Deeper Waters

Our evening service at church had ended and I decided to go to the restroom before heading out. I won’t deny this. I hate public restrooms. I think they are the scourge of Satan upon humanity. Nevertheless, while in there, I hear the door to the restroom open and I don’t see anything of course, but here a voice say “If you want your lollipop, you’d better come back out here.”

Often times, we honor a man who says what he thinks, and there is some great truth to that at times. However, I often wish a man would rather think about what he says or in this case, what other people say. I think some great insights lie when we consider basic things about us that are so basic that we forget it.

I immediately realized that this child had two wants. He wanted to explore the restroom for some reason. Obviously, it wasn’t that he needed to go. His parent didn’t want him in the restroom for some reason and he did leave immediately without putting up a fuss. He also had the want of a lollipop. Which want did he act on? The want I would say that was greatest.

Which is what you and I do.

Many of us would like to blame the world for all that goes wrong in our lives. Now there are some circumstances beyond our control. I realize that. There are some circumstances that are really hard to handle. I realize that also. I do realize though that ultimately, if a choice is made, we make it.

If you are driving down the road and someone cuts you off in traffic, then they have done something wrong most likely. I’ll grant that. However, your getting angry with them is your choice. Your wanting to ram their car from behind is your choice. Your stepping on the gas to catch up to them and give them the finger is your choice as well. Your choice to accept it and pray for such an individual is also yours.

Right now, I am preparing for Seminary and my family, particularly my mother, is quite worried about it particularly in the area of finances. I have my own anxieties at times. All the anxiety each of us has though is our choice. She worries about it and is anxious about it because she chooses to be. I worry because I choose to.

Now some of you are saying to me “That’s how a mother is.” That is probably a mother’s natural inclination I’ll grant, but she does not have to give in to it. A mother does not have to worry. She chooses to. I do not condemn concern, but I do think that worry is something different from concern as worry too often excludes God.

Every choice you make implies that you could have made a choice in another way. I am typing one word now. I could have chosen to type another word. If there was no choice, I cannot really say I was acting on a want. I was merely acting in a way that I had to act for there was no other way.

Even an action done under force is still a want. Someone might say that if a thief puts a gun to your back and tells you to give your wallet, you have no choice. You do though. You can give your wallet. You can choose to get shot instead. You can even choose to try to go kung fu on the guy. To give in to a threat is still a choice and you could do it because you value your life more. Someone suicidal, for instance, might say “Go ahead and shoot.”

This also shows our choice to be happy or not to be. If we are not happy, it is for a simple reason. We choose not to be.  If we worry, it is because we choose to. Why woud we do such? I think the answer is obvious. We have two choices in the matter. We can worry, or we can trust God. Being happy also means that we surrender trust to God. We choose in that case either to trust or not to trust.

Why do we sin also? There’s one reason. We choose to. Why? For some reason, we want to more than we don’t want to. The problem is not with God. The problem is with us. Our wants need to be changed. We have no grounds upon which to blame God (Or anyone else really) for any wrong that we do. It ultimately comes down to one thing. We chose to do it.

What do I suggest then? We need to pray to change our wants. Let’s be honest. We might even want to pray “Lord, a large part of me doesn’t want to change this way, but I do know it’s for the best. I want you to change my wants.” My guess is before too long, that will happen.

And for that reason we should praise God. Not just because he’s done great things, but because hopefully by then, we’ll want to.

Some of you might think I’m posting something Calvinist here. I’m not. Some of you are thinking I’m Arminian then. I’m not sure. I wouldn’t even consider myself Molinist entirely. The question is still up in the air with me. However, I do know the Bible says that we are God’s elect and we should all agree with that if we are saved children of God. How that process is worked out anyone else can debate. For now though, I am simply using the term to refer to Christians.

The passage I’m thinking about is at the start of 1 Peter 1. In it, Peter speaks of God’s elect first off. Now one thing that has to be understood was that this was a dyadic society. It simply means that you were known by who you were related to or in a favored position with. Hence, a person in the Israelite genealogy is introduced as X, son of Y.

What is being said here then? We have seen enough debates on what it means to be elect. In all the Calvinism/Arminianism debates, I think a sad truth has been lost. We are God’s elect. We spend so much time debating on the process that we don’t enjoy the reality. We are like patients that have been cured of a disease but never take the time to live because we’re too busy arguing over how we were cured.

Does the discussion matter now? Of course it does. However, it doesn’t matter to the point of dividing the body which has too long happened. We can all unite on this one fact. We are God’s elect. Maybe you believe that status can be lost. Very well. You are elect now and you should be united with those who don’t think so and vice-versa. Both sides are guilty on this one.

But I too digress. To the point, we need to return.

The reality was that these people were all scattered around the world in various places. However, all of them had something in common. They were all God’s elect. No matter how great the divide may be, God’s elect dwell everywhere. All of them are elect as well and all of them are brothers and sisters we are called to love.

With the reality of the internet, this is becoming more and more real to us. People all across the world can interact now without having to even leave their homes. I can read something from someone in Australia and then turn and read something from someone in Canada and then turn and read something from my church just a few miles away.

Each one I’m talking to though is one of God’s elect. Why does that term matter so much? We are the ones that have been saved by God. Our status is determined by our relationship to God. We are either elect or we are not. We are either for him, or against him.

What a great position we are in though. We may be scattered throughout the world. We may be a diverse group. We may attend different denominations and hold different views on eschatology, predestination, baptism, tongues, the age of the Earth, or any other issue. We are all still members of the body of Christ united by that bond that we share no matter where we live and no matter what our stance on such secondary issues.

That is cause to rejoice. What better way to recognize yourself than one who is in favor with God? That is the language of the time. Those who were saved were those who had God’s favor as their patron. They were to live their lives in honor of him and he would be the one who at the end would say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

If we really believe this though, let’s act like it. I have several friends who I differ from on secondary issues and we never ever discuss it. It just doesn’t matter. We unite on Christ. I can discuss them with other people, but when they become a point of division, it’s time to stop. How is it that we can say we unite on Christ but because of that secondary issue, we’d best not share company? Is the secondary issue greater than the primary issue? Are we saying that while it’s great they believe in Christ, it’s a shame they hold to X view on the rapture?

No. It’s time to unite. One of the signs of our faith will be that we love one another. Let’s show that sign.

Let me let you in on a secret of mine. It’s a practice I’ve been trying to instill more regularly throughout my day. Now I have several friends on here that I enjoy speaking to and they know that. However, as much as I enjoy speaking to them, I need some time to myself. Thus, after writing my blog and getting some responses, I usually sign off.

Sunday afternoons are one huge exception. I spend Sunday afternoons usually in leisure bonding with a game. I’ll also in the meantime have MP3s playing of an apologetic nature. Sometimes I’ll listen to debates and sometimes I’ll listen to Seminary courses. Either way, there’s no chatting at that time and no debating. It’s simply relaxing.

The other times though are dedicated to reading. I read the Scriptures and then I read any other book I can. I usually have at least one good book that I’m going through (For instance, I am currently reading David DeSilva’s “Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity”) at the time and then I can read other interesting works. I might read Plato or Chesterton. I’ve lately been trying to go through the Qu’ran and the Apocrypha.

By the way, I find such activity helpful with other religions. I was fortunate enough to find a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita lying around at the mall and I plan on reading that. I think Christians should familiarize themselves with the other holy books. We don’t like a Muslim telling us what the Bible says when they haven’t read it. We should have the same respect.

The Apocrypha doesn’t count as another religion. After all, it is part of our faith tradition even if you’re a Protestant like myself. These were the thoughts that the Jews of the time of Christ were also interacting with and it can help us to familiarize ourselves with them. Not only that, there is some great wisdom in them.

This time I find most essential and if I have time, I will even end it with watching a Smallville DVD. However, the reading reminds me of who I am. I have my recliner here and I just sit back and get a drink and maybe a snack and read and see what comes to me. It is a recharging of batteries.

None of us can run continuously and that doesn’t just mean getting a good night’s sleep. (Lately though, I find myself envying the times when they went to bed when the sun went down and rose again when the sun came up.) This means time in spiritual activity. I wish I could say I was there with prayer already at this point, but I am still working on that one. We all have a way to go. Managing my time has never been a strong point, but setting aside time in the morning and evening when it doesn’t conflict with work helps.

I think we should all have such times to remain strong. There are times to tell friends “I’m busy” and your true friends will understand. Mine always have. I also will say that while the life of the mind is important, take time for just leisure as well. Be willing to go and be with friends sometimes. The fellowship of others is important. While I prefer to be to myself, I do know I have to have the companionship of others in many areas.

Is there anything really apologetic tonight then? Not particularly. However, I will say that time alone will help one in their apologetic endeavors. We all need a break and we all need to learn to focus. Find some reflection time and do that.

If you’ve never read the Lord of the Flies, I urge you to do so. I had to read it in my 10th grade English class and it was one book I was definitely on top of. When a student came in from another class who understood the symbolism of the book, the teacher always knew that they’d been talking to me.

What happens in it? A bunch of boys fly away from England during World War 2 and end up crashing on an island. They must all form tribes and survive. However, factions arise and in the end, the more warlike of the tribe tries to destroy the more moral of the tribe. There are two deaths. The first is of the Christ figure in the book. The second is of the one that represents rationality.

Which is exactly where our culture is going.

We can see this in ourselves though. Let us suppose that we want to do something and we are convinced in many ways that it is immoral. What do we call the process where we convince ourselves that it really is “okay”? We say that we are rationalizing it. We may not have moral reasons, but we’ll find a rational reason. (In root, to go against the commands of God is always irrational.)

What has our society done? Largely begun in the 60’s, we have relativized our morality. The sexual revolution and the philosophy of Sartre along with the “God is dead” movement led us to say that there are no moral standards. It’s not a shock that abortion came through that open door.

Where have we gone then? Who are the high priests of our culture if not the real priests? They are the scientists. Rationality has become the basis for everything. Man has become convinced that by his reason alone, he can conquer the universe. He can be the one who will in the end stand on the Earth.

Now I’m not against rationality at all. I love it. I am against rationality without the parameters of guidance set by God. I do not believe such rationality exists. The person who wishes to use rationality is actually borrowing from the Christian worldview and then placing it in his own.

Can rationality survive for long without morality though? Not at all. Morality is rooted in God and once we abandon God, we abandon the basis for rationality. Before too long, we will even be calling rationality into question and seeing if we can really discover anything at all through thinking. Science, I predict, if it continues down the materialistic path will hang itself by its own rope. Science with God is great. Science apart from God is impossible.

Isn’t this happening in Postmodern circles already? Have we not seen this in religious pluralism? Don’t we see it in sayings like “True for you but not for me?” The very foundation of truth is so shattered that in the 80’s Allan Bloom could say that any university professor can be sure of one thing upon first seeing his students. They all believe or say they believe, that truth is relative.

What happens then? Exactly what happened in the Lord of the Flies. Chaos. The righteous stragglers left behind are routed out for getting in the way of the culture that seeks to fulfill its own desires. Don’t think such things haven’t happened. I would say that is exactly what happened in Nazi Germany.

I’ve been in dialogue with a very friendly atheist lately who said that people just wouldn’t choose the path of Hitler to life instead of the response of Christ. There’s a problem with that. Hitler chose it. The Nazis chose it. Germany chose it. There were several people who chose that path. Why shouldn’t they if God is not there and morality is an illusion and the mind can give no truth? Why not just seek for pleasure and whatever you want?

I have seen many atheists go down this path in their personal lives. Fortunately, the one I mentioned doesn’t seem to be of this type. I am thinking of one right now though who at a time seemed rational and able to discourse, but the fall he had was a moral one that led to skepticism and finally atheism and the more he went down that path, the more irrational he got. It is an inevitable consequence. Man will have to justify more and more and that will require a lie and not truth.

What’s the answer? The same one the boys on the island had. We need outside help. When help arrived, things were put right. What is our help? We need to return to Christ and start living the life. I believe that Christ is the only hope for restoring America to the glory she once had. I say this with sadness as a proud American, I do not believe our culture can last long the more we reject God.

So what are you going to do about it?

Reading the writings of G.K. Chesterton on fairyland and hearing the philosophers talk about ordinary life I find important in reminding us of what is. There is this idea that there is glory all around us and we miss it not because we don’t see it so much as we don’t recognize it. It is like we were walking down railroad tracks and pass up what we think is a chunk of fool’s gold that turns out to be real gold.

All around us is real gold. In fact, not only all around us but all within us. C.S. Lewis in his book “Miracles” uses the simple process of thinking to show that the supernatural has broken into our world. It’s a marvelous argument and I highly recommend this work, along with all of C.S. Lewis’s works. The apologetics world was greatly blessed by having this mind in it.

Yet the trait of seeing what is is something we are losing. We think that because we know what causes lightning today, that we can somehow rule it out as being sent by the gods. Why? If God exists, could he not use a natural process in a supernatural way? Are we obligated to eliminate God once we learn how something works?

This is a problem science presents us with that we Christians need to stand against. The fear of many scientists is that the idea of God creating something will destroy science as we will no longer ask how it came to be. I believe the opposite is true. If anything will destroy science, it is not religion. It is irreligion.

Science is good with its foundation of rationality and order in the universe in the mind of a rational and orderly God. When that is removed though and science tries to declare that this God does not exist, as some are doing even now, then that foundation will have to be eliminated as well. With that, science of that type will only disprove itself. There will be no basis for science, or for that matter, knowledge any more.

With the foundation of religion, we can say that this world is God’s world. When we say that, we already have enough reason to wonder. However, we can look into our wonder. God made the cell?! Wow! Let’s see if we can figure out how it’s been put together and what purpose it serves. When we see life from that perspective, we will find some purpose in everything.

We will also find wonder in realizing that something that is could not have been. Our neighbor who lives nearby could not have been. (We could consider the reality of abortion sadly. How many people might have been today that didn’t get the chance because of the evil of people’s hearts?) We should celebrate the existence of each for they might not have been.

This will also help us with the Problem of Evil. The skeptics complain so much about the world being full of evil. They need to be answered, but they need to backtrack as well. They need to realize that they are speaking about the world first. Then, they are predicating something of it. When they say “The world is full of evil,” we need to tell them to drop the last three words first and then simply go with “The world is” and think about that.

Reality is ultimately fascinating and wonderful. The problem is us. We just don’t take the chance to enjoy it and like the walkers on the railroad track, we miss out on real gold simply by calling it common.

One thing I believe as an apologist is that while new arguments are good, the best apologetic in many ways is simply reality. Are we going to take reality as it is or are we going to deny it? Are we going to see wonder in all that is around us or are we going to discount it all as an accident?

This is also a question for us as Christians. Are we going to be amazed at the universe that God has created as our giant playground, or are we going to nitpick about it? We are like people who get a new car to drive in, but then we get angry because when we look close at it, we notice a tiny dent on one side.

I thought about this some as I was at a church event tonight playing volleyball with my class. You do not have to guess how I play. I am not athletic at all and it was a miracle I thought the times I got it over the net. Many guys are proud of their achievements in slamming the ball over the net to get a point. I am simply thrilled if I even manage to touch a ball that’s hit to me. Through this, by some miracle, the team I was on won.

Yet as I watched, I noticed that things were happening. A ball would be rolled on the ground to the server and someone in the way would just part their legs as if the balls course had been predetermined to go right where they were. Throws would be made that hit their target every time.

I used to watch Braves baseball and I thought back to that. I remember being so stunned that the ball was so small and the field was so big but no matter what, if it was a fly ball that was fair and not a home run, you could be assured that the outfielder would catch it. It seemed to me the strangest wonder. How could they see such a small object so often in the sun even and catch it every single time? You would think something was dreadfully wrong if they didn’t.

I also thought back to watching the Ninja Turtles cartoons when I was growing up. When Raphael, for instance, would burst in on the enemy and throw his sai, you knew that it would always hit the target. Granted, that was a cartoon and not reality, but I think it hits on an idea in reality. Those with the ability are marvels to watch.

I consider it magic. You would have thought that it was written out according to a script, but it hasn’t been. It is simply day to day life. It is simply people living out their world but they act as if the world will handle things a certain way. The thrower of the ball acts as if he expects the ball to take the intended path and hit its target. Some may call that the laws of science, to which they are correct, but cannot the laws be considered magical? Could they not be an enchantment that has been cast on the world to bring order and to prevent chaos?

Yet some of you will think me silly for writing this perchance. You will say it is simply natural. My reply is that what is natural is simply marvelous. When we reduce it to mere mechanics, we remove the wonder. When we think about what puts the mechanics in motion and what is behind the mechanics and how they serve a higher purpose, then we can have wonder.

Especially if we think that it could have been another way. I do not believe laws of logic or morality could have been another way. I do believe physical laws could be another way. I can imagine a world where I can run at 200 MPH. I cannot imagine one where I am running and not running in the same time and in the same sense. I cannot imagine one where running down the street is immoral.

Yet when I see the world could have been another way, it makes me marvel that God made this world the way it is for a reason. I do not see naturalism able to explain my wonder as it reduces all to mechanics. Even the idea of wonder must be mechanical in some way. Love is mechanical even where sex truly is “just sex” with simply bodies uniting and yet not having to have the souls connect. Two strangers can have casual sex as its called when it is simply mechanics.

Any wonder you have is not really there. It is simply the mechanics of a chemical reaction. Any love you have is not really there. It is simply the mechanics of a chemical reaction. In fact, if naturalism is true, it is not because your thinking is better that you realize that. It is simply because the chemicals in your brain are working one way to produce the thought that they are not in another brain.

I say no. Now I am not a sports fan, but I do find a hidden magic in the physical world as it is. I am not speaking of the magic that I sometimes hit the ball. I am speaking of the magic that the ball comes to me, that I am capable of moving my hand, and that I am capable of hitting it in a certain direction.

That is magical.

Trek fans will know this link well, and I am sure I have it right this time when referencing Star Trek, of “You will be assimilated.”It is the line that the Borg give to indicate that resistance is futile. There is no “might” within that. They speak like it’s a certainty. I had such a moment in the church service last night.

Our pastor preached on Romans 8:28-30. Like most churches I suspect, we read the passage first. As we read, I listened, and it was one of those times again where I felt like I was hearing it for the first time. During the times we read, I don’t read alone because I want to hear the words fresh as if Paul’s letter was being read to me or Jesus in the gospels was speaking and I was in the audience.

I love this passage. I’ve heard it several times. However, with my emphasis lately on the image of God, I noticed something in this passage I had never heard before and it was enough to change my mood in a good way. In fact, I had my own private worship service going on I’m sure after hearing that. Let’s read it as the NIV records it.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

This verse is a key verse in answering the so-called “Problem of Evil.” However, I would like to focus mainly on verse 29, though verse 30 does play a part. The Bible is clear and straight-forward here. We are to reflect the nature of God as I have said before and have all removed from us that does not reflect him.

What does this passage say? “If you live a righteous life, you will be conformed.” No. “If you attend enough church, you will be conformed.” No. “If you have enough faith, you will be conformed.” No. It simply comes right out and says that if you are a Christian you will be conformed. All of these are good, but they’re not what the passage speaks of.

Notice also what else it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say “A few good ones will be conformed.” It doesn’t say “You might be conformed.” It doesn’t tell us that being conformed is for the most righteous of all or it doesn’t mean that it is only for a select few. (If you are a Calvinist, consider my meaning a select few of the elect.)

This is one of those times when I wonder if we really realize the truth of what the Bible says. As this dawned on me what was being said, I thought my world was being rocked. This means that at some point in the future, I WILL be conformed to the likeness of Christ. I will walk as a true reflection of God. I will be free from the sinful nature.

Such a thought should leave us in excitement. If it doesn’t, it could just be further indication that we’re not free yet. It could show that we don’t know how bad our sinful nature is and/or how good the nature of Christ is for us. It means that the truth of what we believe hasn’t hit home yet.

What a great thought it is! You don’t have to wonder if this will happen. You can be sure it will. God has promised it and if you do not think God is a liar, you will have to believe that he can deliver it. There will come a day when you will walk in perfection as you are conformed to the likeness of the Son.

For unlike the borg, God can always and always will deliver on his promises.

I had to fill in for a friend today in teaching Sunday School. I was teaching boys of the High School age and quite enjoyed it. I was to teach on what Jesus was doing after his resurrection. Oh we had some occasional side notes, but by and large, we stuck to the lesson and we had a great time.

Time for a side note from me. I love teaching. I just do. My family tells me that even behind the pulpit, I teach more than I preach. Maybe so. I love it though. There is nothing like seeing the “eureka moment” as I call it when someone finally gets it. I was even up later last night talking to a friend about Plato’s doctrine of the forms. (Dude. You know who you are. You’re awesome. Just want you to know that.) Was I tired today? Yeah. It was sure worth it though.

I say that though because one thing becomes clear if you do any teaching. You will learn more from teaching than your students do most likely. Such is the case of my blog. It was something that I’d “known” but there are times that you read something or hear something you’ve heard before and the reality of what it is hits you.

Now the first passage was the first one we read with the phrase, but I’m going to include all of them from the book of Hebrews. All quotations are from the NIV.

1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

10:12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When we read verse 3, I told the boys that there was a shocking phrase in that passage. None of them would have dreamed that I was telling them that it was “he sat down.” What did that mean? It meant one thing. It meant that Jesus sat down because the work he had was done.

What was his work? Purification for sins in the mission that he was on from the Father. Jesus has purified us. We are justified in his sight. The work is done. No longer does a sacrifice have to be offered. It is done for all time. He sat down waiting for his enemies to be made into his footstool.

Some of us are thinking that this is what we know, but I often ask of the things we know if we have realized them yet. Has the full meaning of what we believe hit home? Have we really realized that our sins are covered? Do we fully grasp the idea that Jesus’s work of redeeming us is done?

This is one reason I say we need to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday and to each other. We can say “Well we already know the gospel.” Of course we do. Do we realize it yet though? Maybe one day when we are told of the love of God, we will see that God really does love us as we are.

For now though, look at those passages again. The Hebrews writer tells us this four different times in the same book. It’s obviously something he wanted us to grasp.

Maybe it’s time we did.

Maybe you’re not a Christian of the same type as me. Maybe you’re one of those to whom prayer comes easily and is not difficult. If so, you are blessed. However, I am willing to bet that there are several out there that are like myself. We don’t always know what to do when we approach the throne and our minds can stray.

I will say at the start of this that I do not see prayer in Scripture as a dialogue. I will not be writing anything on hearing the voice of God. I will admit, there are times I would like to, and I doubt that I’m alone, but I just don’t see that as a common practice in Scripture. I think if it happened even, I would become too focused on an experience and not focused enough on truth such as the Scriptures.

I thought last night about that. I thought that sometimes it seems hard to pray and those who read my blog yesterday know what I’m talking about.  I wondered though why it seems hard. What is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God? Why would one have a hard time talking to God?

Maybe part of it is that we don’t know what it is. Some of you are thinking “Well you just told us what it is. It’s talking to God.” Yeah. I did say that. Does that mean we fully grasp what it is. It would make as much sense to say that kissing is having the lips of the male meet the lips of the female in a romantic gesture. It is only until you begin thinking about it that you realize what that really means.

What does it mean? If I knew entirely, I’d be a wiser man. It means though having the audience before you listening of the most awesome being of all and the most awesome one that will ever be. It means that you are in the heavenly throne room and you have the attention of the one sitting on the throne who can do all and knows all.

Yet what makes it hard? Could it be that we don’t believe he really listens to us? We know he hears us and maybe at times we doubt that. Do we think that he’s listening to us. Do we think he might be saying “Well here he comes again to go on and on about all these little insignificant things.”

Could it be that if God is the creator, God has more interest in his creation than we do? We may think it doesn’t matter, but God has infinite interest in it. That girl you have a crush on? God is interested. Your case of the sniffles? God is interested. Passing your final exam? God is interested. On deciding to be a missionary in a foreign nation? God is interested. No matter how big or small, God is interested.

Where did we get this idea God is only interested in big things? Are not big things themselves made of smaller things? Are we to say that a doctor who can perform major surgery is uninterested in dealing with the common cold? Could it be we have been making God in our image?

Could it also be we don’t see ourselves as good enough? I think many of us are still stunned by how holy God is and how sinful we are, and well we should be. However, are we not aware that if there was nothing good in us that he would not have us enter into his very presence? What is good in us? It is his image and that we are created in it. All the goodness we have is that which is participating in his goodness.

This isn’t pantheism. This is theism. We are participating in the goodness of God for there can be no goodness outside of him.  He allows us to come because we are image bearers and we as Christians have been made worthy to be in the presence of the holy of holies. We can truly boldly approach the throne.

Isn’t that a great verse also? He wants us to do that. BOLDLY APPROACH! We can walk right up to the throne and start talking to the one who sits on it. Isn’t that awesome if we think about it? If only we could grasp the truth that lies in this, and indeed, I am speaking to myself as well.

So why do our minds stray? I don’t know entirely. Maybe some of us just have a harder time focusing. It could just be that we don’t really know the truth about what we do. It could be we have become so familiar with prayer we have sadly allowed familiarity to breed monotony, something that no child of God should ever have. That, however, is another blog.

Well, these are my thoughts on prayer. Maybe I’ve blessed you some. Maybe you are like me and realize you’re not alone. Here’s a good suggestion. Pray for me. I shall pray for you as well. I may not know you, but God does and he can handle things. I hope that I will pray he does.

Sigh. There are times I really would like to get home and write a good blog, but it seems difficult. My mind often has a hard time focusing unless it’s something negative. A train of thought I get going on can too easily become derailed or else split into a thousand directions. It’s quite distracting.

So what happens tonight? We have an influx of customers where I work where several different people come up at once wanting something, I find one of my favorite movies which a friend comes by and as a joke removes, to which I don’t find out until 2 hours later and not even by a confession from him, I work half an hour with two more who don’t even buy something causing me to take a late break, and it ends with a customer so crazy that I’m talking to him and thinking “Remember your karate classes. This is what you do if he throws a punch, a kick, etc.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Keep in mind that this is going on amidst all the other issues I often have going on in my life. There’s the number of debates that I’m in and the work that I do online, there’s preparing the blog, there’s getting set for seminary, and dealing with all other manner of personal issues which largely resides in my own constant fault-finding particularly in myself. Whew!

There are times when one is just spent entirely it seems and there is not much one thinks they can give. I have been entirely thankful for my friends at this point. I have sometimes imagined scenes where I would just collapse in their presence and they’d understand and if anyone came by they would just say, “He’s worked hard and he’s recuperating now. Leave him be.”

It is either the emotions are spent or they are taking over entirely and it can be difficult to tell which. The world turns topsy-turvy and you wonder if it can just slow down. I should mention I got off at 11 tonight and have to be at work at 9 tomorrow for which I will wake up at 7 in the morning. Great recovery time. Such is life though.

I try to keep in mind at this point the stoic philosophy that these things happen. All of this will pass away. From the view of eternity, these incredibly stressful events at this point could seem like nothing more than a minor case of the sniffles and one that I will laugh at from that point.

Unfortunately, we’re not at that point yet.

It’s times like this though that I try to remember that God is on the throne. No matter how crazy things did, the Lord is still sovereign. Christ is still in charge. It is at times like this that I try to remember the peace of the Trinity. I remember that God is omnipresent and so the presence of the Trinity is omnipresent and that Trinity presence has peace and love in it. It is waiting there for me to accept it.

What keeps you and I from doing it? I suppose honestly, we are afraid of the love of God at times. I think of these stray cats I sometimes see. I love cats and when I see them, I want to take them and let them know that they’re not unloved. What do they do though? They run. If they would come close, they would get to have my love for them. They don’t trust it though.

Can we really not trust God? Yep. I think of the idea that some of us have that God will take us and make us do something utterly miserable to us to teach us how to trust him. I don’t really see this in Scripture and it seems centered on us. My guess is that God doesn’t make a big deal out of such things usually. Chances are, we take small choices to God and make them gigantic and we take what he considers the big choices and make them tiny.

As I go on my way, I must simply remember that God is on the throne no matter what’s going on in my life. Things aren’t as big as I make them out to be and I just need to learn to step back and focus. I need to pause and remember in all things that God is on the throne.

So that’s my rant for tonight with my reminder. Why say it? Because my guess is that you have those kinds of days also and you probably need someone to come and tell you that they’re just like you. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.