big god

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Psalms 147:5

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

I can’t tell you how many times in the course of my 37-year marriage I’ve asked my husband very strange questions. He shakes his head and says, “Questions without answers.” And as I mentioned in my last post about God’s incomprehensibility there may never be answers to some of my questions. I do know the answer to the question of God’s limits, however. He is infinite, without limits. Jesus confirmed this when the disciples asked how could anyone enter the Kingdom of God.

^“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Jesus replied.” Matthew 19:26

All things. Not just some but all.

Inadequate Gods

Too often we have turned God, especially Jesus, into a meek and mild character. A man with limits just like the rest of us. We must remember this is the Creator of the heavens and the earth we’re talking about here! When we ask what is beyond our galaxy we may not know the specifics, but we should at least know that God is there in His infiniteness.

In his book, “Your God Is Too Small,” J.B. Phillips calls the meek and mild Jesus a particularly “inadequate god.”

“For there is no doubt that this particular “inadequate god,” the mild and soft and sentimental, still exists in many adult minds. Indeed the very word “Jesus” conjures up to many people a certain embarrassing sweet tenderness.”

This Jesus, he goes on to say, becomes a caricature of the One True God. A God who is mighty, to be feared and loved, who controls the heavens. “Secondhand gods” that we create become at best useful at certain times and miserable failures the majority of our lives. Was Jesus meek in humility? Certainly! But He was rarely mild. He was confident of His royal, limitless authority and never hesitated to speak against evil.

“We have not only to be impressed by the “size” and unlimited power of God, we have to be moved to genuine admiration, respect, and affection, if we are ever to worship Him.” J.B. Phillips

Humble And Mighty

You know, one of the big arguments Muslims have against Jesus being God is they just can’t imagine God humbling Himself to the point of living as a man amongst us. Yet they will worship a man who never claimed to be God. To all that I say I won’t put God in a box that I’ve created. He can and will do all things according to His will. If the infinitely powerful God wants to do it, nothing will stop Him.

Friends, we are so used to having a world-centered view of our everyday life. Even as believers we get caught up in the immediate issues facing us. We forget that God has more power and authority than any despot here on earth could imagine. Paul reminds us about this Big God in Ephesians

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” Ephesians 3:8

We should all find comfort in that. Why? Because the Bible is a love story about God. It’s a story about the lengths He will go to save our souls for all eternity. He will achieve His purposes even to the point of sacrificing His Son. His infinite power must be our life source. Something that never ends and can handle whatever our days throw at us.

“We can never have too big a conception of God, and the more scientific knowledge (in whatever field) advances, the greater becomes our idea of His vast and complicated wisdom.” J.B. Phillips

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” – Revelation 4:11

On our first trip to the island of Kauai my husband surprised me with a helicopter tour. If you’ve ever visited Kauai, you’ll see a continuous stream of these whirlybirds as they circumvent the edge of the island. Besides the “average” beauty of this lusciously green island you’re flown over the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” After cresting the top of the mountain, you find yourself perched for just a moment as the helicopter begins its descent into an impossibly breathtaking amphitheater-shaped valley which falls into the azure, blue seas.

We were fortunate that upon reaching that crest, the skies cleared. The view laid out before me literally took my breath away. I could barely speak as the glory of God’s creation burst out in front of me in full technicolor.

God Revealed In Glory

In Romans 1 Paul exhorts Christians to not be ashamed of God and His glory. In fact, he says no one, not one person, has an excuse to not believe in God. Why? Because He has been revealed throughout all time in His creation.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

This revelation of God’s glory became a regular topic between my father and I while we sat waiting for medical appointments. He wanted proof of God’s existence. I would point outside any window and remark, “There’s your proof.” And he would scoff. I would point out the beauty of the human eye, the statistical probability of a baby coming out just about perfect millions upon millions of times, the fact we have all we need to survive and then some. And he would still scoff.

Even knowing all this, and walking in a relationship with Jesus, I still forget at times how glorious God truly is. I question His decisions. I give Him advice on how to solve problems. I idolize things other than Him. Then the Holy Spirit taps my shoulder to remind me that I’m speaking to the great I AM, not just any Joe Blow.

“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Isaiah 42:8

Our Big God

When my last church went astray with unbiblical teaching, I approached one of the pastors to gain understanding about their thinking. We had a lengthy conversation about a particular topic and then he asked me a curious question. “If I asked you why you believe what you believe are you going to just say, ‘because God said so?’” he inquired. I stood there stunned for a second and then firmly responded, “Yes.” In that moment, I realized how easily even spiritual leaders can shrink God to something manageable.

Last year I read a great little book called, “Your God Is Too Small, A guide for believers and skeptics alike” by J.B. Phillips. He addresses how believers fall into traps of defining God absent the truth of His glory. We make Him into a god of the familiar and every day. For example, we’ve probably heard people (like my father) smirk at the idea of Jesus being resurrected. “There’s no such thing as bringing someone back from the dead! That’s impossible!” Yet, that is exactly what God did.

Phillips discusses 11 types of “God” we create in our minds and in our prayer life. One might think of God as a policeman, always watching and searching for the evil we do. Or as a meek and mild Jesus who, according to some Super Bowl commercials, just wants to be loved and love in return. Others pray as though God never sees what we need – a hands-off god. While others worry He is a micromanager.

But all those are not the real God. The God of majesty and glory. Of power and might. The God of Revelation who commands the winds and seas. Who sends His angels to fight heavenly battles. The God of Daniel 7 whose throne is ablaze with flames with a river of fire come out before Him. The God who has 1,000s upon 1,000s attending Him in the heavens. That God can do the impossible.

Friend, is your god too small? Have you forgotten He is the God of sunrises and sunsets? He has intricately woven every animal, human and plant for His purposes. He is beyond time and our full understanding. And yet, He has invited us to be heirs to this glory through His Son, Jesus. What a glorious gift!

“We have seen that the Son of God created the world for this very end, to communicate Himself in an image of His own excellency. … When we behold the light and brightness of the sun, the golden edges of an evening cloud, or the beauteous (rain)bow, we behold the adumbrations of His glory and goodness; and in the blue sky, of his mildness and gentleness.” Jonathan Edwards

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Tag: big god

A God Beyond Measure

Beholding His Glory