The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day, they poor forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where His voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, Their words to the ends of the world. - Psalm 19:1-4
How often do we cheapen God? I walked through today and sat down to eat with my family for lunch. As we gathered around the table, we bowed our heads and I lead the table in the blessing. In a matter of seconds I had sat down, bowed my head, entered the presence of the most high God, and began asking for our food to be blessed like God were the drive through window. Reading this chapter was a slap in the face.
We have attempted to pour what little amount of God can fit into the small little spaces of our time and our day and God requires all. We need to take time to stand in awe of the Lord of all creation. We need to take time to realize just how big He is and just how small we are. We need to take time to bask in the fact that even though He is everything and we are nothing, that He loves us with an abandon. Is it too much to ask that we love Him with abandon? In order to love someone we need to KNOW them. How do you know them? Look around. Creation screams and cries out in worship of Him. As John stated last Sunday, How many Bibles do you own? We have been blessed beyond measure with knowledge of God. What is standing in your way?
It really hit home when on page 33, Mr Chan brought up that some people question God as to why are so many people starving. Who are we to question God? Why do we spend time questioning God? Doesn't God have more of a right to ask us why are so many people starving? My wife and I are school teachers who don't make a lot of money. But if you were to ask me, could you feed another person? Buy them a burger? The answer would be yes.
If you have been on the sidelines. If you have never been head over heals in love with God, it is time to get to know Him. I guarantee that if you spend even a little time with His word, spend a quiet time in which you just think on Him and His vastness, and will just let go you will fall desperately. It's time to love again.
thanks so much for sharing, Mark. We all need a reminder of how little we spend in actual worship of God. This book is very hard for me to read, because it definitely calls us out on the hard stuff. This chapter has challenged me to spend more "quality time" with God...not just when it's convenient for me.
ReplyDeleteThe selfish flesh part of me hates this book. That speaks to me. God so despises selfishness. I am really looking forward to see how God changes my perspective on life in general through the scriptures within this book.
ReplyDeleteI just read the first chapter of this book today.....WOW!!! I'm mostly speechless, as I should be. I just think about the arrogance that I have sometimes thinking that I have any right to ask anything of God while making some "drive-through" prayer. And the audacity we have of questioning God sometimes...I love what Chan said about when we get our own universe we can make up our own standards - talk about putting you in your place! I love it! I, too, can not wait to see how God changes my outlook on Him, on life, on love, on everything over these next few weeks.
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