God Is... Eternal

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

We Were Made for an Eternal God

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." - Augustine

Do you think fish ever wonder why water is so wet?  Probably not.  As an old Chinese proverb says, "If you want to know what water like, don't ask the fish."  Why not?  Because the fish has no basis for making a comparison!  All the fish knows is water.  Water is not unusual to a fish; it probably doesn't even notice it, unless it gets removed from it.

So what do fish have to do with eternity?  Simply this: Our experience of time should be like the fish's experience of water.  Time should be rather unremarkable and uninteresting to us because we are born in and live all of our days in time.  Yet we remark about time in ways that show that we have a strange relationship with it.  We say things like "How time flies!" and "Where has the time gone?" We celebrate birthdays and milestones with a mixture of celebration and bewilderment.  As we grow older, we wonder why we're getting so old so quickly.  Clearly, we are not really comfortable with time, are we?

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Living For Today

By Pat

Last night we got some snow, a very heavy, wet snow. I went out in the morning armed with my shovel and began the daunting task of clearing the driveway and also the road we share with neighbors, but after a very short time, I knew this would be no easy chore. The snow was like concrete, and after a while it became clear to me that I would be shoveling for quite some time and I became discouraged. I looked at the area I had done, but it was so small compared to what was still ahead of me. And so, slowly and painstakingly I continued on, and I discovered that if I kept myself focused on what I was doing and what I had finished rather than on what was still to be done, I felt more able to continue on with confidence that I would be able to finish. But in looking at what was still before me, I wanted to simply give up, thinking I would never get it all done.

It's easy for me to allow the same mentality to overtake me in my daily life. I look too much at the future, worrying and wondering how I will pay certain bills...or will I someday find a new career? Will my husband finally find a new and better job? Will my business pick up? Will my learning-disabled granddaughter learn the things required of her, and will she have friends? What is God's plan for me"? The future is uncertain... tomorrow is not promised.

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God Is... Our Protector

By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)

^{Photo by Colin Brough. Used by permission.}

Throughout scripture, God is described as a fortress and a provider of security and salvation. One of my favorite go to passages in times of trouble references this aspect of who God is:

"Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge." (Proverbs 14:26 NIV, ©2010)

God loves and protects those who are His children. The word 'fears' above actually means to have a sense of wonder and awe that leads us to follow Him. When we follow God, we are taken into His care, and He will be our shelter and protection from the troubles of this world. That does not mean we will not receive scrapes and bruises. Nor does it mean we will never be harmed.  It does mean that even during the worst battles of our life, we are granted security in God. When everything seems to be falling a part and despair tries to overwhelm us, we are able to experience joy and hope because we know we rest secure in the arms of God.

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Free Will

By Pat

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is that of free will, the ability to make our own choices and decisions. Of course, for those of us who desire to serve God fully, it would be easier if God told us every move to make, every word to speak and to whom, and every morsel to eat, but God is too smart for that. He knows we will never grow spiritually as effectively as possible if He directs every single detail of our lives, just as we who are parents realize we must let our children grow and learn from the decisions they make and the behavior they choose. Like God, we give the right example and make wise suggestions, but we cannot take away their ability to make their own choices. It's how they and all of us learn.

We often, when faced with problems and unexpected difficulties in our lives, claim that we are being punished by God for something, don't we? We find it easier to attribute our problems to "God's will," rather than to see that perhaps it's really a result of OUR free will and poor decisions we have made. I don't believe God punishes us for our wrong choices as a parent would a child who behaves poorly. God knows our hearts, and even though we may live a life of faith, God simply allows us to bear the consequences of our actions. His rules are set out in a very clear and straightforward manner in the Bible. He tells us very clearly how to live. But as humans, we often veer off on our own; sometimes intentionally, sometimes because we are too impatient to wait for God's still, small voice. Oftentimes we misunderstand and allow our own ideas to guide us, thinking it's what God wants us to do. I am often guilty of each of those, sadly. God's will for me at times seems a bit too slow in coming, and I take it upon myself...once again having to say, "Bless my mess, Lord!"

Regardless of the reason, it's usually our free will that gets us into trouble. But if we allow it, God in His great wisdom and mercy, will use these experiences to make better servants of us. If we simply recognize our mistakes and give them back to the Lord, we will be blessed in our faith walk with growth in the Lord. Remember Peter, who denied even knowing Jesus, became the rock upon which Jesus built the church. Peter made a bad choice using the free will God gave him, but God used him anyway in a mighty way, just as He can and will and DOES for us!

"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23-24)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Is... Unchangeable

By Jason S (Connecting to Impact)

Many profess to like the God of the New Testament while not liking or not understanding the God of the Old Testament.

• The New Testament shows a loving, gracious, compassionate God and Father who gave His own Son as a sacrifice and ransom for many
• The Old Testament shows an angry, vengeful, God of judgment who destroys His enemies and those who oppose Him (or so it's thought)

I'm in no way mentally or theologically equipped to argue this in its fullness, but I do hope to bring out a few points that will show that God is not schizophrenic and He didn't 'mellow out' in the 400 years between the writing of Malachi and the birth of Jesus. He doesn't and hasn't changed.

That's right–God is unchangeable.

This is good news. I can't make Him love me any more by doing good things and I can't make Him love me any less by doing bad things. I can't make Him mad so that He leaves me. He disciplines–meaning I face hardships–but it's not punishment for sin because all that is wiped away through the blood of Jesus.

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