Posts Tagged ‘God’
DailyTheocentrism: It’s not ‘ok’ to EVER doubt God. (Job 42:1-6)
January 27, 2011 | 
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Two summers ago I heard Ray Pritchard, former Pastor of Oak Park Baptist(?) speak. He told us in his message that the mature believer doubts God.
In Job’s plight, the text shows us how a man that God would call “blameless and upright” reacts to INTENSE suffering – “The LORD gives and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” He had lost his children, wealth, support of his wife, health and comfort. He remained steadfast . . . for a while. (Job 30:16-31) Then Job makes a case. (Job 31)
It is good at this point to remember that if ANYONE would receive an accepted “doubt” from God, it would have been Job. After all, he was a man that God supported and showed confidence in. If the ‘mature’ should doubt God, here is the case where it would be seen.
After a brief reminder by Elihu about the Perfect LORD, God speaks to Job’s doubts. He spends more than three chapters reminding Job that the ‘one’ who would speak with such demand of “rights” would surely have the power over creation – the mark of sovereignty. He is essence asks Job, “Boy, who do you think you are?!”
Really?!! After all God brought on Job at a point in his life when he had remained so faithful – God would say that he had no right to doubt what He was doing?!!
Really.
DailyTheocentrism: Because God is “First Cause”, Creator/Sustainer/Sovereign, He is . . .
DailyTheocentrism: Because God is “First Cause”, Creator/Sustainer/Sovereign, He is the First of/in everything; Knowledge-if you don’t know Him, you can’t truly know anything.
Posted in DailyTheocentrisms | 
Tags: Chief End, Epistemology, God, Sovereignty, Truth | 
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DailyTheocentrism: It’s not ‘ok’ to be mad at God. (Job 40:1-5)
I have heard more than a few say that it is ok to be mad at God – both from the pulpit and from the pen. They contend that God appreciates our honesty and candor – That He “gets it” and would never turn away the honesty of one of His children.
Honestly, we are rotten, deranged sinners. Honestly, we faced God in the Garden and at Galilee and we honestly suppressed the truth and honestly hated Him. Honestly, apart from Him we have no being, or movement, or minds, or existence. Honestly, I have no good in me, save Christ, who is the only honesty in me.
So, to depart from Him, so as to accuse Him at whatever level is ridiculous at best and blasphemous at . . . well, that’s what it is. From where would we draw an ethic or morality by which to bring God to account? He expresses truth and reality and righteous is what He IS. not just what He is like. There is no other pool from which to dip to fill a cup of judgment to pour on Him – He alone is Just and the Justifier.
Honestly, it’s not ‘ok’ to ever be mad at God.
DailyTheocentrism: He’s not “like”, He Is.
God is not a holy God, or a just God or a loving God; HE IS Holiness, HE IS Justice, HE IS Love- these do not describe Him, they flow from Him. Reality was born by the self-revelation of He, who IS the Sovereign. To attempt to capture the Source by a reflection or copy – or worse yet, a perversion is to diminish to the point of offense. Definition begins with Him.
Rich churches, camels and such (redux)
I have been thinking a lot lately how grossly rich our churches are here in America – and how we are ok with that. We are driven to the next novelty and the next programmatic push, simply because we can. We have redeemed our tickets at Pleasure Island and we do not even know what we have made of ourselves – mainly because most everyone else looks just like us.
We want.
That is the nature of us – we want.
more lights
more electronics
more leather
more space
more numbers
more control
more praise
more me
I am reminded that Jesus said, “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Then, I wonder about a whole caravan of them . . . Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in "Ruminations", Paradigm Shift, Sovereign Christ Church | Tags: Chief End, Christianity, Churchianity, God, Humility, Pride, salvation, Worship | 4 Comments »