“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Rev. 4:8) When I consider the attributes of God’s character, His holiness stands apart. I don’t know about you, but there is something about the holiness of God that immediately arouses awe and wonder in my mind and heart. Noah Webster defined holiness as perfect purity or integrity of moral character. God’s moral character radiates absolute [...]
The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. (Psalm 103:19) As Americans, we get most of our ideas of royalty from books, movies, and British royal weddings. We think of lavish ceremonies, extravagant clothing and priceless jewels. Depending on our personal tastes in books and movies, we may think of palace intrigue, power struggles, and scandal. Or we may think of nobility, great battles against evil, and selfless [...]
Our lives are constrained by time. Hours pass into days and seasons into years as time marches forward. A child looks ahead and counts the hours long. A gray-haired man looks back and asks, “Where have the years gone?” The passage of time brings order to our lives. It gives us a frame of reference, a common standard by which we communicate and coordinate in community. For one, the number of his days on earth [...]
Is anything too hard for God? Nothing. Nothing is impossible with God (Matt. 19:26). In all of Eternity, He does as He pleases and accomplishes with perfection every task He sets out to do (Ps. 135:6, Isa. 55:10-11). No purpose of His can be thwarted (Job 42:1-2). His power and authority are infinite. The entire universe burst into existence, not by the labor of His hands and the sweat of His brow, but by the [...]
When we contemplate the nature of God, we may find ourselves puzzled, mystified, befuddled. We stand amazed, in awe, and slightly overwhelmed. The nature of God, to be honest, is more than we can fully take in all at once. But He understands. He is never confused or misinformed. He never makes a decision, as we do, based on faulty or incomplete knowledge or understanding. He is never fooled by deception – He is able [...]
As human beings, we live with limitation. We may expand our reach, but there are boundaries we simply cannot cross. We cannot be in two places at once. But God is not limited by space or time. Space and time as we experience it are a part of God’s Creation. As Creator of the heavens and earth, God transcends His Creation. God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, is right here with us in the [...]
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (Isaiah 40:28) When I think of God as Creator, I am reminded that He knows and understands. Because God created me, He understands me. He knows how I function, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He not only knows me, He knows all of His [...]
There is a simple Christmas carol called, I Wonder as I Wander (John Jacob Niles, 1933). Do you know it? With its haunting melody and simple words, it reflects the awe of the coming of Jesus as Immanuel, God with us. I wonder as I wander out under the sky How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die For poor orn'ry people like you and like I; I wonder as I wander out under [...]
When someone mentions angels in connection with the Christmas story, what do you think of first? The angel Gabriel announcing God’s plan to Mary? A great chorus of angels singing “Glory to God!” while the shepherds looked on in awe? Angels played an integral part in communicating certain specific instructions from God for events surrounding the birth of Jesus: Announcing the birth of John: An angel announced to Zacharias the birth of a long-awaited son. [...]
As I was thinking this morning about the shepherds, an image of Charlie Brown’s Christmas came to mind, particularly the scene where Linus explains to Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about. Linus walks center stage with his blanket, and recites Luke’s account of angels announcing the good news of the Savior to shepherds out in the fields: Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over [...]
