March 22

It’s always best to know who God is as He revealed Himself in the Bible rather than to form our view of Him on our own understanding. When we rely on ourselves, we tend to define Him according to our whimsy; that is, based on our personal feelings, attitudes and experiences. No matter how noble or wonderful we make God to be apart from knowing Him through His only begotten Son, Jesus, and being filled with His Spirit, the simple truth is, “…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) To believe the Apostle Paul, we can’t truly know Him; no, not apart from the Holy Spirit, and only then, what we learn is in concert with the will of God.

Of The Lord, Who Is One —

“Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One!” Deuteronomy 6:4

Yes, hear, O Israel! O world! We have heard that the Lord; that is, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is One. Whether you believe in a triune God is a question that many debate, but let’s accept the idea in this place. God exists in three persons. In God’s dealing with our world; from its creation to its end, each person within the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) has their specific role. As for those roles, the Father conceived His most wise and generous plan for our redemption. His Son executed it by being hanged on the Cross, and the Holy Spirit communicated the Gospel to the Father’s elect; that is, His Spirit revealed the truth to those whom God chose; whose hearts were fertile and the seed grew bearing fruit.

That being said, allow me to say that as God is One; so are His attributes and abilities. When we gaze upon the stars of the heavens, it is merely a reflection of His handiwork, power and knowledge. God’s attributes are infinite, unlimited, and immutable; the latter meaning He doesn’t change. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow as a matter of His self-sufficiency and eternal existence in Being and His Word. Of His many attributes, the two most seemingly contradictory are God’s mercy and justice; which appear to oppose each other. However, both must be equally satisfied. God will not forfeit His right of justice to show mercy; nor His grace for wrath. As a result, God will not forgive all men and ‘save’ all as many believe that a truly loving God would do. Personally? It is a wonder that God would even save one man; given the nature of sin and its offensiveness to our holy, righteous and glorious Creator, who was represented in Hebrew in the book of Genesis in terms of ‘us,’ elohiym; which is plural. Yes, the I AM (Jehovah God) of the Bible is also ‘elohiym; the ‘us,’ Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Truly, as difficult as it is to conceive of such a wonderful Creator and Father, would we want anyone worthy of our worship and honor to be any less than what we’re told here? “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One!” Deuteronomy 6:4

March 23

God is omnipresent and immanent (existing or operating within us). “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15) What does this mean? Read on.

Of God’s Dwelling Places —

While it’s true that God is omnipresent; meaning He is everywhere, we are told in Isaiah 57:15 that He dwells in two places: (1) He inhabits eternity; in a high and holy place, and (2) He dwells within the man or woman who has a contrite and humble spirit. It is with regard to (2) that God’s dwelling is immanent; meaning He is within us. Oh, to consider that God not only surrounds but indwells His children by His Spirit! This is not true of the sinner. Their hearts are far from God; and thus, He is far from them. While God is omnipresent; meaning everywhere; He is not immanent in His dwelling.

So, the question is, is His home where your heart is?

March 24

Yes, our God inhabits eternity; where there is no yesterday or tomorrow. What exists is now. For us, today.

Of Everlasting to Everlasting —

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear him.” Psalm 103:17

Beloved, consider where you are at this moment. If you are truly in Christ Jesus, what would you say surrounds you as you read this verse? Yes, you can say you are surrounded by His mercy, but what about time? To me, we’re engulfed in time. Can you see it? Can you imagine seeing the two endless oceans of time that surround us?

One ocean is behind and ‘from’ everlasting; which constitutes the past… man’s history but it existed even before that. Incredible to imagine. However, another is what lies ahead or ‘before,’ and, it too flows everlastingly. Equally unthinkable. It is the future; which for us as creatures shall end in the sense of our physical lives, but according to the Bible, it won’t end there. Life will go on; not as we know it, but it will. Beside us; looking to our left and right, we can see those who walk with us. Christians and non-Christians alike share this moment, which is called today. Can you envision God, in His everlasting mercy, making today for us as He did parting the Red Sea for the children of Israel? Today is our only living reality; where we feel, touch, taste and walk between those two oceans… from everlasting to everlasting.

God created time. Time is a sea that flows from beneath His dwelling place where He inhabits eternity and it then levels out; spreading out day by day over our earthy plain where men and women have come and gone; will come and go. As far as I know, because man is a living soul, we are the only creatures that know of time. In Genesis 1:2, we learn of its beginning in our world, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Then, we read of the second, third and fourth days… each ending with God accomplishing something new and good. And, by God’s grace, we now have today; something that I believe that God created for something to be accomplished in accordance with His sovereign will and purpose. The question I have for each of us is whether we cherish today as it ought to be held close. Those who fear Him (respect in awe) will understand His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, and in knowing this, they will redeem the time they have and live today for His glory and honor. May that be true of us today.

This ends this triplet ‘Of God, who is Aloft.’ Concluding this, may we all say with confidence: ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’