live? Do I want to live for myself and have billions of people (my fellow brothers and sisters) see my rewards burn up in the fire? Or do I want to live in such a way that brings glory to God, and on that day the entire Church body and I will hear Him tell me, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."? I choose the latter.

Pursue what God wants to give you. Continually examine your heart. Don't get overly focused on whether or not you are doing enough, but always remember that you are clothed in the righteousness of God and therefore you are as righteous as Christ Jesus (1 John 3:7).

If you are in sin, I hope to encourage you to walk with the LORD; but always remember, that the Judgment Seat is not God bringing to memory all of your iniquities. He has cast the believer's sin as far as the east is from the west. In those times when you find yourself in the pit of darkness, I can assure you that you are not getting away with it, but it is at the Judgment Seat that God will show even in those times of rebellion, He continued to pour His grace upon you and He never forsook you!

Eternity

"This life is as a drop in a bucket compared to eternity!" This is a common statement made by evangelicals, but what we read through the pages of Scripture is that there is no bucket. If there was, then that would mean the bucket could be filled up. A more appropriate way to describe this life with eternity would be by saying this life is as a droplet of water that is about to enter into a bottomless bucket. However, just before it makes entrance, it evaporates and is gone.

Psalm 90:4. "For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night."

To God, a thousand years are as yesterday. It's gone. It is nowhere to be seen and will never be heard from again. It is as a watch in the night, which totals to about three hours.

The emphasis is not in actual terms of time measurement. God is simply showing us there is no comparison. However, even if it was in actual time measurements then think about it again: if a thousand years are as three hours to God, then what does that say about your possibly seventy year life?

View the illustration below. Imagine a timeline where eternity is simply that. The only difference is there is no beginning nor is there an end. It just is. Day 1 of creation until God destroys the heavens and the earth is all just one tiny section held on that line.

I pray that God will teach us all to number our days and live them according to His Word. Let us come to the realization that there is something bigger than ourselves. This life is short, yet the purpose that God has for each one of us is bigger and larger and far grander than we could ever imagine.

God is so big that He meets every one of us where we are at personally, and for us as Christians, He is working all things out for our good. Jehovah God uses every circumstance, every failure and every opportunity to prepare us and to grow us into mature adult children that we may be holy and righteous before Him.

God is not just preparing us for future ministry here on this earth, but He is molding and shaping us for the work that He has destined for us in our eternal dwelling with Him.

He has set eternity in our hearts!

The Meaning of Infinite

How do you define God? Literally speaking, how does a finite mind somehow come to the conclusion that an infinite being can be defined and clearly laid out in a systematic format? This is not meant to exhaust God, because I will never be capable of doing that. I just want to remind us all who it is that we worship!

God by nature is eternal. What does this mean? His eternality conveys the groundbreaking truth that He exists at all points of time and eternity simultaneously. He lives now…just as He exists now…just as He inhabits now…! There is not and has never been nor will there ever be a moment in which He is not. 400,000,000,000,000 (trillion) years ago, if you could say such a thing, God is living and dwelling there right now as you read this. Vice versa, God also fully inhabits 400,000,000,000,000 (trillion) years from now and He is in perfect harmony. 4000 B.C. is no different for Him than 2013 A.D. because He exists at all points of time and eternity concurrently.

God by nature is omnipresent. This theological term means that God is present in all places at all times. So as we speak, God is in Missouri, Wisconsin, Brazil, Russia, Egypt, and Australia all at once. He stretches to the farthest reaches of outer space all the way to the highest of mountains on planet earth, and on into heaven and hell (Psalm 139:7-8), and at no point in time is He ever not residing everywhere. Thus, if God is everywhere at the same time and simultaneously being eternal at all points of eternity (past, present, and future) and being everywhere there is to be within each of those points, then just take some time and meditate upon what that means according to showing forth His power.

Finally, God by nature is omniscient, which means that He holds and possesses all that there is to know. He knows absolutely everything to the highest degree and form of being known and beyond. He does not, however, just know everything; He knows more than everything. He has more knowledge than any of us will ever be capable of tapping into. Being everywhere present at and in all points of time and eternity and possessing all knowledge about all things and more, He is supreme and we are to give glory to whom glory rightly belongs, and that is Christ Jesus our Lord.

The picture below is an illustration for this concept. The dot represents a human life. It could be yours or mine, but for this visual representation imagine it's you. The short segment above it depicts time and shows the beginning and the end of time as we know it to be. Above that is drawn a line, but the arrows are dotted, and I did this for a reason. Last but not least, on top is a full double arrow pointing in both directions describing God.

Now you may be wondering what this means, so let me explain. Imagine the dotted arrow pointing right on the eternity scale represents all of eternity future (the rest of forever). 400,000,000,000,000 (trillion) years from now God knows exactly where you will be, why you will be there, what you will be thinking/doing, when you will take each step in movement and who you will be with. He knows this because He is already there with you. Eternity does not end, but if somehow you could come to its edge and stand at the end, God is higher and further than that.

Same principle goes for eternity past (forever ago). 400,000,000,000,000 (trillion) years ago God knows where He was, why He was there, what He was thinking/doing, when He would make every move and that He was only with Himself in His tri-unified nature because in an eternal sense, there is no past tense. He is there right now and if for some miracle you could find yourself at the beginning of eternity, which there is no such thing, but if you could, then you would see that God is higher and further and before even that.

What I am trying to reveal to you is that God in the very fullness of His nature is not eternal the way many of us think. He is not bound by time nor is He held by eternity. He is holding eternity in the palm of His hand. This is how big our God is and He is larger than we can ever imagine! He holds all of eternity in His grasp and He is in sovereign control of everything that happens.

Think of all of the prophecies in the Old Testament. Within the eternality of God, technically He was never telling the future. He was, but really He was giving you and I and all of the people of Israel a history lesson. To Him, all of these prophecies have already taken place. There is a sense in which they haven't, yet there is another sense in which they have.

 

 This attribute of God's eternality is where the cult of Mormonism really falls apart. They say that God was created by another god who was created by another god and so on down the line for all of eternity; but if you think about it logically you find that scenario to be an impossibility.

For example: Try counting backwards to infinity. Start with zero and just continue counting in the negative until you reach infinity (0, -1, -2, -3...), then once you are there, try counting back to zero. This sequence is not improbable; it is impossible! Think about it. You will never even reach negative infinity because it never ends, therefore you will never find yourself counting back to zero. If zero represents us, then according to that god after god after god thinking, we would never in all of eternity ever exist. This destroys their argument.

For us to be here right now, we must have been created by the God who is not part of eternity, but who is Himself above eternity. He must exist at all points infinitely past and infinitely present and infinitely future all at once in order to have so well designed us and the universe as majestic as He did.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..." -Ephesians 3:20

Probably the number one thing I love about the verse above is that even in eternity, it will still apply. I read this and my mouth drops in awe because I know I can think of a lot. I have a crazy imagination, but what a joy it is to my heart to know that He is far above that! I hope this is an encouragement to know that God is big and He has big plans for all of His children! Think about it! Our God is higher than eternity and He is the meaning of infinite!

 

A Time of Waiting Equals a Time to be Faithful

There are just 26 more days until I head back to Bible school for my final semester and I will be preparing to graduate this coming December. What's next, you may ask? That is a great question! One that I don't fully have the answer to yet, however I realize that I will never fully have the answer to anything.  This is something God is constantly pushing my way and teaching me to trust Him and walk in obedience.

As I have been home for the summer, I have been truly blessed with an incredible opportunity to intern with my church and begin partnering with them in taking the Gospel of Christ to the nations. My desire and my prayer is that one day God will send me out to an unreached people group and bless me with another amazing opportunity to bring God's good news to them for the very first time.

The area of the world in which I desire to go is Papua New Guinea. I am not sure why, but for some reason God has shared His heart with me for these people. For well over a year now I have been actively praying for these people and this nation, and have been walking in hopes that God will continue to open the doors in this direction.

However, in Scripture I see that Paul's ultimate goal was to go and preach the Gospel in Rome. He ended up there at the end of his life, but along the way he recognized that God had other plans. Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to work in him in such a way that wherever he went he would preach the Gospel. Seeing Rome as the goal, look at how many other churches God established by using a willing vessel named Paul.

I have come up with a four-word phrase that you might think is kind of lame, but it is a reminder to me that I am not in PNG yet.  I will continue to walk in that direction and pray that God will lead me there, but ultimately I must remember that right here right now I have been strategically placed by God in the USA. This is where I am today, so this is where I must be obedient now, and live a life of faithfulness to God here as a willing vessel in His hands.

PNG Pray. USA Today.

As I am in this waiting period, I am reminded of the last two chapters in Exodus. These people were stuck in the middle of a desert, yet within these final chapters, when describing their work and performance and compiling everything together, it says a total of 18 times, "...just as the LORD had commanded..."

I want to live my life in faithful obedience to God even during this time of waiting, because I know every moment that I have is a gift from Him and in all circumstances I want to always thank God knowing that He is good and working all things out for my ultimate benefit (1 Thess. 5:18; Rom. 8:28). I am not working for my salvation; I am working from my salvation out of an outpouring of faith and love for my God and my Creator and my Savior.

Exodus ends by saying that when the LORD was over the tabernacle in the cloud the Israelites knew they were to stay put and to wait upon the LORD. However, when God moved they would faithfully follow His lead. I want this to be a characteristic of how I live my life. That I will stay where He stays and go where He goes. Please continue to pray for me as I journey with Jesus on the road that only He knows.

God's Revelation at an Infinite Scale

Imagine if God would have recorded and written down every single thing that was, is and will ever be of Him. Our universe, as we know it, would have filled up with volumes upon volumes stacked up at an infinite level an eternity ago. In fact, God is so majestic that there would need to be an infinite amount of universes with an infinite capacity of time and space in order to still never even scratch the surface of who He is. His printing press would still be running fully automatic at an infinite speed, yet for now and for all of eternity future it would never, nor could it ever, be capable of printing fast enough to make it out of eternity past.

In the picture above, we are on the left and God is on the right. It is interesting to note that the infinite symbol in a scale looks like a pretzel. Therefore, I would like to encourage you that the next time you are eating a pretzel to remember that God is infinite in all of His ways. For all of eternity the scale will never tip. No matter how much we grow or learn, God will remain infinite and the scale of knowledge will never budge.

 

God has given us a glorious revelation of Himself, but the Bible is not the full revelation of God because He has not fully revealed Himself to us in His full state of glory. The Bible is a very short summary of who God is and He has only revealed to us what we need to know right now.

In fact, for all of eternity, as the days pass and the years fly by, you and I as believers in Christ will come to know God deeper and deeper. Day by day we will forever spend our lives tracking Him down to know Him more, yet as we seek Him for all of eternity we will never find ourselves even a single step closer to an end. Instead, as He continues to reveal more truth and revelation to us we will find that we really aren’t as far along as we thought. This will show us that we are actually one step farther behind which will bring us great joy in knowing that He is truly the meaning of infinite as His glory is displayed for all to see.

The God we serve does not run dry nor does He grow weary. We cannot exhaust Him nor can He be clearly understood in a systematic format by our very finite minds. We will grow in knowledge and love. He will stay the same.

For the prideful at heart this is a horrible thought because they realize that they will never be God. They will never come to a point of knowing everything there is to know about God nor will they ever reach all-supremacy. God alone holds the attribute of omniscience and God alone is God. But to the humble this brings unspeakable joy.

We must understand who we are compared to who He is and realize that there is no comparison. I have heard before that our knowledge and power is less than 1% of God’s. This is not true because there is no percentile for us to Him. He is infinite and we are not. It is a logical impossibility to ever acquire a percent to a sideways eight. What we have is all a gift from Him. All authority is given from above. Too often we forget just how much God has to dumb His Word down for us and hold most of it back.

The amazing thing, however, is that God will continue leading us into deeper knowledge and revelation of Himself for all of eternity. After twenty-six trillion years we will still feel as babes in our understanding because we will recognize we still have an infinite God to learn about. This recognition will bring us to our knees in worship as we praise Him for indeed being the highest God!

My Dream of The Watchman's Call

I awoke from a terrible nightmare. It was close to midnight in my dream and I found myself standing in a large gymnasium. It truly was massive because I looked all around me and up into the bleachers noticing that every seat was filled. I tried to see where the bleachers ended but I could not see the top. The crowd was innumerable and far past my ability to count.

Walking around on the gym floor was also hard to do because the crowd there was also very numerous. I made my way out of the gym and found myself having entered into another part of the building. As I continued, I quickly found myself coming into a smaller room and simply finding more people just doing the norm of life. A man came up to me and asked me a question. I gave a quick and concise answer; not knowing what to say I made my way into the hallway.

As I shut the door behind me I turned left and focused my attention on the hallway I was heading down. It was getting darker and darker and eventually I came to a prison door. It wasn't a barred door, but it was a solid metal door with a barred eye level window that you could easily shut from my side. It looked as if it was a holding cell for someone. Obviously curiosity got the best of me.

I opened the door and walked in. I saw two black figures standing to my left. I turned to look in front of me and I saw fire shooting forth from the walls and the floors and out of the flames I saw this horrific monster beast-like creature run towards me with the fiercest look in its eyes, but it was halted by a collar around its neck which was chained up to something.

I instantly knew that all this beast wanted to do was to destroy all life. I had this heart-wrenching feeling deep down that told me this thing was about to be released on a rampage and kill everyone in this entire building and beyond. This beast was pulling on the chain so hard and it looked as if whoever was holding the chain and keeping the beast held down was ever so slightly allowing the beast to have a little more wiggle room. Whoever was holding this monster down was loosening their grip on the chain and not holding as tightly as before.

I knew in my heart that this was not going to last much longer. This animal was about to be let loose. I saw it tear through metal bars like they were paper so I quickly ran out of the room with fear gripping me. Shivers ran down my spine and I felt sick to my stomach. I ran back into the smaller room that I was in before and my dream immediately switched to third person. I was watching everything that I was doing and I could feel everything that I was going through. I looked at each individual in the room and I realized that they had no idea what was about to happen to them.

I had an innate knowledge of the death and destruction that was about to occur for each one of their lives, but I became nervous and talked myself out of telling them what was about to take place. As I was watching myself walk out of that room my heart was pounding from my chest. I could feel it breaking. As I kept watching in third person, I saw myself enter back into the gymnasium where there were myriads of people. I was thinking that this would be a golden opportunity to tell everyone what I knew to be true. I thought, "OK, so I failed to tell the first time, but this time will be different." But I panicked, talked myself out of it and instead of trying to save their lives I went up to the guy that I rode with and asked him for the keys. I went to sit in the car and to wait hoping that I would be saved from the wrath to come.

"Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life." - Ezekiel 33:7-9

The context of this passage is God talking to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was specifically chosen to be a watchman for the house of Israel, but the application applies to us. We as the Church have a moral responsibility to warn them that are perishing. So on that day when we stand before the Most High God as our Judge and preview our lives together, are we going to be watching ourselves in the third person pass up opportunities to share the Gospel and selfishly keep and hold onto it for ourselves by refusing to tell others? Don't we want to live intentionally for the Gospel as Paul and the other apostles did? Because in all seriousness, how much do you and I have to hate someone to not tell them about Christ!?

As Christians, we have an innate knowledge of the wrath that is coming upon this world and upon each and every person that refuses Christ's free gift of salvation. I pray that God will raise up a church that is willing to fight for what they believe. We are not called to be passive, stagnant, or even lazy Christians. We are called to be watchman! This is my dream of the Watchman's Call!

Conclusion

I awoke from this dream with fear and trembling. I spent some time in prayer and in God's Word and determined in my heart that I was going to go downtown to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to anybody that God put in my way. As I was walking from my dorm room ready to go, a good friend of mine, David, stopped me and told me about a dream that he had of me that same night. This is what he said:

"I was in a motorcycle accident and you [Cameron] were the one who was saving my life. You brought me all of the medical treatment that I needed."

Now this could be a coincidence or it could be divine in nature. The dream I had motivated me to go and hearing David's dream encouraged me to follow through. It gave me the confidence that I was not going alone, but that God was with me every step of the way. God met me where I was at and He used these dreams to push me forward towards Christ Jesus.

Independence

What does independence mean? It means, “Not subject to or controlled by others: self-governing; and/or not requiring or relying on someone or something else.” The question that we must really be asking ourselves is not what independence means, but is this a Biblical idea? Should this term represent our lives as believers’ in Christ?

Many of us can find ourselves becoming very political at times. We can be passionate about what we believe, but Biblically speaking we never have the right to worry about gun-control; none of us have the responsibility to fix our government; we are never to take hold of an opportunity to disrespect our government officials; seceding from the government is not our calling. The list goes on and on.

Physical maturity and spiritual maturity both follow the Biblical account of being under authority and trusting the Lord every step of the way through it all. Spiritual maturity is not coming to independence, but it is in fact coming to complete dependence upon God. In actual terms it is our sin nature that wants to be and craves to be independent and in control, yet the mature individual will recognize his need for other people and acknowledge humbly that this world would be absolute chaos if he was in control.

Worrying about gun-control, sex slavery, gay marriage, etc. sweeping across this nation is sin from top to bottom because the Biblical definition of worry is distrust in God.

Taking the first step to maturity involves us coming to God and recognizing that we live in a fallen world. Every person in this world is corrupt which means that every person within our government is also corrupt. We as Christians are not to be of the world, but you cannot escape being in the world. You cannot expect a lost individual do the right thing because for them it is impossible to do anything other than the wrong thing.

1 Peter 2:17 "Honor all people..." Notice that God doesn't separate anybody. Whether saved or unsaved we as Christians are to honor all people, even those in authority over us in our government. Respect them and pray for them and trust in God.

Romans 13:1 "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." Read that passage again. We are all to be under authority. We are all also to recognize that the United States Government has been established and set in place by God. If you oppose the government, you oppose God Himself and in your heart you become the fool by declaring that God doesn't know what He is doing.

On July 4th, we celebrated our independence from England. I am not saying that seceding from England was wrong, but I am also not saying that it was the right thing to do either. When Paul the apostle wrote Romans chapter 13 he was under the reign of Emperor Nero, which was probably one of the worst emperors in terms of murdering Christians that has ever lived on this earth. Yet even in this time of great trial and testing from the Roman government, Paul inspired by God told us to respect and honor our authorities.

He also told us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." In our prayers and everyday speaking, how many times do we simply give thanks for the government that God has given to us? I am in no way saying that we have to support everything they do, but so many times all that I hear is complaining and grumbling towards the men and women in authority over us who are made in God's image just as we are and who also were placed in that position by God Himself.

And finally I just want to say that we are truly and incredibly and overwhelmingly blessed to have the government that we do. We here in America have more freedoms and privileges than we know what to do with. There are billions of people in this world who are under bondage and slavery to their government everyday of their lives and if they had the opportunity you have, I can almost guarantee that they would live a thankful and grateful life.
 
We need to stop taking everything for granted!