God Is... Holy, Holy. Holy!

By Jason V

I remember my Uncle Howard's collection of walking sticks.  He had been a world traveller and had collected walking sticks from all over the world.  If we asked nicely, he might show them to us, but we were not allowed to touch them under any circumstances.  They were special, set apart, reserved for his use alone.  They were, in a sense, "holy."

Did you grow up with "holy" things in your life- things that were set apart for a special use, better than common, reserved for certain people or certain occasions?  We just moved from Maryland to South Carolina this week.  In a special box, packed very carefully and handled with special attention was the 110-year-old mantle clock my school gave me as a parting present.  It has become, in this sense, a "holy" object in our household.

These things are, of course, only "holy" in a very limited sense of the word.  To be truly holy, something must be set apart by God for God's purposes, reserved for His use and for His glory.  In this was, the tabernacle and the temple were known as holy places.  When Moses saw God in the burning bush, the Lord called to him and told him to take off his shoes, for he was standing on holy ground, ground that was now made holy by the presence of God.  Later, the Israelites would return and worship God on that same mountain, Mount Sinai, where God would give His Ten Commandments, His holy law.

So, if something is holy because God sets it apart and reserves it from common use for His special use, then what does it mean for God to be holy?  Well, to begin our understanding of this, we need to know two things: First, God is not just holy.  He is Holy, Holy, Holy.  This is what the angels around His throne cry out day and night for all eternity- "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord!"  This emphasis teaches us that God is not just holy in the sense that other things are holy, but He is the source of all holiness, the One who makes things holy. 

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God Is... Infinite

By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)

Our God is infinite, but what does that really mean?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "infinite" as:

1. extending indefinitely : endless <infinite space>
2. immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive : inexhaustible <infinite patience>
3. subject to no limitation or external determination
4. extending beyond, lying beyond, or being greater than any preassigned finite value however large

Our minds cannot truly grasp the concept of a being that knows no limits. We try desperately to define everything within the boundaries of our experience and understanding... But God is so much more than that. Any description we give Him cannot begin to reveal all that He is.

Knowing our limitations, how can we understand God as infinite? Truly, we cannot. It defies our logic. But it does not make it any less true.

Instead of trying to define God, we need to accept and be blessed by His limitless nature. Scripture references several aspects of the infinite God:

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God Is... Wisdom

By Jason S (Connecting to Impact)

People throughout history have attained a certain measure of wisdom. From the practical to emotional to the spiritual, I would say it's fair that the vast majority of us have no desire to be or appear stupid.

We chase after wisdom through education and experience. We gather as much as we can like trophies on a shelf. Wisdom is not a bad pursuit at all, but without the Author of wisdom, it is unfulfilling at best.

Solomon, arguably one of the wisest people and leaders who ever lived, devotes a whole book called Ecclesiastes to the idea that wisdom is not enough. In fact, it's oppressive apart from truly knowing the Creator who would give wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please Him anyway (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

All the wisdom we hold dear in the world is foolishness to God. He dismantles and destroys the wisdom of the wise so all the hoarding we try to do ends up in vain (1 Corinthians 1:19-21).

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God Is... Loving and Approachable

By Jay Cookingham (Soulfari)

The parable in Luke 15 shouts with the love and compassion the Father has towards us. See if you can spot the lessons He would love for us to learn from this story.

"So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.""

See how the father was expecting his son’s return! You don’t see people a long way’s off unless you are watching intently for them to appear. Day after day he continues his watch until one day He checks again and sees a figure, one he is familiar with. He is so excited, that he starts to run! He could have waited until his son reached him; after all he is the father and the one wronged. The father risks a loss of respect to run to a son considered lost, spiritually dead to the family, and does not hesitate a moment.

Here’s a point that I find wonderful, the son could also see his father coming after him! Imagine him practicing his lines; wondering about the response he’ll receive by his return. His head is bowed, he’s dressed in rags and he still reeks of pig dip. He lifts his head just a little and from a distance he sees his daddy trucking down the road towards him. Soon daddy is all over him, throwing his arms around him and kissing him. Dressed in rags, dirty and foul smelling, his father doesn’t wait until his son is cleaned up to embrace him with compassion. He was on a roll now and wasn’t about to stop.

“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

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God Is... All-Knowing

By Nick (My Experience As...)

He Knows When You are Sleeping

I know, Christmas is over, but I love Christmas and could celebrate all year.  Plus, what better example for the all knowing God to a kid.

I have 4 children age 2-7.  They are girl, boy, girl, boy.  You could plan things better if you tried. My kids are all over the place with Santa, but they love presents … mostly.  The youngest is down with a present or two, but then basically wants to play and gets mad that we keep trying to get him to open the new presents.  The oldest two pretty much just tear into it. We make them take turns but you can tell it really kills them waiting. The youngest girl takes her time, looks at each thing and then opens the next present on her turn.

So back to the Santa deal.  We don’t really teach Santa in our house, but we don’t narc on the myth either.  We talk about St. Nicholas, a real hero of mine, and we talk about Jesus. They get plenty about Santa in school and since starting public school the oldest two have waffled back and forth on the Santa issue.  I think they are hedging their bets. Our oldest, a girl, was pretty firm this year and her 10 month younger brother was persuaded by her insistence a lot of the time. M, the youngest girl, is dead set that Santa is not real.  Odd that a 4 year old is so absolute in this.  She gets into screaming arguments that he isn’t real. I’m worried for kindergarten next year. I have a feeling she is going to really upset some kids.

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