Seeing God

Title: Seeing God
Author: Warren Wiersbe

Read: Psalm 19:1-14

Psalm 19 is so familiar to us. The first six verses talk about the glory of God seen in creation. Verses 7-11 talk about the glory and grace of God revealed in the Word, and verses 12-14 talk about God speaking to our hearts. He is revealed in the skies, in the Scriptures and in our own hearts and souls.

Even though creation is in travail because of sin (Rom. 8:22), God's glory is revealed there. Someone has said that if the stars came out only once every thousand years, we'd stay up all night and look at them in awe and wonder.

David gives us two pictures of facing each day. The first is like a bridegroom coming out to meet his bride with wonderful hope and love and joy. The second is like a strong man running a race. David tells us to live a day at a time and to start each day with glory and grace and a goal to be reached.

Unfortunately, some people know only the God of creation. They admire the God of wisdom, power and providence, who made everything. But it's not enough to know only the Creator. We must know God as the Savior. This is why Psalm 19 talks about His revelation in the Word. The Bible is flawless. We can trust it, test it and taste it (vv. 9,10). We need to have this Word in our hearts, and then we can have God living in our hearts as our Savior.

This reminds me of the Wise Men who came to see Jesus. They saw the message up in the heavens. Then they followed the star, and that led them to the Scriptures. The priests told them from the prophetical books where the Messiah would be born. Then they went and worshiped Him.

God reveals His glory in several ways. It's easy to admire God the Creator. But have you trusted His Word? Have you tested and proved it in the furnaces of life? Have you tasted it to find out how sweet it really is? Don't worship only the God of creation or the God of revelation. Let Him be the God of salvation in your heart.

February 11, 2011

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6.14)

The person who knows he or she has been redeemed by the generosity of God is able to be generous toward others.

Jesus told a parable about a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. A servant who owed the king about a million dollars was brought to him. Since the servant was not able to repay such a vast sum, the master ordered that the servant and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before his master. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything."

The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants. This second fellow owed HIM about a hundred dollars. He grabbed his fellow servant and began to choke him. "Pay back what you owe me!" he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay you back." But he refused. Instead, he had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. "You wicked servant," he said, "I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?" And the answer, of course, is yes. He should forgive as he had been forgiven. And that is where you and I are today. "Heaven," as Mark Twain said, "goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out, and your dog would go in."

Lord Jesus, may I forgive as you have forgiven me. Thanks for your blessing. Amen.

Know Your Bible ~ Exodus

*Author:

Not stated but traditionally attributed to Moses. In Exodus 34:27 God tells Moses, "Write down these words," and Jesus, in Mark 12:26, quotes from Exodus as "the book of Moses."

*Date: 

Approximately the mid-1400s BC.

*In Ten Words Or Less: 

God delivers His people, the Israelites, from slavery in Egypt.

*Details, Please: 

The Israelites prosper in Egypt, having settled there at the invitation of Abraham's great-grandson Joseph, who entered the country as a slave and rose to second in command. When Joseph dies, a new pharaoh sees the burgeoning family as a threat--and makes the people his slaves. God hears the Israelites' groaning, remembering "his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (2:24) and raising up Moses as their deliverer. God speaks through a burning bush, and Moses reluctantly agrees to demand the Israelites' release fro Pharaoh. To break Pharaoh's will, God sends ten plagues on Egypt, ending with the death of every firstborn child--except those of the Israelites. They put sacrificial blood on their doorposts, causing the Lord to "pass over" (12:13) their homes. Pharaoh finally allows the Israelites to leave the country (the "Exodus"), and God parts the Red Sea for the people, who are being pursued by Egyptian soldiers. At Mount Sinai, God delivers the Ten Commandments, rules for worship, and laws to change the family into a nation. When Moses delays on the mountain, the people begin worshipping a golden calf, bringing a plague upon themselves. Moses returns to restore order, and Exodus ends with the people continuing their journey to the "promise land" of Canaan, following God's "pillar of cloud" by day and "pillar of fire" by night.

*Quotable:
God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (3:14)

Thus saith the LORD, Let me people go. (8:1)

When I see the blood, I will pass over you. (12:13)

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (20:3)

*Unique and Unusual:
God told the Israelites to celebrate the "Passover" with a special meal of bread made without yeast (12:14-15). Three thousand years later, Jewish people still commemorate the event.

*So What?: 

The story of redemption is on clear display in Exodus as God rescues His people from their slavery in Egypt. In the same way, Jesus breaks out bonds of sin (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Know your Bible ~ Genesis

*Author:
Not stated but traditionally attributed to Moses.

*Date:
Moses lived around the 1400s BC, but the events of Genesis date to the very beginning of time.

*In Ten Words Or Less:
God creates the world and chooses a special people.

*Details, Please:
The Bible's first book never explains God; it simply assumes His existence: "In the beginning, God..." (1:1). Chapters 1 and 2 describe how God created the universe and everything in it simply by speaking: "God said...and it was so" (1:6-7, 9, 11, 14-15). Humans, however, received special handling, as "God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (2:7), and woman was crafted from a rib of a man. Those first two people, Adam and Eve, live in perfection but ruined paradise by disobeying God at the urging of a "subtil" (crafty, 3:1) serpent. Sin throws humans into a moral freefall as the world's first child--Cain--murders his brother Abel. People become so bad that God decides to flood the entire planet, saving only the righteous Noah, his family, and an ark (boat) full of animals. After the earth repopulates, God chooses a man called Abram as patriarch of a specially blessed people, later called "Israel" after an alternative name of Abram's grandson Jacob. Genesis ends with Jacob's son Joesph, by miraculous chain of events, ruling in Egypt--setting up the events of the following book of Exodus.

*Quotable:
God said, Let there be light; and there was light. (1:3)

The Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brothers keeper? (4:9)

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (6:8)

He [Abram] believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness. (15:6)

*Unique and Unusual:
 Genesis quickly introduces the concept of one God in multiple persons, a concept later called the Trinity: "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (1:26, emphasis added). Also early on, God gives a hint of Jesus' future suffering and victory when He curses the serpent for deceiving Eve: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (3:15).

*So What?:
Genesis answers the great question "Where did I come from?" Knowing the answer can give us meaning in a world that's otherwise hard to figure out.

Knowing Your Bible in 66 days

The next 66 days we will be exploring the books of the Bible. We will be doing brief surveys of all sixty-six Bible books. Each summarizes what that book is about--always within the context of God's Love and concern for people. Every entry follows this outline:

*Author: who wrote the book, according to the Bible itself or ancient tradition.

*Date: when the book was written or the time the book covers.

*In Ten Words Or Less: a "nutshell" glance at the book's key theme.

*Details, Please: a synopsis of the key people, events, and messages covered in the book.

*Quotable: one, two, or several key verses from the book.

*Unique and Unusual: facts--some serious, some less so--that make the book stand out.

*So What?: an inspirational or devotional thought for each book.

Your Bible is certainly worth knowing. And I pray that this will help to begin a journey of discovery that could truly change your life!