Catching Us Being Good

We all have a basic understanding that God is “all-knowing”, but do we really think about what that means?  Certainly God doesn’t pay attention to every detail, does He?  Surely God overlooks my momentary lapses and my insignificant “no-harm” sins, don’t you think?

I thought that could be true until I read this:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13 NIV)

Ouch!  According to this passage, God is aware of everything!  Well, OK, so God sees what I’m up to, but that’s as far as it goes, right?

Psalm 139:1-4 NIV

 You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
 You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
 You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
 Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.

Double ouch!  You’re telling me that God knows my thoughts, my words?  O man, I’m doomed.  Why would God want to pay such close attention to me?  I’m not a troublemaker.  I go to church.  Why is He scrutinizing my life?  Is He trying to stack up enough “charges” to send me to Hell?  Is He trying to get sufficient dirt on me to send me into eternal punishment?

But wait a minute, God is all about love.  Scripture says:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…  (John 3:16 NIV)

And…

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  (1John 3:1 NIV)

If God loves me so much, it doesn’t make sense that He would search my life to condemn me, does it?  What if God’s purpose for paying attention to the details of my life has a different purpose than to punish me?  Instead, what if there is a loving purpose for concentrating on every detail of my life?

Parenting experts teach us to “catch our children being good”.  That is, as a parent it is good for my children if I look in on them now and then with ”praise” in mind.  Instead of looking for something that deserves a punishment, I look for an opportunity to praise their behavior. 

What if this is what God is doing with us?  What if He is paying attention to the details of our lives – even our thoughts – so that He can catch us being good?  If that’s the case, then what does “being good” look like for God?

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  (Mark 12:30 NIV)

Then what if God’s purpose in scrutinizing the tiniest details of our life is to catch us loving Him?  What if He pays attention to our thoughts to see if we love Him with our hearts and our minds?  Do you suppose He watches our every movement to see if we love Him with all our strength?  Could it be that God watches every detail of our life to see if we love Him with our whole soul?

…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…   (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

Are you thinking about God?

Presence, by Lon Alderman

Acts 17:26-27
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Thanks to Jamie for pointing me to this passage! I love these verses (particularly verse 27) because it speaks about the closeness of God. This week I have felt the presence of the God in a new and fresh way. The experience has been awesome!

As I've traveled through some VERY busy and challenging times over the last few days, I have regularly experienced a quiet, yet powerful, presence. The experience has simultaneously calmed and awed me! I have recognized this presence in a variety of settings - some quite stressful! This presence has to be the Holy Spirit!

Now I'm working on developing the habit of looking for God as I navigate my day. I'm learning that no matter where I am or what I'm doing, "He is not far from" me!

Seek Him!
Lon

Forged, by Lon Alderman

Isaiah 54:16
See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work...

I'm attempting, for the first time, to read the entire Bible in a year. At present, I am (only) four days behind. In today's reading in Isaiah, I ran across this interesting passage. It reminded me of God's ongoing creative process.

We are continuously being "forged" into becoming a particular "weapon" for a particular "work". One might think that as the one being forged that there isn't much for us to do but wait for the next pounding or shove into the hot coals. However, there is something the "forged" can do. We can seek the Lord.

As we seek the Lord two wonderful things will happen. First, our relationship with Jesus will grow and flourish as we weather each pounding. Second, God's purposes will become our purposes as we withstand each overheating. In this way He will make us fit for our work.

Seek the Lord!
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Seeking God

Seeking God

Acts 17:24
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

Seems to me there is some general confusion on this point. It appears that some people go to church on Sunday to find God there. Yes, I believe God is there, at the church. However, God is also at the grocery store, the football game, and in the living room of our home. Seeking God can, and probably should be, a full-time effort. No matter where we go, because God is everywhere.

We spend amazing amounts of money building and maintaining these "temples". Even though God doesn't live there, we pour precious resources into upkeeping "the Lord's house". Please don't misunderstand my point. I love churches! Often times I do encounter God in these meticulously built halls. After all, God is there, too! My point is that we can seek, and find God, anywhere and everywhere. The key to successfully connecting with God is that we, in fact, seek Him.

Seek the Lord!
Lon