Men,
I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine that I care deeply for. I was sharing with him about some struggles that I am experiencing. As we talked through it, I was explaining to him that I was in a spiritual valley. Not that I had fallen away, or that I am running away from God, but that I felt this distance from Him. I mentioned the same thing to my wife and she recalled somebody telling her "when we don't feel close to God, it isn't Him that has moved." PROFOUND words I must say.
Back to my conversation with my buddy. He told me about a book he's reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. If you've never read or listened to Francis Chan, his messages are usually about the AWESOMENESS of our creator. I once listened to a podcast of his sermon where he spoke about how we get it twisted about how significant we think we are. In his book, he's given a description of the totality of God's creation. I quote "Why would God create more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies that generations of people never saw or even knew existed? Do you think maybe it was to make us say, 'Wow, God is unfathomably big?' Or perhaps God wanted us to see these pictures so that our response would be, 'Who do I think I am?'"
Chan quotes R. C. Sproul, "Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."
Today in church I was struck by a point the pastor made about Jesus' primary mission coming to earth was SPIRITUAL healing, and His secondary mission was physical healing. He said our prayers for healing our suffering, strife, turmoil, broken marriages etc. even today are secondary on His priority for our lives. He wants to restore our relationship with God.
All this ties together for me and leads to the question, "Who do I think I am." Who do I think I am that I would determine to be my own God in control of my life and able to handle my trials myself. How can I "contrast myself with the majesty of God" and think that He is not big enough for my trials and that I have to handle them myself?
Just like the opening words of Chan's first chapter, I encourage you all to "take a long, hard look at God before you speak a single word to Him...The wise man comes to God without saying a word and stands in awe of Him" and see if you don't scream out this question, "WHO DO I THINK I AM??!!!"
1 comment:
I have noticed that the further WE slip away from God, the even more willing he is to bring us back and build us up. When people see how we move away, and then we are moved back and built up so incredibly, that glorifies God! God doesn't do anything that doesn't glorify himself. I have noticed that if we pray for us to glorify God in everything we do he builds us up to no end.
Romans 5:20 says, But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God's unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded,
This applies to us slipping away form God too. The further we slip away, the even more willing he is to bring us back and glorify himself in the process.
I'll pray for you bro,
j. knox
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