The Present

How many hours do you spend thinking of the future? Last night I was reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and it brought up an interesting point about our thoughts of the future.

"He (God) therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the present. For the present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which... in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present-either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Him, or else obey the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure."

Lewis goes on to qualify that we should be concerned with the future, in as much as planning for the next day or next week goes, but our focus, our aim is in the present. I had never thought of it that way before and it hit home. Too often I worry about the future, and do not concern myself or worry about what I am doing right now! I think we need to adjust our thinking to bring ourselves to proper perspective. Right now, I am to be doing the work that God has given me. Right now, I am to be acting on His Word. Steven Curtis Chapman expresses these thoughts very well in his song Miracle of the Moment: (go here if you would like to listen to it).

It's time for letting go
All of our "if onlies"
Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it
Would we really want to go change everything

Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

There's only One who knows
What's really out there waiting
And all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
Let them soften your heart

And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go
Let it go, yeah
You gotta let it go

And listen to your heartbeat

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now (here and now)
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle
Of the moment

No, we cannot control the future, but God does. We don't need to worry about the future because we can trust that God is in control of it all. So, plan and prepare for the future, but don't live in it because God has called you to live in the present and be acting in the present.

Humility before God

"The spirit of our age is essentially that of boasting and glorifying in the flesh. The achievements of man, his development and progress, his greatness and self-sufficiency, are the shrine at which the world worships today. But the truth of God's sovereignty, with all its corollaries, removes every ground for human boasting and instills the spirit of humility in its stead."
-A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God

More A.W. Pink

I have to share some more from The Sovereignty of God! I am on the last chapter and I have enjoyed a lot of it. What a great God we serve!

"Another example, equally striking, is seen in the life of Job. As is well known, Job was one that feared God eschewed evil. If ever there was one who might reasonably expect Divine providence to smile upon him-we speak as a man-it was Job. Yet, how fared it with him? For a time, the lines fell unto him in pleasant places. The Lord filled his quiver by giving him seven sons and three daughters. He prospered him in his temporal affairs until he owned great possessions. But of a sudden, the sun of life was hidden behind dark clouds. In a single day Job lost not only his flocks and herds, but his sons and daughters as well. News arrived that his cattle had been carried off by robbers, and his children slain by a cyclone. And how did he receive this intelligence? "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away." He bowed to the sovereign will of Jehovah. He traced his afflictions back to their First cause. He looked behind the Sabeans who had stolen his cattle, and beyond the winds that had destroyed his children, and saw the hand of God. But not only did Job recognise God's sovereignty, he rejoiced in it, too. To the words, "The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away," he added, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Again we say, sweet submission! Sublime resignation! A recognition of God's sovereignty causes us to hold our every plan in abeyance to God's will. "

Now remember, I'm only giving you bits and pieces. To put these together, you need to read this book for yourself! I hope you will if you haven't already. There are some great things to be found there. God Bless!

The Bible, God's Sovereignty, and the election

Last time I gave you a little taste of what my research paper, for my college class, was about. Well, this time I'm going to go a little farther and share a part of it with you dealing with the character of God.

To understand the inspiration of the Bible we need to understand the character of God. In God's words, J.I. Packer says "the core of the Bible is its story of God speaking to men" (p. 19). God is speaking to us through His word. Obviously, God is bigger and greater than we are, which points out God’s holiness. Later Packer goes on to say that "This is the deepest reason why the Biblical writings are 'holy' … because the Holy God is their author" (God's Words, p. 34). Because God is holy, He is incapable of inspiring falsehood which shows He is most reliable. Unfortunately, not everyone today has a high enough view of God's holiness to follow or take seriously His commands. God can be trusted above and beyond men. As the Bible says, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son" (1 John 5: 9). Knowledge of the character of God is important because it shows us that anything from God is reliable and accurate.

Now, yesterday I finished my paper and submitted my work for my first class. I was really happy and excited, and decided to start reading the introduction of my first book for my next class. This was "The Sovereignty of God" by A.W. Pink. From what I had already been studying and from what I read last night I began to see how I could apply these things today. First here is what Pink had to say:

"Who is regulating the affairs on this earth today-God or the Devil? What saith the scriptures? Ere we consider the direct reply to this query, let it be said that, the scriptures predicted just what we now see and hear.... Our is peculiarly an age of irreverence, and as the consequence, the the spirit of lawlessness, which brooks no restraint and which is desirous of casting off everything which interferes with the free course of self-will, is rapidly engulfing the earth like some giant tidal wave.... What saith the scriptures? If we believe their plain and positive declarations, no room is left uncertainty. They affirm, again and again, that God is on the throne of the universe; that the sceptre is in His hands; that He is directing all things "after the counsel of His own will".... It is in view of what we have briefly referred to above, that we say, Present-day conditions call loudly for a new examination and new presentation of God's omnipotence, God's sufficiency, God's sovereignty. From every pulpit in the land it needs to be thundered forth that God still lives, that God still observes, that God still reigns... Without a doubt a world crises is at hand, and everywhere men are alarmed. But God is not! He is never taken by surprise...'All things' are subject to His immediate control: 'all things' are moving in accord with His eternal purpose, and therefore, 'all things' are "working together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

I could go on. :-) But I won't. What comes to your mind, reading what Pink said? How could you apply it to today? I believe one of the best ways is through the election which just took place. Let that sink in. Some of us were very happy about how the election went and some of us were very disappointed. With both sides of this issue, though, this fact can be applied. God is still God. He is still watching you and knows the events of this world better than we ourselves do. After this was brought to my mind, I just sat back and felt an immense relief! I don't need to worry about what changes will be coming, God will take care of them and of me. We also can't place our trust in anyone but God. I'm sorry, but no mere man is going to save our country and restore our version of peace. I hope this fact has been impressed upon you. We are not in control of events, but God is, and we can rely on Him to accomplish what is best for our lives.