God's Sovereignty
I had a full day yesterday and wasn't as focused as I wanted to be in my thoughts for last night's small group. I got out of the house earlier than usual (not a morning person) and went with Rebecca (my d-i-l) to her Tuesday morning Bible Study at Christ Community, then played with the kids and had lunch. I could not make myself leave until after 2:00. (I am so thankful to have a daughter in law I can feel close to and enjoy spending time with.)
Janet commented last night about how God seems to speak to us in themes at certain times. She said that when we were reading "The Excellent Wife" and "Women Making a Difference in Marriage," it seemed like all she heard and read (from other sources as well) was focused on being a godly wife. Same thing happened with another topic -- discipleship, I think. And now we are reading a book about prayer and she was telling us about another study she's doing on prayer and how everything right now, for her, seems to be on the subject of prayer. I have experienced this many times and it always amazes me. Not long ago, it seemed like God was putting the story of Esther constantly in front of me through all kinds of unconnected sources. And right now He is doing that with His sovereignty.
I enjoyed the morning Bible study at CC yesterday. I took so much away that I intended to share in our small group, but I didn't write things down and my thoughts were scattered. The morning study focused on God being wondrously complete within Himself. The handout said, "He lacks nothing. He needs nothing. There is neither deficiency nor contingency with Him...God neither had to create anything nor redeem anyone! This highlights just how gracious His grace really is! God is absolutely sovereign and free."
The leader spoke of this notion that is often taught about God creating out of loneliness. He lacked something and we are what He lacked. He needed something we could provide; relationship. I can't remember if I was ever specifically taught that or if I formed this concept in my own mind from various influences, but I know that at some point in my life I did view God this way. This thinking does not make sense to me anymore. But it helps me see that there are so many ways we diminish God and elevate man in our thinking, without ever realizing that is what we're doing. And this is just one example of that. We love out of need. God does not. God had absolutely everything, including relationship with His Son, from all eternity. God was never lonely. God was not compelled to do anything out of lack. He is complete within Himself.
One of the take away questions to ponder was that every Christian believes in the sovereignty of God, but not all Christians agree on the extent of His sovereignty. Why do we, by nature, want to put limits or qualifiers on His sovereignty? Mainly, because God's sovereignty confronts our supposed autonomy and our desire for self-sufficiency. We want to add something to the work of salvation. But God is the author and finisher of our faith. He has not saved us because of something worthy of redemption that He saw in us. He has not chosen us because He saw something special already in us. He is not filling a void through us. We are unworthy recipients of His love and grace. Any other concept elevates the creation and reduces our Creator.
In the second chapter of Yancey's book, he elaborates on getting the right perspective. So often, we go to God with our list, ways He can serve us. Instead, we must start with Him. He writes, "Prayer, and only prayer, restores my vision to one that more resembles God's. I awake from blindness to see that wealth lurks as a terrible danger, not a goal worth striving for; that value depends not on race or status, but on the image of God every person bears; that no amount of effort to improve physical beauty has much relevance for the world beyond."
We live in a world that shouts at us continuously to conform to the values of the world and of our ever changing cultures. This is the same world that, in Yancey's words, "colludes to suppress, not exalt, God." He closes the chapter by writing, "In prayer I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness. I climb above timberline and look down at the speck that is myself."
I was emotionally overwhelmed several times during the study on God's sovereignty. My perspective on God has been so dramatically changed in the last several years. And when your perspective on God is enhanced, so is every single other aspect of your life.
Janet commented last night about how God seems to speak to us in themes at certain times. She said that when we were reading "The Excellent Wife" and "Women Making a Difference in Marriage," it seemed like all she heard and read (from other sources as well) was focused on being a godly wife. Same thing happened with another topic -- discipleship, I think. And now we are reading a book about prayer and she was telling us about another study she's doing on prayer and how everything right now, for her, seems to be on the subject of prayer. I have experienced this many times and it always amazes me. Not long ago, it seemed like God was putting the story of Esther constantly in front of me through all kinds of unconnected sources. And right now He is doing that with His sovereignty.
I enjoyed the morning Bible study at CC yesterday. I took so much away that I intended to share in our small group, but I didn't write things down and my thoughts were scattered. The morning study focused on God being wondrously complete within Himself. The handout said, "He lacks nothing. He needs nothing. There is neither deficiency nor contingency with Him...God neither had to create anything nor redeem anyone! This highlights just how gracious His grace really is! God is absolutely sovereign and free."
The leader spoke of this notion that is often taught about God creating out of loneliness. He lacked something and we are what He lacked. He needed something we could provide; relationship. I can't remember if I was ever specifically taught that or if I formed this concept in my own mind from various influences, but I know that at some point in my life I did view God this way. This thinking does not make sense to me anymore. But it helps me see that there are so many ways we diminish God and elevate man in our thinking, without ever realizing that is what we're doing. And this is just one example of that. We love out of need. God does not. God had absolutely everything, including relationship with His Son, from all eternity. God was never lonely. God was not compelled to do anything out of lack. He is complete within Himself.
One of the take away questions to ponder was that every Christian believes in the sovereignty of God, but not all Christians agree on the extent of His sovereignty. Why do we, by nature, want to put limits or qualifiers on His sovereignty? Mainly, because God's sovereignty confronts our supposed autonomy and our desire for self-sufficiency. We want to add something to the work of salvation. But God is the author and finisher of our faith. He has not saved us because of something worthy of redemption that He saw in us. He has not chosen us because He saw something special already in us. He is not filling a void through us. We are unworthy recipients of His love and grace. Any other concept elevates the creation and reduces our Creator.
In the second chapter of Yancey's book, he elaborates on getting the right perspective. So often, we go to God with our list, ways He can serve us. Instead, we must start with Him. He writes, "Prayer, and only prayer, restores my vision to one that more resembles God's. I awake from blindness to see that wealth lurks as a terrible danger, not a goal worth striving for; that value depends not on race or status, but on the image of God every person bears; that no amount of effort to improve physical beauty has much relevance for the world beyond."
We live in a world that shouts at us continuously to conform to the values of the world and of our ever changing cultures. This is the same world that, in Yancey's words, "colludes to suppress, not exalt, God." He closes the chapter by writing, "In prayer I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness. I climb above timberline and look down at the speck that is myself."
I was emotionally overwhelmed several times during the study on God's sovereignty. My perspective on God has been so dramatically changed in the last several years. And when your perspective on God is enhanced, so is every single other aspect of your life.
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