The ordinary seems to appear in everyone's life. Aiming to get to the next level of a career or hobby may seem at first to be extraordinary and that it will change things. But that new, higher level starts to feel ordinary the longer we are there or the more we meet people who have been there. Being at that next level doesn't change who we are.
The good part of admitting we are ordinary is that we know God loves us not because of our works or exceptional things we do, but just because we are his. It's not us. He is the extraordinary one. The less we have to brag about, the more we know it's really God and not us that brings our worth and love from God.
That doesn't mean we don't try to do extraordinary things at times. God is working with us through the Holy Spirit, so we have the capability to do good that might fit in that category.
And our love for God, and his love for us, prompts us to want to do what he wants for us and for his glory—sometimes that could fit into that category of extraordinary too. Just like if we love someone, we feel compelled to do what will benefit them.
A push to always be or do the extraordinary can be hard, though, on anyone, since it's not possible to do all the time or even much at all. Some people may think that aiming to do that all the time is what God wants. But God wants us to rest and to also trust that where we are is where he wants us since he directs all of life. He has put us where we are in life, and it may seem ordinary, but one thing he wants most is for us to love him and our neighbors. Maybe the ordinary is a good place to do that. Love is often shown in being consistent.
Showing posts with label all areas of life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label all areas of life. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Theology as a Meta-Discipline
Theology speaks to all areas of life. God has spoken to man and his word has implications of all areas of life. Often we need humility to realize that we may not see the implications.
It is not always easy to see how the bible can inform our thinking in many areas. But the reality is that if we are open to the idea that the bible does have implications to all sorts of things in life we will often begin to see how the bible applies to this or that area of life.
We often push the bible too far back. Maybe we read it regularly but we do not see how it applies to hardly any area. Maybe it applies to family, friendships, and church, but nothing else. Of course we are never that crass in speech but often it is the way we live.
The reality is we often close ourselves off to the implications of the bible in all sorts of ways. By opening ourselves to the possibility that scripture informs everything we often begin to understand many things we would not understand otherwise.
It is not always easy to see how the bible can inform our thinking in many areas. But the reality is that if we are open to the idea that the bible does have implications to all sorts of things in life we will often begin to see how the bible applies to this or that area of life.
We often push the bible too far back. Maybe we read it regularly but we do not see how it applies to hardly any area. Maybe it applies to family, friendships, and church, but nothing else. Of course we are never that crass in speech but often it is the way we live.
The reality is we often close ourselves off to the implications of the bible in all sorts of ways. By opening ourselves to the possibility that scripture informs everything we often begin to understand many things we would not understand otherwise.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
All Good Things from God
Recently I read an article mentioning that all good things come from God (James 1:17). What a beautiful reality.
If we truly start to think often on this, that all good things flow from God, we'd have countless opportunities to thank God. The sun shining and the way the cool wind feels on a hot day can be a cause for quiet awe and reflection.
Or even on a winter day full of snow and cold, the type where people like to complain about the cold, there's a chance to see the beauty of snow or feel the heat inside.
There are hundreds of possible things to be grateful for each day. That doesn't mean that life isn't sad at times, but that gifts are always around us. A beautiful sign from God of his blessings to us. Big and small.
If we truly start to think often on this, that all good things flow from God, we'd have countless opportunities to thank God. The sun shining and the way the cool wind feels on a hot day can be a cause for quiet awe and reflection.
Or even on a winter day full of snow and cold, the type where people like to complain about the cold, there's a chance to see the beauty of snow or feel the heat inside.
There are hundreds of possible things to be grateful for each day. That doesn't mean that life isn't sad at times, but that gifts are always around us. A beautiful sign from God of his blessings to us. Big and small.
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Sunday, August 28, 2005
Church
I was thinking after church today about all the joy and happiness I saw in people after the service. But, in a way I saw a massive amount of folly.
We all got a taste of the sweetness of God on our tongues. How many of us would walk out of the church and forget the utter sweetness of it. The utter contentment we found submitting ourselves to the Lord.
How many of us will settle for far less joy filled, happiness yielding, beautiful, and contentment filled experiences. How many will settle for utter emptiness after having felt the joy of being filled.
We all got a taste of the sweetness of God on our tongues. How many of us would walk out of the church and forget the utter sweetness of it. The utter contentment we found submitting ourselves to the Lord.
How many of us will settle for far less joy filled, happiness yielding, beautiful, and contentment filled experiences. How many will settle for utter emptiness after having felt the joy of being filled.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Two Commands and Their Implications
Two commands and their implications:
Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself are two central commands in the bible. Jesus as the one who must fulfill the law perfectly on our behalf fulfilled both of these. The interesting thing about the first command is that ALL our love is commanded from God and yet more is still required. This must mean in fact that loving God with all our heart mind and soul is not in contradiction with loving ourselves and our neighbor. There must be a type of love that not only places love in our neighbor but also is in fullness a love of God. If this is true one may well expect the enjoyment of a good game of hockey in heaven. We may take delight in it while at the same time placing our full love on God. It would seem unreasonable to assume that if we can have compatible love with humans that we cannot have it with other things. In fact we would be forced to say that Jesus had no love for anything but God and man if we said that. But clearly God delighted in his creation before man came so clearly we may love anything in creation and still fully love God. (I am not saying that we can fulfill this now but it would be possible were it not for sin) The implications of this would be that loving the Lord with all our heart in heaven need not mean that we may love nothing else in heaven. Heaven, contrary to some views would not be a place of constant worship of God. It would be in a sense in that all activities would become worship but it implies that there will be worship and climbing mountains and enjoying sunsets that all place our full enjoyment on God. If this doesn’t sound possible to you, you should consider if our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has not already fulfilled it. It would seem he must have. He had a love that was for man and yet gave all his love to God thus fulfilling the whole of the law. Jesus is one in will with the father so when the father declared his delight over his creation it is Jesus as well who delighted in it. (And God doesn’t change (And unlike the philosophical giants would like us to think that is a VERY good thing)) So Jesus on earth delighted in his fellow humans (he is fully human and fully God) and in creation all the while giving all his love to God. If these presuppositions and logic have truth to them there will be great Hockey games, epic D&D adventures (well I'm not positive about that one as I don't know how much fun fighting evil in a world where there is no evil is (but at least in that there will be great stories and thus roleplaying systems)), and stunningly deep Go games in heaven all of which are enjoyed while God is given all the love.
Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself are two central commands in the bible. Jesus as the one who must fulfill the law perfectly on our behalf fulfilled both of these. The interesting thing about the first command is that ALL our love is commanded from God and yet more is still required. This must mean in fact that loving God with all our heart mind and soul is not in contradiction with loving ourselves and our neighbor. There must be a type of love that not only places love in our neighbor but also is in fullness a love of God. If this is true one may well expect the enjoyment of a good game of hockey in heaven. We may take delight in it while at the same time placing our full love on God. It would seem unreasonable to assume that if we can have compatible love with humans that we cannot have it with other things. In fact we would be forced to say that Jesus had no love for anything but God and man if we said that. But clearly God delighted in his creation before man came so clearly we may love anything in creation and still fully love God. (I am not saying that we can fulfill this now but it would be possible were it not for sin) The implications of this would be that loving the Lord with all our heart in heaven need not mean that we may love nothing else in heaven. Heaven, contrary to some views would not be a place of constant worship of God. It would be in a sense in that all activities would become worship but it implies that there will be worship and climbing mountains and enjoying sunsets that all place our full enjoyment on God. If this doesn’t sound possible to you, you should consider if our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has not already fulfilled it. It would seem he must have. He had a love that was for man and yet gave all his love to God thus fulfilling the whole of the law. Jesus is one in will with the father so when the father declared his delight over his creation it is Jesus as well who delighted in it. (And God doesn’t change (And unlike the philosophical giants would like us to think that is a VERY good thing)) So Jesus on earth delighted in his fellow humans (he is fully human and fully God) and in creation all the while giving all his love to God. If these presuppositions and logic have truth to them there will be great Hockey games, epic D&D adventures (well I'm not positive about that one as I don't know how much fun fighting evil in a world where there is no evil is (but at least in that there will be great stories and thus roleplaying systems)), and stunningly deep Go games in heaven all of which are enjoyed while God is given all the love.
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