Tag Archives: God’s Character

The Fruit God Produces In You

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The Evidence Is The Fruit

Everyone who is “in Christ” will evidence the fruit of that relationship. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches! So, if you don’t bear fruit, it’s because you’re “not abiding in the vine,” He said. Let’s take some time to consider what kind of fruit is expected to be growing in our lives if we belong to Him. Besides Galatians 5, which speaks to the fruit the indwelling Holy Spirit produces in us, there is also an expectation that our lives will produce the fruit of winning others to Jesus.

The Fruit of Disciple-Making

In John 4, Jesus said, “Do not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest.’ I tell you, lift up your eyes and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.” Does your life reveal the fruit of disciple-making? Jesus also said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So, we would expect to see the fruit of obedience in the life of someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

The Fruit of Obedience

If our faith is genuine, the indwelling Holy Spirit will be at work in us—pointing out all the areas of our lives that we still need to bring into obedience to the Word of God. In John 15, Jesus refers to the Father as the vinedresser (v.1), and He adds that God will remove you from the vine if there’s no life in you. In v.6 He says you will be thrown into the fire! Jesus taught the same truth in His parable about the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13. The “tares” looked like wheat, but they were frauds. They were weeds, and at the harvest they will be separated from the genuine wheat and burned up. That pictures judgment for everyone who claims to be Jesus’ disciple but has no fruit to evidence that claim. Just as the owner of a vineyard expects fruit, so God expects every one of us who genuinely abides in Christ to produce fruit! He saved us on account of His great name and for His great purpose—that He might gather a people to Himself for all eternity who belong to Him. Jesus Christ “invested” His life in you, and He expects a “return” on that investment.

Jesus Chose You

Consider what Jesus said: “You did not choose me,” Jesus said, “but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16). It’s fruitfulness, He says, that evidences real faith! If your life is absent from fruit, you would do well to examine yourself against the Scriptures to see if your faith is the real thing. Please consider Jesus’ words carefully and with all sobriety. This is “life or death” because fruitfulness is always the result of abiding in Christ. If there is no fruit of the Spirit, if there is no fruit or passion to make disciples, if there is no fruit of obedience—it may be because you do not abide in Jesus, nor does He abide in you. The church here in the West has made a distinction between a “believer” and a “disciple,” a distinction that is not endorsed by Scripture. We’ll get into that in next week’s post!

The Prayer of Repentance

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Once Upon A Time

“The Parable of the Ducks”— Once upon a time there was a town where only ducks lived. Every Sunday the ducks waddled out of their houses and down Main Street to their Duck Church. They waddled in and sat down in their proper seats. The Duck Choir would waddle in and take their place, and the Duck Pastor would waddle forward and open his Duck Bible. Then he’d read to them: “Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles! No walls can confine you! No fences can hem you in! You have wings, so FLY!” All the ducks would shout, “Amen!” And then they would all waddle home!

When Sin Invades

The moral of the story? Once sin invades our life, it cripples our ability to live the Christian life the way God intended for us to live it; and until we repent of our sin, we’ll “waddle” through this life even though God has ENABLED us to “FLY” IN CHRIST! Before his ascension to the throne of Israel—and for much of his early reign—King David was a man of moral integrity. But somewhere he began to take himself too seriously, and pride began to crowd out the voice of God’s Spirit in his life, and he began to lose his way spiritually. The tragic events leading up to King David’s most memorable sinful gaffe are found in 2 Samuel 11.

David’s Tragic Gaffe

It began “in the spring,” verse 1 says, “when kings march out to war.” It was customary for kings to march out to war with their soldiers to inspire them. But David decided to indulge himself at home while his soldiers set up camp in an open field. “David sent Joab,” the text says, “with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.” That decision proved to be a dreadful mistake for David. One evening, while out for a stroll on the roof of his palace, he saw something he never would have been exposed to had he marched to war with his men. A woman was cleansing herself. She was a beautiful woman, according to verse 2, and David decided he wanted her. So, he sent messengers to find out who she was—she was the wife of one of his soldiers, Uriah—and that should have ended it! She was another man’s wife! But David sent for her and slept with her.

The Big Cover-Up

It was supposed to be a one-night fling for the king, but she became pregnant. Then he orchestrated a cover-up that ended in her husband Uriah’s death. But God was displeased with what David had done, so He sent Nathan the prophet to expose King David’s sin and to inform him that the son Uriah’s wife would bear would die. It’s at that point that the Scriptures allow us to peer in on King David to see what a prayer of repentance looks like. What we learn is that repentant prayer reopens communication with God that sin had closed. I’m confident that David’s sin didn’t begin with Uriah’s wife. When the big sin shows up, there’s always a trail of little sins leading up to it. And David repented for all of it.
 

How Pain Brings Us To Our Knees

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Does God Really Love Us?

We are tempted to ask how it is that God could truly love us if He allows us to suffer through painful experiences. In fact, it is because He loves us that He choreographs pain and suffering into our lives. Let me explain. It is not our natural tendency to seek closer fellowship with God when our lives are filled with blessings attached to this world. No — it is our tendency to stray from God when life is good! We become more comfortable leaning on this world’s blessings for our daily support. So God — in His love and sovereign grace — places a “wake-up call,” in the form of a painful experience, in front of us. He shakes us back to reality with something that refocuses our attention on Him, forcing us to our knees in prayer.

Our Greatest Satisfaction

He does this because He knows that nothing will ever offer us greater satisfaction than a Spirit-filled relationship with Him. All of this world’s goods and services are but cheap substitutes for a walk with God. If you follow the narrative from the first chapter in the book of Acts, you’ll see 120 disciples waiting in an upper room in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit. Then, in chapter 2, the Spirit comes to indwell and fill the believers so they would have the supernatural power of the Spirit to obey Jesus’ commission to take the gospel to every people group and disciple them. Immediately, God begins to use them in His supernatural work as 3,000 were saved and became disciples that day — and then more and more were added!

Comfortable and Complacent

But as you read the next few chapters, it seems the church becomes complacent and comfortable with their success, and God’s work begins to slow down. So God, in His sovereignty, brought persecution. Stephen is stoned. Then James is killed, and Peter is imprisoned. It’s this crisis of faith that unsettled them, and they returned to their knees in prayer. They were humbled. They got back to biblical prayer. They expressed their helplessness and total dependence on God’s power to see Peter released from prison: “So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.” — Acts 12:5. In the verses that follow, God sends an angel to spring Peter from prison (vv. 6–11).

The Lost Confronted By Answered Prayer

There’s another prayer principle that God reveals to us through His answered prayer to release Peter from incarceration: God will use a mighty display of His power to confront the lost with their sin. King Herod had imprisoned Peter and assumed he had more power than he actually had. But God says, “No, Herod — your plans to kill Peter won’t work!” Someone once said, “We make our plans, and God laughs.” I love that! Don’t lose heart, church. It may appear the world is out of control, but God hasn’t lost it. In His sovereign timing, He will display His power again and confront the lost with their need for repentance. So let’s get the bigger picture when we find ourselves in a painful place. Don’t pray that God will take it away — He may be doing a special work in your life or in the life of someone watching. Trust His plans!
 

There Is Freedom In God’s Sovereignty

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Trust Him With Your Pain

I’ve used my last few posts to take a deeper look at the prayer life of Hannah from 1 Samuel, chapter 1. We’ve considered how God used her God-honoring prayers to heal her brokenness. She learned to pray with a view toward God’s sovereignty over every painful situation in life. I can’t overemphasize how important that was to Hannah’s spiritual formation. Until you can pray — about everything — with a view toward God’s sovereignty, and with an acceptance of your painful circumstances — even when you don’t have the answer to your “why” questions — you’ll be susceptible to a bitter heart. You’ll be in danger of turning yourself into God’s judge.

Motivated By God’s Glory

Until you can pray with a motivation for God’s glory alone, your pain and suffering will eat you up. Let me share with you a Facebook post that one of our members shared after hearing this message in church: “The sovereignty of God is the pillow I lay my head upon. I have finally come to that conclusion; thus, I can sleep at night. God is in control, and I can trust His decisions for this journey my family and I are on now. He will get us through, and even if things don’t go as planned, if we are truly His, one day things will get better — if not in this lifetime, in Heaven… I finally get God’s sovereignty! I get it.” Can you hear the freedom expressed in that statement?

Trust His Character

When you finally grasp God’s sovereignty, it’s a doctrine that offers great freedom — in part because of God’s character. He reveals Himself in Scripture as loving, gracious, merciful, and benevolent toward us. Furthermore, He is just and righteous in all His ways. We can trust Him. We can trust that His sovereign entry into the corners of our lives will always, ultimately, be for our good and for His glory. But you must accept these revelations of Himself by faith. Then let Him be God. Hannah experienced the freedom of God’s sovereignty over all her circumstances. And because she was motivated to see God glorified through her circumstances, she could leave it all in God’s more-than-capable hands. 1 Samuel 1:18 says, “…Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.”

Truth Changes Us

That line was the greatest indicator that she had left her painful circumstances in God’s hands. Remember, back in verse 7, Hannah had grown so despondent that she wouldn’t eat. Her husband became concerned: “Why won’t you eat?” But when she submitted to God’s sovereign plan, “…she ate and no longer looked despondent.” Truth changes us when we believe it. Previously, in her anguish, she had been misread as drunk by Eli the priest: “…No,” she said, “I am a woman with a broken heart… I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord…” (vv. 15–16). Praying through her pain had been messy for Hannah — until the Holy Spirit wrestled with her and calmed her troubled heart. One more lesson about prayer from Hannah: she offered praise when God answered! Take a good look at her words in the next chapter, verses 1–10.
 
 

What Do Your Prayers Look Like?

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Are You Willing To Be Honest?

Are you willing to take a good, hard look at your prayer life? What do your prayers consist of? Are they consumed with requests? Are they filled with pleas for God to change your circumstances—make your life easier, help you earn more money at your job, or provide a new job altogether? What if none of that is God’s will for your life? Have you ever considered that? Have you ever considered that, for reasons beyond your ability to comprehend, it might not be God’s will to heal the person you’re praying for? Have you considered that, in God’s eternal plans for His glory and your good, it might not be His will for you to get the job you’ve always wanted?

The Proper Motive For Prayer

The only proper motive for prayer is God’s will. In Jesus’ model prayer, He taught His disciples to pray, “…your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Perhaps the implication is that, rather than praying for God to change our circumstances, we ought to pray that God would use the circumstances to change us. Not until after Jesus taught the disciples to pray for God’s will does He turn His attention to praying for their individual needs. Only after submitting to God’s will in prayer does He teach them to pray, “…give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). There is so much we could say about the simplicity of that prayer request: just give us what we need today. That’s it. Don’t borrow tomorrow’s trouble. Just ask for the Father’s provision today—and leave it there.

God Already Knows What We Need

Earlier in the same text, Jesus said, “When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7). Don’t babble lengthy prayers about your needs, Jesus said, because the Father already knows. Then Jesus turns His attention to praying for others. Again, this is a model prayer. “When you pray, pray like this,” He said. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). In other words, pray that God would forgive you in the same way that you forgive others. Be so thankful for the Father’s forgiveness that you forgive others in the same way He forgave you—totally, completely.

God’s Absolute Forgiveness

There is nothing anyone has ever done to you that could compare to the quantity and level of depravity with which you’ve sinned against God. And yet, He forgave you. It’s not until we are truly thankful for His absolute forgiveness that we are truly able to forgive others. After He finished teaching the disciples how to pray, He shared these sobering words with them: “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing” (Matthew 6:14–15). In essence, He’s telling them to take a hard look at themselves. If they’re unable to forgive others, it’s evidence that they may never have been forgiven themselves.
 

Prayer Is Not Counseling God

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We Don’t Know What’s Best

I’m afraid that many people treat prayer as their opportunity to counsel God on certain matters. We ought never to pray like we’re trying to convince God that we know what’s best—as if the eternal, all-wise God, who knows the end from the beginning and everything in between, needs our advice for anything! His eternal plans for creation were already laid out before the world began. The writer of Acts reminds us: “The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.” —Acts 17:24–27

God Doesn’t Need Our Counsel

When it comes to prayer, let’s get one thing straight: GOD DOESN’T NEED ANYTHING… INCLUDING OUR COUNSEL! He didn’t create us because of some deficiency, hoping that we could fix Him. There’s a clear, underlying message in Jesus’ response to His disciples’ question: “Lord, teach us to pray.” God doesn’t need us—we need Him! According to Jesus’ response in Matthew 6, prayer is to be GOD-CENTERED. “Pray like this,” He says, and He begins with the “Father,” not with us. By the way, He didn’t tell them to memorize it and repeat it mindlessly—“Our Father, who art in heaven…blah, blah, blah.” He said, “…pray like this.” This is how we’re supposed to pray—it’s Jesus’ model prayer.

Don’t Try Twisting God’s Arm

Rather than making prayer our attempt to twist God’s arm over something we want Him to do, prayer should begin with a focus on God the Father. Start your conversation with the Creator of the universe by honoring Him for His character. Praise Him for who He is! Don’t rush into His presence like your schedule is what matters—“Here’s my grocery list of needs, God! Will You go shopping for me?” Show Him reverence when you pray. You’re entering the throne room of Heaven! God transcends far above anything on your agenda. There’s an order here: Your kingdom first, Father! Our greatest desire should be that God’s name is hallowed, admired, and cherished. And He’s “our” Father too, Jesus says. Never get over that great doctrine of adoption—that God has birthed us into His family!

We Become His Children

Though we were born children of wrath because of our sin, He adopts us into His family in Christ. We’re FAMILY! Depend on Him like He’s family—because He is! We’re brothers, sisters, and joint-heirs with Jesus Himself. Then Jesus models prayer by moving from the Father’s character to His KINGDOM: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” —Matthew 6:10 So, pray like this, Jesus says—pray for the Father’s KINGDOM and for His WILL. If we’re praying like Jesus taught us to pray, our primary concern will be for the Father’s glory and the advancement of His kingdom. Our prayers will be GOD-CENTERED. Take note of the things you pray for. Are your prayers motivated by your dreams and goals, or by God’s eternal kingdom, His will, and His plans? Mature believers pray for God’s will above their own.

Children That Please God

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Scripture Speaks To Children

I find it interesting that in his letter to the Colossian church, Paul speaks directly to children: “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” — Colossians 3:20. In a section of Scripture devoted to family issues, Paul expects children to read and adhere to his admonition. And if obedience to parents pleases the Lord, we can infer from that that God is not pleased with children who disobey their parents. Yes, He still loves them—but He’s not pleased with them!

Disobedience Produces A Hard Life

I used to tell our kids, “Hey, I’ve figured out how to never get in trouble with your parents! If you never disobey them, you’ll never get in trouble with them!” I would often remind them, “The way of the transgressor is hard!” If Paul were writing a letter to your kids today, I think he’d say something like this: “Your life is going to be hard if you insist on disobeying your parents. Why put yourself through that? Disobedience produces a hard life because your parents are always on you—and God is not pleased with you! So, OBEY! Your life will be much easier!” Jesus set the example of obedience—both to His Heavenly Father and to His earthly father.

Attitude Originates In The Heart

Obedience is a matter of the heart. It’s not just about obeying outwardly—your body language can show disrespect even if you did what you were told! Grumbling, rolling your eyes, shrugging your shoulders, stomping off, banging doors, sassing, arguing, justifying your behavior by making excuses, rationalizing with a “Jimmy’s mom doesn’t make him do that…”—all point to a disobedient attitude of the heart. And to delay is the same as disobedience! When Paul wrote on the same topic to the Ephesian church, he told them that honoring your parents will earn a reward of long life. Put the two together—HONOR your parents by OBEYING them!

Fathers Are Significant

Back to his letter to the Colossians—Paul also pointed out that fathers play a significant part in raising children who please God: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so they won’t become discouraged.” — Colossians 3:21. I don’t believe that Paul is suggesting Mom has no responsibility in raising children; rather, he’s calling out Dad for his headship in the home. He’s to be the family shepherd and leader.

Don’t Crush Your Child’s Spirit

Dad needs to be the leader when it comes to voluntarily loving his wife sacrificially (as we noted in our previous post). And he needs to step up his leadership when it comes to training the children. Don’t exasperate your children, Dad—or you’ll discourage them. You’ll crush their spirit. That’s what it means to discourage them. Don’t make promises you don’t keep. Don’t change your mind without a very good reason. Don’t withhold compliments. Give them credit for the good things they do—for the times they’re obedient. They’ll remember it forever. But they’ll also remember when you fail to compliment them for a job well done. Love them unconditionally, Mom and Dad—and give them room to grow.

God’s Design For The Family

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We’re All Someone’s Son or Daughter

Family and parenting are subjects that all of us can relate to! We’re all part of a family. We’re all someone’s son or daughter. If we’re married, we’re someone’s husband or wife. If not, we’re probably hoping to one day be someone’s husband or wife. Most of us either have kids or hope to have a family someday. Our infinitely wise Creator designed a husband and wife to complement—or complete—each other. And He’s also designed the family to work together in a certain way.

Something Beautiful Happens

When the family works the way God designed it, something awesome and beautiful happens! Families bring glory to God and joy to each family member when God’s design specifications are followed by faith. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the ancient church of Colossae that is hated by the world. But if, by faith, you will believe God’s Word and live it out—by the power of God’s Holy Spirit—your family will bring glory to God, and you will find joy! Your life will be a blessing to your family and to everyone you rub shoulders with in life. “And whatever you do,” Paul begins, “in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so they won’t become discouraged.” —Colossians 3:17–21.

Do It God’s Way

Whatever you do, Paul says, do it God’s way—according to His design—including husbands, wives, and families! That’s the context here. Wives! He begins with wives. If you want to bring glory to God and live a joy-filled life, be submissive to your husband. Now, the order has perplexed a number of believers. Why did the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to begin with instruction to the wives? I don’t know! There are a number of differing opinions, and I do have my own. I think it has to do with the meaning of that word “submit” or “be submissive.” The word in the original language meant “a voluntary attitude of giving in, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.” The key word is voluntary. The wife voluntarily submits to her husband.

Not Meant To Lord It Over Her

So here’s the message I think the Spirit wants to convey: the husband is not meant to lord it over his wife by demanding that she submit. Rather, the wife is to willingly, voluntarily submit. If the husband were addressed first, we might have read into it that the husband’s responsibility is to demand that his wife submit. So, God removes any inclination the husband might have to demand submission by addressing the wives first: “Ladies, you need to voluntarily give in to your husband’s lead.” God commands this—not because the wife is incapable. Not because she’s not his equal. Don’t confuse submission with inequality! We submit to our bosses at work, not because of inequality, but because of order. God designed an order to the home. Even Jesus submitted to His parents as part of the created order!

When Good Sex Goes Bad

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When It Happens Outside Of Marriage

According to God—who, by the way, created sex—healthy sex only happens within a marriage between a man and a woman. The Word of God warns us about the consequences of sexual conduct outside the safety of marriage. All other sexual activities are spiritually unhealthy because they involve disobedience to God and His Word. Additionally, they can also lead to physical and emotional harm. The effects often create a ripple effect, negatively impacting families and future generations.

Messing Up People’s Lives

When your sex life doesn’t align with Scripture, it can impact not just you but many others as well. Here’s something to consider, especially if you feel like you’ve already made too many mistakes—that you’re beyond hope. Maybe you grew up in a worldly environment and were never taught these biblical truths. Or perhaps you heard them but believed you were clever enough to outsmart ‘the system,’ so you experimented with sex and are now facing the consequences. The good news is that, thanks to Jesus’ work on the cross, you are not beyond redemption! 

Good News For Those Who Messed Up

The Gospel is good news for every sinner, regardless of the sin! We serve a God who brings beauty from ashes. Through the cross, there is forgiveness and restoration. So, don’t hide behind your sin any longer—confess it so you may be healed (James 5:16). From this day forward, stand firmly on the foundation of God’s Word when it comes to your sexual purity. God’s Word alone provides the flawless counsel needed to build healthy marriages. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul shares several truths about sexuality as directed by God: “It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman. But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband… I say the following as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God—one person in this way and another in that way. I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.” (1 Corinthians 7:1, 6-8)

Is Celibacy A Gift?

What Paul is advocating here is celibacy. He appears to suggest that celibacy is a gift from God given to certain individuals. So, if the idea of living a celibate life seems impossible for you, it likely means that you do not have that particular gift. I intentionally use the word celibacy instead of singleness because celibacy more accurately describes what Paul is referring to—complete abstinence from all sexual relations. In contrast, our modern culture tends to favor the term singleness, often associating it with a lack of relational or sexual boundaries. It’s seen as a lifestyle of ‘Sex and the City’ or ‘friends with benefits,’ making it a poor reflection of what Paul is actually addressing. When Paul says, ‘It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman‘ (v.1), he is using it as a euphemism for sexual intercourse—which is confirmed by the context of verse 2. Therefore, celibacy is not only a legitimate option but a good and honorable gift from God.
 

The Mysteries of God

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Why Doesn’t God Fix The World?

In my lifetime, I’ve had several conversations with individuals who set themselves up as “judges” of God. “If God is all-powerful and knows everything,” they ask, “then why doesn’t He do something about all the bad things in the world?” Job’s story could be placed next to that question—he serves as the epitome of unanswerable questions like that! How does God determine His will? Why does He seem to step into certain situations but not others? Why does He permit wicked people, like ISIS, to continue ripping open pregnant women, beheading little children, and killing people just for loving Jesus?

Can You Fathom God?

The Book of Job is an appropriate book for addressing the mysteries of God: “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea” (Job 11:7-9). Scripture tells us that God’s paths are beyond our ability to trace! So, what is an appropriate response on our part to His wisdom and knowledge? To His unsearchable and untraceable ways? The answer: humility! That is the only appropriate response—to humble ourselves before Him and admit we haven’t got a clue! He alone knows it all, and He is under no obligation to share more answers with us than what He has revealed in His Word.

Who Can Know The Mind of God?

We need to give God glory for His counsel: “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him and has to be repaid?” (Romans 11:34-35). Who has ever known the mind of God? Who can truly understand what He’s thinking? So, who could possibly offer God any useful counsel? Yet still, we try telling God what He should do with His universe, don’t we? If you were God, would you do things differently? If your answer is “Yes,” then that’s exactly why the rest of us are glad you’re not God! And you ought to be just as glad that I’m not God, either! Now, ponder this thought—because God knows everything that is knowable, that means He has already considered your ideas and dismissed them as an unacceptable response to the situation. Right?

The End from the Beginning

Because you and I don’t know the end from the beginning like He does, we really can’t offer Him any thoughts that He hasn’t already considered! “The secret things belong to the Lord our God…” (Deuteronomy 29:29) and “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts,” says the Lord (Isaiah 55:9). So, let us give God the glory He is due for His wisdom, knowledge, and counsel! And by faith, trust Him with all the things you don’t have answers for. I love how Tony Evans says it:  “Everything is either caused by God or allowed by God, and there is no third category.” Paul concludes, “To Him be the glory forever.” (Romans 11:36) Let’s glory in God, His Son, and the cross!