But God

But God

I’m sitting in my backyard asking the Lord to enable me to put into words on the page clear thoughts, encouraging thoughts, honest thoughts—truth.

Note, these Running Thoughts are intended to be written to you. Not to a large group, but to you personally. Please read them in this way.

Jesus asked,   “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Matt 16

Though religions or beliefs may be shared globally with many people, your beliefs, your convictions, are your own. Yes, you may agree with others, yet no one can believe or disbelieve for you. Our convictions are our own and they are decided upon by us. It’s personal, very personal.

I am very clear about my own faith and my convictions. They are my own. No one can have them for me, nor can I believe on behalf of you. Yes, I can influence or encourage your thinking and yes, I can pray that your heart and mind are enlightened and yes, I can live out my life in front of you as a picture of what I believe—but that is about it.

I am not looking for people to become like me, but I am clearly hoping for people to believe like me. Why? Because I firmly believe and am convinced that God actually Is and Is who He reveals Himself to be in His Word, the Bible. I am certain that mankind has fallen from grace, that all have sinned and fall short and that mankind—you and I—need to be rescued. I also know that there is only one escape from the penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from God whom we have ignored, disrespected, dishonored and disobeyed. That escape is through forgiveness, and that forgiveness is available in only one place. It is found in surrender to God, who sent His Son Jesus to live, die and rise again as the doorway to an eternal home with God.

Acts 4:12 states: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Not just can be saved, but must be saved.

My primary aim in writing My Running Thoughts is to direct your attention to God. Your attention, personally. My sincere desire is that you will be rescued, saved. That you—not we—will even right now reach out to a ‘maybe God’ and see if He reveals Himself to you. Prove God to yourself by putting your trust in Him. Not in my words, but in Him.

And my secondary aim is to encourage ‘we’ who have placed our trust in God to grow up in our faith, to learn how to live out the mysteries of God in this dark and fallen world we find ourselves in. This is the twofold purpose of my life, of my remaining days.

^“ If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”  Phil 1

So, that’s me in a nutshell. I desire to explore and know God increasingly so I can tell and show Him more clearly. Of course, I also desire to care for and love my wife, children (inclusive of in-laws), grandchildren, siblings and their families, friends, neighbors, church community and all others whom the Lord brings into my sphere of influence. Knowing Him enables me to care for others.

With the Lord directing me, I feel blessed, honored and prepared to be His ambassador and to be part of His Rescue 911 squad. What could be more vital than to rescue lives into a never-ending, glorious life in the hereafter where there will be no more tears, no more sickness, no more death…perfect Love. Just thinking about this rescue effort inspires me to press on. And with the help, perhaps, of you and many others, I will—till I breathe my last when I will  see all that I have believed in without having yet seen.

Let me ramble a bit.

Recently, I found myself thinking about time. The thousands of years that were before me, my days thus far and the years ahead for mankind. Wow! That’s a lot of time. These are real, 24-hour days of time—so, so many. And amidst this expanse of time, I entered. May 23, 1955 till ??, at least till now! My life, little, now old, me.

For me, life is so mysterious, so beyond my imagination. I do not have to be convinced that “His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts greater than mine.” It blows my brain to consider that God has always been. What? Uncreated! And that He not only Is but is omni-everything! Wow again! And though these deep truths are mysterious, there is something I cannot deny…I exist. Here I am…and there ‘they’ are. And there are the sun, the moon and the stars, the oceans and the mountains, and the incredible creation of life—the eggs and sperm swimming around that result in ‘us,’ and a tongue that tastes the fruit and veggies that have grown, and a tongue that talks, and an eye that sees, and a mind that can create computers, AI and world systems and beautiful art…..

Yes, the years are undeniably many and the real lives of those existing throughout the years are many.  So so many.

I began thinking about one life, the life of my father. I began wondering how many times he was thought about or his name uttered in a sentence worldwide over the past 12 months. Yes, maybe we, his kids, occasionally have him come to mind, or on Dad’s Day or something, but very few times overall. A whole life, so important back then, but pretty nonexistent today. And he is just one of billions.

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14

We can make so much of our ‘mist of a life.’ Over the years I have imagined myself

doing great things, impacting the entire world and at other times, like recently, felt very tiny. What mood are you in today? Feeling small? Big? Not thinking about it? Matters not, ‘soon’ you’ll be filed away as an increasingly distant memory. This is not a depressing feeling. Though I do pause and realize my temporary nature on this planet, it is simply the truth. And, right now, for me, it motivates me to live life more fully, more abundantly for the purposes I was created. No, I am not trying to dismiss our lives nor depress us. In the big picture, I am but a mist. Yet, in the picture of today, at such a time as this, right where I am, I have great importance to those I live near. I am trying to get us to recognize and maximize this time we are allotted and to think honestly and openly before our opportunity to think ends.

As I stated, there are so many things and thoughts that boggle my brain, that transcend my own ability to understand. These things actually energize my belief and trust in a God who thought of all these things. He is bigger than my brain! I get encouraged. And then there are things, sometimes very painful things, just as real, that boggle my mind and leave me feeling sad. These things leave scars, pain and questions instead of answers.

I recall a dinner I had with my Dad (look, I mentioned him!). It was back in 1977 when I was heading back to college after pausing. We had a dinner together where we talked about life, the choices I was making and the choices he had made. As we were departing to our separate cars, he said to me, “Tonight I really got to know my son,” and I replied, “Tonight I really got to know my Dad.” Two days later, he was dead and gone. Why? C’mon, I just got to know him! I was desperately at a loss for reasons, some of which were revealed later. I know at least one reason. I met my future wife at his funeral and she passed along a Bible to me which introduced me to God.

Years later, the best friend of my daughter and friend of the family learned she had cancer. And she learned this while she was carrying her first child. Obviously, we gathered together and, if there is such a thing as praying hard, we did it! Her beautiful baby was born and soon afterward her Mom was gone. Why? Why her? Why now? Though we are assured we will meet again, for now, gone. Heartbreaking, confusing, reality.

And just a month ago we found ourselves praying for a friend’s 4-year-old daughter. She was found unresponsive in a pool. Again, a zillion prayers, yet one week later she was gone. So, so sad. Why?

I’m 71, my Dad was 47, our friend 31, the little girl 4.

I’d be lying if I told you that these lives and these deaths did not trouble me. Of course they did. I mean, these are young people. “We prayed! I don’t get it.” And I don’t.

But God.

I have deeply grieved the passing of these and many others. And as troubling as some of these examples of the end of life might be, it is equally amazing that these lives ever were.

But for God, we would not exist, ‘these’ would not exist. Whereas God is uncreated, we are all created for His purposes, for His times. He is not caught off guard nor ever surprised. “While I, while they were yet in their mother’s womb, God saw all the days before them before one came to be!” Psalm 139

There is only one constant in this world and it is God. He is always. And He is perfect. And He is perfect love. And He is sovereign over all things. And He is gracious and kind. And He is unchanging and all-powerful and…..He is actual. He actually exists whether we know or believe it or not.

We live in a fallen, darkened, hopeless, hapless, confusing world. This too is undeniable. There are a myriad of experiences, motives, emotions and what-ifs in our lives. It is impossible for us to reconcile all that goes on. This can and does drive people into ignoring because it is too scary or too painful. Or into denial—‘don’t believe the things you see.’ Or into fear and anxiety because it is relentless and can be hopelessly confusing.

Augustine was right: Peace and rest are not found in the world but in God: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee” (Confessions, 1,1).

But God

Psalms 73 states:

…

“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

my steps had nearly slipped.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggle in their death;

their bodies are well-fed.

They are free of the burdens others carry;

they are not afflicted like other men.

Therefore pride is their necklace;

a garment of violence covers them.

7From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;a

the imaginations of their hearts run wild…

…

wicked say, “How can God know?

Does the Most High have knowledge?”

Behold, these are the wicked—

always carefree as they increase their wealth.

…

When I tried to understand all this,

it was troublesome in my sight

until I entered God’s sanctuary;

then I discerned their end.”

But God.

I do not know the details of your life—your childhood, your family, your friends, your enemies, hopes and fears over all your years, your successes, your failures, your pain, your heartbreak, your haplessness, your joys, your hopelessness, etc. How could I? Most of who you really are—your real feelings, worries, regrets—are hidden inside, shielded from those who likewise have their version of all these things.

When I was young, just growing up, grappling with life, grappling with living, I would think to myself, “If this is what life is all about, I should jump off the roof!” Without realizing it, I was wise before my years as Solomon discovered the same…“Meaningless, meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless,” like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes

And then, like Solomon, I discovered the only meaning to living: “This is the end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

To you, yes you—I beg of you to pause and establish, renew or continue a life in pursuit of and responsiveness to God.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  Psalm 90:12

But God.

God is quite direct in Psalm 14: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

Now, our brain might quickly react by thinking, I’m no fool, of course there must be a God. Well, I ask, how foolish are we to suggest or admit or even believe God exists and then treat Him like simply an idea or a worldview—an item checked off the list? Which brings us back to where we began: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

Pause now. Pause tonight. Hear Him ask you this—not the crowd, not your family, not your church, not me. You. Who do you say He is? And if you say He is God, Savior, Lord, then respond. Live a life in accordance with your stated belief. Establish, renew or continue your pursuit of Him. Life is brief. Questions remain. Pain is real. I do not understand it all.

But God.

As always, we must go to know Him. I am here to help.

Love you….TG