More Love Stuff

08 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in communion, God's love, Job

On Sunday morning, I had the opportunity to speak to the congregation as we prepared for communion. One of the things I love about our fellowship is that we remember Christ’s death, burial and resurrection through a time of communion every Sunday. I shared that it’s the one time of the week that I find myself most in awe of God. I often think of God’s conversation with Job in the last 3 chapters in the book of Job that starts like this:
¹ Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
² “Who is this that obscures my plans
   with words without knowledge?
³ Brace yourself like a man;
   I will question you,
   and you shall answer me.
⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
   Tell me, if you understand.
⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
   Who stretched a measuring line across it?
⁶ On what were its footings set,
   or who laid its cornerstone—
⁷ while the morning stars sang together
   and all the angels^[a] shouted for joy?
⁸ “Who shut up the sea behind doors
   when it burst forth from the womb,
⁹ when I made the clouds its garment
   and wrapped it in thick darkness,
¹⁰ when I fixed limits for it
   and set its doors and bars in place,
¹¹ when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
   here is where your proud waves halt’?

God goes on to further explain all he has created on earth and in heaven reminding Job that no one else is God, no one else can do what God can do, no one can fully comprehend the majesty and power of God.

Then I shared how this incredible God is also the God who knows me and who loves me. In our group, we often reference how God loves us and I think we sometimes forget that means that God loves me. He knows me intimately and he loves me. He loves me enough that he gave his son for me so that I might live justified and spend eternity with him. He loves me that much. It’s humbling and it’s awe-inspiring for me. I hope I share in that awe with others.

Grace and peace to you.
Ovar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

Things I’m Wrestling With – Day 2

01 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in Batman, Job, suffering

≈ 1 Comment

Job. (The guy in the Bible, not my workplace.)
I led a Bible study at work last Wednesday about the topic of suffering and, believe it or not, Job’s name came up. Go figure. I love the story of Job because it brings me comfort. So, what am I wrestling with?
Three different people in the last 2 months have told me they don’t believe all the stories in the Bible are literal and they all pointed to the story of Job as one of those stories. Two people referred to it as a myth, another as a parable.
Now, before my good conservative church friends allow their blood pressure to get too high, let me tell you what I think starting with the part that might make you think I’ve gone kookier than before…
I’m OK with those people believing what they believe. The reason why is that I have come to believe many things about God and His word and His power and His love (I could go on) much differently than I did before the big storm of my life. I have come to believe that people see things and hear things that a few years ago would have made me think they needed to be in a rubber room. I am open to many, many things people believe about God because I have come to see so much so differently – so I don’t argue with these people who challenge my beliefs, I embrace them because the challenge makes me think, makes me talk to God, makes me search my heart and my connection with God to examine what I believe. Those who challenge me have a very special place in my heart because they challenge me to be more in-touch with the Almighty Lord.
So, here’s where I am on the story of Job after spending some time thinking about it. I believe the story is absolutely real. I need the story of Job to be real because I need to know that he overcame the pain of suffering and was a better person for it. I need to know that he lived with the scars of pain, the memories of pain and still became the person God wanted him to be. You see, for me, if the story is not real then I have no more connection with Job than I do with Batman. If Job isn’t real, he doesn’t speak to my suffering. If Job isn’t real, I don’t even know if God is real and if God isn’t real, there is no purpose to my life. I need to know that God allowed Job’s suffering because God HAD FAITH in his creation, had faith that what He had created in His image could survive suffering by trusting in the Maker and be better for it. I believe Job is real and his story is real and his suffering is real and his redemption is real because I believe that is what the power of God can do…His power can allow that suffering because it is stronger than the pain. And, I want a God who challenges me to grow and to be more than I would be just floating through this life and I want a God who will remind me that He is the greatest and there is no greater, that the one I choose to worship didn’t need me to set the cornerstone of the earth or to create it’s measurements or to tell the sea to stop and go no further and who’s voice rises above the clouds.
Will I continue to wrestle with the story of Job; with the thoughts of my friends who challenge me? I hope so because it will keep me engaged but today, I do not wrestle with the realness of Job’s story, instead of jump in it and splash around in it like kids jump in a pool, full of joy that my Lord can do mighty things in me just as He did with Job.

Jvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}
Grace and peace to you.
Jvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}