Daily Thoughts: Romans 8:1

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Omniscient God

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“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:13

I heard them whispering in the back seat. “How did Dad know what we were doing? He didn’t even look back at us.” ”He’s got eyes in the back of his head, he sees everything”   It was something that had been used time and time again to keep the kids in line when I wasn’t watching them directly. At the age of 4 and 6 it’s easy to convince them of something so idiotic. I can’t help but to draw the correlation to our relationship with the Lord.

  There comes a time in every person’s life when the question, “How big is God?” comes to mind. Many will also wrestle with understanding, “How can God be everywhere at once?” Try explaining that one to a 5 year old, when they believe that if they hold their hands in front of their eyes you can’t see them. As adults though, we must come to grips with the understanding that God is Omniscient. The dictionary defines this word as: having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things. I myself have wrestled with trying to comprehend the vastness and depth of God. In doing so, I quickly get beyond the scale of man’s knowledge. A verse in the bible which is often quoted to cover this lack of understanding is Isaiah 55:8: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord”

  With this knowledge that God knows ALL things, we must consider what constitutes ALL. Is there anything that fits outside of the word ALL? Of course the answer is no. All means the whole, everything or complete. The comprehensive creation of humans; including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual elements; fit within this grouping. Is there anything in your life that does not fit into one of these areas? Your thoughts about your boss? – yep. Your desires, wants and lusts for life? – yep. Your anger, joy, confusion and sorrow? – yep. Your weight, health, stress and struggles? – yep. Face it, there is not a single element or action in your life that is not known by God Almighty. Come to this understanding not with an attitude of guilt or shame, but with an attitude of gratefulness.

  For if you can fully accept that God is all knowing, this knowledge can bring you comfort and peace. Having an understanding that God knows what is on your lips and mind means that He knows your stress, struggles and pains in life before you ever come to Him. There is nothing you can do to surprise God, for before you did it, He knew about it. There is nothing you can do to eliminate yourself from His available grace, for He has complete knowledge of all of your actions and yet, despite all of this, still offers you grace through His Son. Present yourself to the Lord, with the understanding and awareness that there is no condemnation for those who have accepted Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1). Realizing that He is omniscient and still wants you with Him in heaven, tells you just how unbelievable His love for you truly is. Relish in it, absorb it and live for it, and by all means be blessed.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
We come before Your throne of authority, wisdom and grace to acknowledge Your omniscient existence in our lives. As with King David, we come before You, knowing there is no where we can go to flee from your presence, wherever we are You are there. You know our thoughts, You know our heart, You know our joys and sorrows; Lord we thank You for the grace that You bestow upon us in our undeserving state. Your word tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from Your love and in this we trust. Amen.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Lost the Love

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“Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”
– Psalm 51:11

You once loved him and went out of your way to do things for him that no-one else would do. You knew ahead of time what was needed and ensured that above all other things, your relationship with him was on solid ground. Then the time came when you grew tired, comfortable and complacent with the relationship you had so meticulously nurtured. Mistakes were made, words were said and tears were shed. As you walked away though, you knew in your heart it was the biggest mistake you would ever make in life. Somewhere, somehow you had drifted apart and now there are times when you’re not even sure why you spent so many years pursuing his love. How far will you walk before you turn back? How far do you believe he is going to let you stray before he turns away. On the horizon is a small glimpse of his eyes, his smile and his open arms, but the image fades quickly as the world consumes your attention and life surrounds you with busyness.

At what point are you going to fall down, crying out as David did to the Lord and seek him once again. You consider yourself falling away from God, but realize He never moved, nor did His desire and purpose for you. King David fell about as far as one could from the righteousness of God. You know the stories, told over coffee and time, starting with his affair, his unrighteousness acts began spiraling out of control. Adultery, murder, anger, lying and cheating – tell me are any of these were worse than what you might have done? The acts of this life are just that “of this life”. God’s love and grace span well beyond this life.

David knew and acknowledged that he was nothing without God. He realized three very important things that each of us must come to realize in our walk with God:
      1) God’s love is truly unconditional and immutable
      2) God’s grace is sufficient for forgiving any sin we might have performed
      3) The Holy Spirit of God walks with each of us and abides with us through our strife

I don’t know what you have done in your life my friend, but I do know that it does not stand between you and God’s saving grace, unless you have decided to allow it too. If you are having a hard time seeing God through the mist of your life, it’s time to kneel with your eyes closed and take ahold of the Savior’s hand once again. As Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Stop, turn and take his scarred hand once again, forgetting what has happened and accepting His grace and love.