It’s hard to reconcile the God of justice and consequence with the God of grace and redemption.
I got to thinking. In the Old Testament, no one went to Heaven, barring one or two fellows who simply vanished from the earth. No one, not even Moses, went to Heaven when they died. They loved God and served Him simply because He is God. Without promise of the sweet by-and-by. Without expectation of “health and wealth”. Do I love God like that? I want to. I need to.
I realize more and more that I understand very little about God’s vast ways. It’s hard to reconcile the God of justice and consequence with the God of grace and redemption. I know there are theological “answers” to everything but it seems as though God makes some things hard or impossible to grasp on purpose. He didn’t create us to understand everything about the universe. In fact, it was the greed for all encompassing knowledge that was ultimately the downfall of mankind in the Garden. I’m content in knowing that God does not contradict Himself and that He loves us greatly.
This year God has been shaping Judi and I more than ever. We’ve had some of our toughest days ever in 2008. I don’t know why Judi and I lost our baby. We don’t understand if there is any logic behind it. But maybe we, as humans with human understanding, wouldn’t be able to handle that knowledge. The one constant thing through the whole ordeal was that God is sufficient. When “all is stripped away” God was, is and always will be the sole remainder.
7 Comments
beautiful thoughts. I want to love God that way too. Not for the hope of heaven or the fear of hell. Just because I love him that much.
I hate the mentality that Christianity is just a ticket to Heaven. The Bible places very little emphasis on the after-life. Christianity is a better way to live right here and right now. He helps us through the big and the small problems.
As you are aware, I have a hard time reconciling the different and dare I say conflicting personalities of God presented in the Bible. Like you said, it’s just a matter of falling in love with His character revealed to you.
<3
enticed by the first paragraph and blown away by the last.
great post. great thoughts. keep it up.
thanks for sharing your heart. it was a beautiful post. you and judi are such an exemplary couple!
Dude…”God is sufficient” is resonating in mine and my wife’s lives right now.
Great thoughts Mark.
When my wife and I lost our first child it was an devastating. Since then my brother’s wife and my sister have both had miscarriages. Just last week my sister had another.
I’m convinced God allowed us to go through that first to help comfort them.
…and one can’t help but think about Romans 8:28.
(I noticed this morning that I didn’t have you on my blogroll. That’s been fixed.)
@ Mud Puppy
I know exactly what you mean. Judi and I have been able to minister to and comfort people who we may have never been able to before. We, in turn, have been blessed in helping others with this. It’s amazing how God works those things out.