Words of God …
“Repent”
“Believe”
“Choose life”
“Do not fret”
“Do not worry”
“Deny yourself”
“Don’t be afraid”
“Listen to My Son”
“My Peace I give to you”
“Follow Me & I will make you”
“Forgive & you will be forgiven”
“Have no other gods before Me”
“Love God with all of your heart”
“Do not be anxious about anything”
“Love one another as I have loved you”
“I have loved you with an everlasting love”
“Everything is possible for one who believes.”
“I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
“This is my Son, whom I have chosen; LISTEN to him.”
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
“I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
Your walls are ever before me.” (Walls: challenges, storms, trials, problems)
“I am the Way & the Truth & the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you & not to harm you”
“Let the one who is thirsty COME; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life”
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Yes, I AM coming soon.”
Words of men …
.. who is God?
.. I have rights
.. I am intelligent
.. I do not need God
.. I am self-sufficient
.. I do not believe in God
.. I am making my own way
.. And turnabout is fair play
.. I am a product of evolution
.. I will determine what truth is
.. I do not think God is Sovereign
.. I do not believe God is our Creator
.. I do not have to listen to God or obey
.. I think eventually we will save ourselves
.. I will decide what is right and what is wrong
.. I see what I want to see & hear what I want to hear
.. I am a savage .. I am having FUN .. I am making myself
The TROUBLE with man
.. LIES
.. LUST
.. PRIDE
.. GREED
.. THEFT
.. UNBELIEF
.. PREJUDICE
.. REBELLION
.. IGNORANCE
.. ARROGANCE
.. HARD-Hearts
.. SELFISHNESS
.. DISOBEDIENCE
.. Willful ignorance
.. WRONG-thinking
.. POOR Stewardship
.. Lack of GRATITUDE
… SPIRITUALLY asleep
.. WRONG Heart-Attitude
.. No regard – low regard for TRUTH
.. Closed-eyes which is chosen blindness
.. People love DARKNESS instead of LIGHT
..SELF-oriented/Self-absorbed/ Self-deceived
The trouble with God is that he evidently failed to recognize that entities that can think for themselves will eventually spawn aberrations that will think only about themselves and that they would eventually become the cause for all that is wrong with the world.
–Jim Murray
here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of the tree called “life” –ee cummings
Many people know ABOUT God. Few people actually KNOW God
God’s plan has been set forth and His precepts ordained. But people are rebellious & God’s plan has been distained As a result … people are self-deceived.
We live in a world as we humans have created it .. we are busy worshiping our own delusions.
–Farooq Omar
If one has “eyes to see” … it is abundantly clear that we are reaping what we are abundantly sowing. We are destroying our families … our communities … our environment & all nations are in CHAOS.
Here is a sober warning: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” – Galatians 6.
“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker” – Isaiah 45. Does the clay tell the Potter what to do?
“O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our Potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64.
We are “fearfully & wonderfully made” … created in the image of God. How WONDEROUS! We are spirit beings with a soul – in a body of flesh … “This treasure in a jar of clay” …
In truth, we have a limited understanding of what it actually means to be created in the image of God. Yet our lack of understanding does not diminish the All-Sufficiency & Sovereignty of Almighty God.
How can the finite … understand the Infinite? It is precisely because of our finite, fractal nature that we dare impose limits on Almighty God, yet neglect to recognize our own limitations & brokenness.
At creation, God did not just ‘give man a brain’ … He also gave man a uniquely defining gift: free will. Over time … God saw how man was progressing. These earthly children clearly did NOT understand the difference between right & wrong … from the beginning: they lied … they killed … their own brother
At the appointed time … through Moses: God gave “the Law” … written with His own hand on tablets of stone … Now God .. who KNOWS all things – knew that The Law was impossible to fully keep. It was given to provide precepts for living. To set boundaries for these rebellious children. In accordance with the nature of a rebellious child … the boundaries are pushed further & further.
… their heart-attitude largely unchanged
… their behavior largely unchecked
… the children are currently standing on the edge of a great precipice
… their toes are inches ever the edge .. they are about to fall over
… but they have closed their eyes
… they have hardened their hearts
… as a result .. they do not understand
It is written: My people perish for lack of understanding … lack of knowledge of God…
It matters not how many earthy degrees one has earned.
It matters not how much earthly wealth one has amassed.
It matters not how many earthly possessions one has accumulated.
If your spirit is asleep .. then you are DEAD to the things of God.
… as dead as a box of rocks…
“But God”
Whether we know God or not … whether we believe God or not … God’s plan is unfolding. In the “fullness of time” … in accordance with His plan to redeem mankind .. God sent His Son.
The Word, Jesus Christ … became flesh and made His dwelling among men. The Son of God … became the “Son of Man” … to become our Savior. Sadly “He came to his own .. but his own did not receive him.” “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” – John 1. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3. “This is the testimony God has given about His Son: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” – 1 John 5.
God’s Final Word is His Son … “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” – Hebrews 1.
Takeaway: It is impossible to have a meaningful relationship with any person unless it is in your heart to do so.
This is equally true spiritually: Knowing ABOUT God is VASTLY different than KNOWING Him. Truly “knowing” any person takes time … years … it is a JOURNEY … a sowing & reaping … An investment of time together .. commitment … communication .. desire .. an ordering of priorities … fidelity … learning about each other … leaning on one another … and trusting. Get this revelation: don’t identify with your weaknesses & your troubles. Rather identify with being a child of God through spiritual rebirth whereby gain “sonship” and become “an heir of God and a co-heir with Jesus Christ.” The human condition will never be healed until the human-heart is right with God 🙏 … when this happens … you will come into a right-relationship with God.
When your heart is right with God … your life will follow. His Promises will be fulfilled into eternity. Grace & Gratitude… Peace & Provision .. Wisdom & “abundant life” is the fruit of KNOWING God.
Do you think the “trouble lies with God or with man? Please share your thoughts.
This post was in response to “The Trouble with God” by Jim Murray
