God Is Able

The Bible portrays God as omnipotent - all-powerful, able even to create all things from nothing. The writer of the Letter to Hebrew believers states:that: "By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear." (11:3). The individual is portrayed as totally insufficient to do anything but fail. Yet the Bible also teaches that great things will be done in, and through, and to us. How can this be? It is only through God's power and wisdom that anything of substance will be accomplished. He alone is able. Consider the following sampling of tasks He is able to perform for us. 

God is able to do the work of salvation in a believer's heart. "[The Lord Jesus - Who is God]  is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7:25). We can entrust that salvation for eternity, Jude writes: ".. to Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of His glory with rejoicing," (Jude 24).

 

In this life we will have physical needs, and included in a passage on the obligation we have to give so that others' needs will be met, is Paul's claim that: "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work." (II Cor. 9:8). Furthermore, He alone is able to equip us for service. "I thank Him Who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because H judged me faithful by appointing me to His service," (I Timothy 1:12).

His able ministry toward us does not stop in this life, for He "will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power which enables Him even to subject all things to Himself." (Phil. 3:21). Indeed, He "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think." (Eph 3:20).  

He hears me!

Having spent a goodly number of years in the classrooms of various State Secondary Schools in central Scotland, I have observed different kinds of pupils. Reading an article earlier this week reminded me of one particular type, who might well be referred to as the "There's only the teacher and me in the class" pupil. This pupil has a personal conversation with the teacher - almost as if there was no-one else in the class. For example, even a rhetorical question posed by the teacher will illicit an immediate response from this pupil. While the classroom is filled with his/her peers, this pupil lives in a little world of his/her own - and the teacher!

However, I would suggest that a pupil like that has something to teach some disciples of Jesus about the important subject of prayer! I wonder if you have ever thought that, with millions of other believers praying as you pray; speaking with Father God (to Whom, by the way, all prayer should be directed! We pray to the Father, in the Name of the Son, by the leading of the Spirit!) at the same moment that you are speaking with Him; your prayer is perhaps less important? After all, I know that my personal prayers, while important to me, and to those for whom I pray, are not in the same "class" as those of a brother or sister in the Lord Jesus who is undergoing torture.

That, of course, is totally wrong! As we talk with our omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, God we may be confident that He is giving us - each and every one of us - His full attention! Sometimes, in class, I would ask a general question, and twenty hands would be raised. I am but a human, and could ask only one pupil to provide the answer. Our God is far above and beyond our human capabilities. He is God! He hears, and can listen, to each one who comes to Him in the name of the Son. He directs single-minded attention towards our praise; our petitions; our concerns.

When you pray, it is as if you are the only person in the world who is doing so! Even although millions are "bending His ear" in prayer, He listens to each one, individually! Quel Dieu! (What a God!). May we take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity to commune with the Creator of all that exists.

Let us pray!

You're never too old!

As we travelled south, this afternoon, my wife's 'phone rang. It was a friend, passing on some exciting news. Another friend - of even longer standing - had proposed to her; she had accepted; and they are now formally engaged to be married. We were both so excited for them, and were delighted to send our congratulations.

So what was unusual about this situation? Simply that each of them is soon, D.V., to be 84 years of age! Each of them is widowed, but they knew one another many decades ago, met again, and have been constant companions for some time now. We are now looking forward to the wedding - which we suspect will be sooner rather than later. We certainly trust that they will be spared to one another for many years. However, their story proves that it is never too late to fall in love - or to be married!

As we continued our journey, I found myself thinking of another relationship for which we are never too old - a vital relationship with our Creator, through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus, on the cross. It's a relationship that is sometimes analogised (is that a new word that I have coined?!) by marriage - but it is far, far better. And you are never too old! A thief on a cross discovered this, almost 2,000 years ago. We don't know his exact age - but we do know that he knew that he had only hours to live. Yet the Lord Jesus was able to assure him that he would be in paradise with the Saviour. (Luke 23:43).

First of all, it is better because it is a relationship with Almighty God - the sinless and holy One Who inhabits eternity; Who is omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (present everywhere, simultaneously). He is infinite love, goodness, justice, wisdom, creative power, inexhaustible riches of excellence; unity, self existence, grace, and providence. His ways are above and beyond our ways, and His thoughts are above and beyond our thoughts. He is, indeed, beyond our human comprehension. However, He has graciously revealed Himself to us in the Persona (not a typo - see my book "Great Words ...", and the chapter on the Trinity. Details above) of the Son, even Jesus, the Christ. What a relationship it is. How amazing that He would even consider entering into it with sinful, mortal humans such as you and me!

Secondly, it is eternal. Our friends may have a number of years of happiness together. However, eventually, if the rapture of the saints of God is delayed, each of them will die and, like their former spouses, be buried. The relationship between the Triune God and those who are adopted into His family, never ends. They spend eternity in His glorious presence, in a sinless existence that our mortal minds are incapable of comprehending.

It is always a joy when a couple, whatever their ages, enter into a relationship such as that of our two (not-so-)young friends. However, it is an even greater joy when someone enters into a genuine relationship with Father God; through the Jesus the Son; empowered by God the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the very angels in heaven rejoice (see Luke 15:10). Have you yet entered into that relationship? It is a sad fact of life that human relationships change, and even disintegrate. A genuine relationship with Jesus never does - He has promised, and He always keeps His promises!

September 23rd!

It started with a a link that I was sent, that took me to a YouTube video clip, that turned out to be one of many on the same theme! That theme was September 23rd and the claim that some momentous event is scheduled to take place on that date!

If you haven't viewed any of these video-clips, please permit me to save you the bother! According to those I have watched, on September 23rd, there will be the fulfilment of some of the prophetic words from the Book of the Revelation of Jesus:

"And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery." (12:1-2).

We are informed that, on that day, two constellations - Leo and Virgo - will be close to one another, with Leo being above the 'head' of Virgo. This is then interpreted as Virgo being the woman of the prophecy, and Leo being the crown of twelve stars. It is claimed - and I have no reason to disbelieve these claims - that on September 23rd, the sun will be at the head of Virgo, and the moon at the feet of the constellation. This will all be visible because there will be three hours of darkness, just as there was at the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. That I find more difficult to accept!

The constellation Leo, with its nine stars, will form the crown on the head of Virgo. The three "missing" stars will be provided by Mercury, Venus, and Mars being in a conjunction with the constellation.

There will also be a star in the heavens that has only been seen twice before - at the time of Abraham, and at the incarnation of God the Son. This is the "Bethlehem Star", and it has allegedly been around for two years (well, since September 23rd, 2015!).

To be fair, none of the contributors to whom I listened specified exactly what would happen on September 23rd, 2017 - but they are all convinced that there will be a major, and cataclysmic, event.

Okay, let's look a little more closely at some of these claims. First of all, we are actually dabbling in the area of astrology, here. There is one fundamental problem with astrology - it is based, totally, on false premises! It is based on the ancient idea that the sky was a crystal semi-sphere upturned and sitting on a "flat" earth. All of the heavenly bodies moved on that sphere, and all were exactly the same distance from earth. Now, let me add that this is a totally unBiblical picture - but that is another story!

We know that this is not so. We know that, apart from our own Sun, the stars are all light-years away (a "light-year" for anyone who does not know, is the distance that light travels in an earth-year. As light travels at approximately 186,000 miles every second, that makes a light-year to be 186,000 x 60 x 60 24 x 365.25 - an amazing 5,869,712,600,000 miles! Actually, as the speed is a little above 186,000 mps, the light year is approximately 6,000 trillion earth miles!). The closest star to our solar system is a faint red dwarf star, Proxima Centauri. It is a "mere" 4.24 light-years away - that's well over 25,000 trillion miles!

When we look at what are called "constellations", we are the victims of a perspective-based optical illusion. Imagine yourself at one side of a very large field. You look at the other side, and you see a horse grazing beside a tree. However, when you walk over to the horse, you realise that it is actually much closer to you than the tree. So it is with the "constellations". The individual stars in any "constellation" are many light years away from one another, and all are many light years away from the Solar System.

That leads us to the next relevant point. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are not stars! They are planets that orbit our Sun. None of them ever "pass through" any constellation. They only appear to do so from our earth-bound perspective! So, if Leo is to have twelve "stars", then these three planets are non-starters! Nor, of course, do either the Sun or the Moon appear at the head, feet, or any other bodily part, of Virgo! We are also informed that Jupiter will be between the "feet" of Virgo, and that it will represent the child to whom she "gives birth".  Of course, Jupiter will not be within thousands of trillions of miles of any star in the "constellation" Virgo!

There is much more, but I hope that the above is sufficient to make clear that I do not accept these "prophecies" with regard to September 23rd. Of course, it may be that, on September 24th, I shall be obliged to "eat humble pie" - that is if I am still around to do so! Let me add a little more. I believe that, if there is indeed some significant event that is going to happen on September 23rd, that any "portent" in the sky will not be a simple alignment of current celestial bodies and/or "constellations" (that do not, in reality, exist). Whatever that sign is to be, I believe that it will be something totally new. However, I also believe that we will not receive any forewarning of it. It will come as a total surprise. Like the Rapture of the true disciples of Jesus, it will happen "... in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye ..." (I Cor.15:52);  like the Second Advent, when the Lord Jesus returns as King of kings, and Lord of lords, it will come "... like a thief in the night ..." (I Thess.5:2). 

A long time ago, I read some sound advice that I pass on to you: "Live as if He is returning today; work as if He will not return for a hundred years."! If we do that, we will not be sidetracked by attempts to "second-guess" the Omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. We will also be ready to meet with Him, whether when He takes us to Himself in the air, or calls us home through that portal that we call physical death.