Monday, February 26, 2007
Silent Witness
The heavens tell of the glory of God; the skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all of the earth, and their words to all the world.
-Psalm 19:1-4
I've been pondering old days; late night camping experiences all alone staring at a perfectly clear sky and "hearing" the stars and cosmos witnessing to God's glory. I remember being in awe of what I saw ... and even remember talking to God about my life, hoping that He was there. Years later, when I first came across this piece of Scripture I was immediately reminded of those times and thanked God for patiently, steadily convincing me of His realness before I could even begin to comprehend His Word (which, at the time, was confusing, irrelevant nonsense to me). Those were times when I needed Him so very badly because I was literally in grave danger, being hunted by my worst enemy: myself. Though I wasn't ready, nor did I know how to come home, I'm thankful for those times away from the things of man because my Father used them like grains of sand to build a foundation in my heart. A platform from which He could gently speak truth to me when I was ready to hear. Praise be to God forever!
-Psalm 19:1-4
I've been pondering old days; late night camping experiences all alone staring at a perfectly clear sky and "hearing" the stars and cosmos witnessing to God's glory. I remember being in awe of what I saw ... and even remember talking to God about my life, hoping that He was there. Years later, when I first came across this piece of Scripture I was immediately reminded of those times and thanked God for patiently, steadily convincing me of His realness before I could even begin to comprehend His Word (which, at the time, was confusing, irrelevant nonsense to me). Those were times when I needed Him so very badly because I was literally in grave danger, being hunted by my worst enemy: myself. Though I wasn't ready, nor did I know how to come home, I'm thankful for those times away from the things of man because my Father used them like grains of sand to build a foundation in my heart. A platform from which He could gently speak truth to me when I was ready to hear. Praise be to God forever!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Wrong Tool
"Emotions cannot determine truth or decide right from wrong. Feeling good does not suggest that something is true, and feeling bad does not indicate it's false. Emotions contain no content, no information by which to evaluate truth or falsehood. Our reasoning capacity performs that function. Emotions are the part of the soul that appreciates and responds to life. Expecting them to identify truth is like asking our ears to smell a flower."
- Dr. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Apologist, p. 36
It's strikes me that Satan's plan is to heighten my emotions and urge me to give them authority over truth. It's this strategy that he uses to keep me from really knowing and experiencing God. When I feel God's favor, I feel strong; when I don't feel His favor, I feel weak. Shouldn't God's promises make strong? As I write this, I begin to identify with the oracle written by Agur, son of Jakeh, recorded in Proverbs 30:
I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. [2] I am too ignorant to be human, and I lack common sense. [3] I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One.
But, since all wisdom ultimately comes from God (ref. Proverbs 2:6) and that He shows favor to the humble (ref. Proverbs 3:34b), I'm thankful that God would grant me the wisdom to see that I'm ignorant so that I can ask him for His help (be humble before Him) so that He could show me His favor. How gracious is He!
- Dr. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Apologist, p. 36
It's strikes me that Satan's plan is to heighten my emotions and urge me to give them authority over truth. It's this strategy that he uses to keep me from really knowing and experiencing God. When I feel God's favor, I feel strong; when I don't feel His favor, I feel weak. Shouldn't God's promises make strong? As I write this, I begin to identify with the oracle written by Agur, son of Jakeh, recorded in Proverbs 30:
I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. [2] I am too ignorant to be human, and I lack common sense. [3] I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One.
But, since all wisdom ultimately comes from God (ref. Proverbs 2:6) and that He shows favor to the humble (ref. Proverbs 3:34b), I'm thankful that God would grant me the wisdom to see that I'm ignorant so that I can ask him for His help (be humble before Him) so that He could show me His favor. How gracious is He!
Who's Dave Dravecky?
"I've come to realize that real growth of character takes place in the valleys of life." - Dave Dravecky
I was looking through my Franklin-Covey planner (does anyone really still use this calendaring/scheduling method besides me?) yesterday and came across this quote. Dave's statement caused me to reflect on my own personal voyage through time --- agreeing with his thoughts. I'm not sure that I've really learned anything during my mountain-top experiences. The views have been great, but I've found that I'm prone to becoming a less content, thankful person when those experiences have lasted too long. Kind of ironic, really.
I was looking through my Franklin-Covey planner (does anyone really still use this calendaring/scheduling method besides me?) yesterday and came across this quote. Dave's statement caused me to reflect on my own personal voyage through time --- agreeing with his thoughts. I'm not sure that I've really learned anything during my mountain-top experiences. The views have been great, but I've found that I'm prone to becoming a less content, thankful person when those experiences have lasted too long. Kind of ironic, really.
