Contradictions

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We concluded the sermon series on the attributes of God.

In our community group on Monday we looked at Augustine’s prayer which included many of them.

The following is an extract.   “What, then, are You, my God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful and most just; most hidden and most present; most beautiful and most strong, standing firm and elusive, unchangeable and all-changing; never new, never old; ever working, ever at rest;… “

I notice that God is full of contradictions. For a start, Jesus was both Man and God. He was not 50% Man and 50% God, but 100% Man and 100% God. More than one contradicting attribute of God can be true at the same time. It’s beyond our human logic.

2 Peter 3:8 reads, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (NIV)

My reading yesterday was from John 10:7-11, “7 Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

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Considering the contradictory and inexplicable nature of God, it should come as no surprise to us that Jesus claims to be both the door and the shepherd. He wants us to know that He is the One who gives access to us so we can enter into a relationship with God, that He died for us and that He came to give us abundant life. All in the space of 4 verses.

Yes, it is inexplicable. But then, God is inexplicable.

My Prayer

Lord, You are so far above me and beyond me, it is no wonder that I don’t always understand Your ways. All I can do is to trust You. Amen.

Mountains

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Our son and daughter-in-law  climbed Mt Kilimanjaro last week.

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It is 5,895m above sea level and took them five days. The air is rarified and it gets increasingly difficult to breathe the higher you climb.

And that is not even the highest mountain in the world, only in Africa. It’s not even in the top ten worldwide.

Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world at 8,848m high.

While I was still thinking about mountains, my readings yesterday included Psalm 36.

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
    your justice like the great deep.
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!“

Our sermon yesterday included the otherness of God. He is actually  not comparable to anything. He just is.

The psalmist was trying to express the awesomeness of God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness and justice in terms that humans might understand. How comforting to picture God’s love as higher than the heavens. We can only gasp in awe and wonder.

My Prayer

Father God, You are indescribable. Thank you so much that You love me and that Your love reaches the heavens. Amen.

Perfect

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My study has two windows. The side window overlooks the carport and cars and washing line. Not a very inspiring view – especially when one has been used to walking out of the motorhome and seeing the sea. Every year for the last three years or so, I have thought how nice it would be to attach sea scene window film to the offending window.

This year our son has been working in China, where apparently one can get anything, so I asked him if he could get me some. I got it last Tuesday and couldn’t wait to put it up. The instructions (translated by Google Translate) seemed simple. Clean the window, wet it well with a spray bottle, remove the backing paper and smooth  on the film, removing any air bubbles with a special plastic tool. Then use a craft knife to trim off the excess.

My problem came with the trimming. I could trim very satisfactorily the first 90% but the last 10% just caused moving and puckering. The first side I managed to complete the trim with a pair of scissors. The second window, however, which doesn’t open, I had to try to do it behind the wooden bars and I cut off too much and crookedly. I wanted to do it perfectly, but I couldn’t. Humans are imperfect and are incapable of acting perfectly all the time. Otherwise we would live in a perfect world.

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The missing piece.

We humans have also learned how to hide our mistakes or to cover them up with varying degrees of success. So I have a plan. But I will always know it isn’t perfect.

Part of my reading for today was from Deuteronomy 32:4. “He is the Rock, his works are perfect,and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.“

God does everything perfectly. He never makes a mistake. He never acts unjustly. God is not only omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, infinite and immutable, He is also infallible. How can we not trust such an awesome God?

My Prayer

O God, You are my Rock, the only security in this changing world of ours. When I think of Who You are, my little mind cannot comprehend it. Lord, I trust in You, I throw myself on Your goodness. Amen.

Who is Jesus?

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Even as a member of the older generation, I am getting more comfortable with ordering things online. In Scottburgh, where we didn’t have transport, we managed to sort out Checkers 60/60 on my husband’s phone and it was so convenient to have our heavy items delivered straight to our site.

Things are slightly different back in Randburg. We share a property with our daughter and son-in-law and family. The property is protected by a high wall, motion sensor alarms and an electronic gate with controls in both houses to be able to communicate with the outside. One can’t just allow anybody onto one’s property. When we have ordered something, we need to inform the rest of the family because quite often people push the wrong buzzer, or we might not be home and our daughter would need to accept the delivery. If somebody activates the gate buzzer and just says, “Delivery'” and nobody is expecting a delivery, we would be very foolish to allow them in by opening the gate remotely. It is not much better if they give their name. We also want to know what company they are from, and whose name is on the delivery address.

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Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

In Jesus’ time, the Jews were just as suspicious of unidentified people.

In John 8 they wanted to know who Jesus was and who He represented. They asked, “Who do you think you are?” (verse 53b)

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (vs 54-58)

The Jews were devout. They knew the Scriptures. They would know Exodus 3:13. “But Moses protested, ‘If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you, they will ask me, “What is his name?’”Then what should I tell them?”

“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” 

In a way they couldn’t miss, Jesus was claiming to be God. The Jews reacted by picking up stones to stone Him for blasphemy.

Eventually Jesus was crucified on the same charge.

Is Jesus’ claim true? Or perhaps He was deluded and needed to be confined to a psychiatric ward. Or maybe He was evil and was deliberately deceiving people. Those are the only three options. We need to look at His life, His words, and His attitude to others. Are His actions and words more commensurate with those of a madman? Or a deceiver? Or, could it be that He is who He says He is, the everlasting God, “I Am?”

My Prayer

Lord Jesus, I cannot doubt Your credentials nor Your character. I cannot doubt what You have done for me nor the wonderful things You have done in my life. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You. Amen.

Cause and Effect

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Our paper towel holder has a mind of its own. One dare not try to get a sheet off single-handedly, especially when it is no longer fat and full. The small movement required to unroll a single sheet and tear it off is enough to set up a rolling motion which results in the whole roll unwinding and spilling onto the floor. The more that spills onto the floor, the faster it unwinds. It’s a matter of physics or cause and effect.

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We do not always know how small actions of ours can cause effects that we never intended. Things get out of control and we can’t undo what we have set in motion.

Gossip is an example. It makes us feel important when we know something that others don’t. Sometimes we don’t even check the veracity of something we have been told in confidence. Starting a rumour is like slitting a feather pillow and shaking out the contents into the wind. There is no way we can ever gather all the feathers together again and stuff them into the empty casing.

The Bible has a lot to say about gossip and slander. (Thanks to Anthony Etham from https://blogs.crossmap.com/)

  1.  “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28)
  2. “Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.” (Proverbs 10:18)
  3. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” “(Proverbs 11:13)
  4. “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down into the person’s innermost being.” (Proverbs 18:8)

The Bible also shows us the right way to live. “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others;” (Psalm 15:1-3 NIV); or, from the New Testament, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

In the same way that I have learned to control my actions when I get a piece of paper towel by using two hands, I must also learn to control my words deliberately – not speaking in haste or without due care.

    My Prayer

    Lord, as I mentioned in my last post, the proper answer of the tongue comes from You. Please may I never be too hasty to consult You in all I think or speak. Amen.

    It’s Only Words

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    Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

    I am still in Proverbs. I was struck by verses from Proverbs 16.

    “To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Verses 1-3 NIV)

    The Amplified version elaborates, “The plans and reflections of the heart belong to man,
    But the [wise] answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
    All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions],
    But the Lord weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].
    [a]Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],
    And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].    “

    Verse 3 I am familiar with and meditate on often. However, I don’t remember noticing verse 1 before. The wise answer of the tongue is from the Lord?

    Words are important. The saying goes, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me.” That’s just not true. Words can make or break a person. I am sure we can all think of a memory where somebody’s words either encouraged us or brought us down.

    I long to speak wise words. The problem with getting older is sometimes I can’t even find the right word to describe what I want to say. If the wise answer of the tongue is from the Lord, I’d like to know the terms and conditions. Is it a matter of asking the Lord every day to give me wise words? Is there something else I must do?

    My Prayer

    “God be in my head
    And in my understanding
    God be in mine eyes
    And in my looking
    God be in my mouth
    And in my speaking
    God be in my heart
    And in my thinking
    God be at mine end
    And at my departing.” (Song by H Walford Davies.)

    His Garden

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    I love my garden. It is just a little garden – the lawn is probably not more than eight square meters, with a lovely paved area and a raised slab, which had a wendy house on it when we bought the house but now has a gazebo. I have battled to get things to grow – particularly the grass, but also some roses. I think that it is because the garden is shaded by two huge acacia trees and also the soil is largely clayish. However, I’ve put money into it, although not as much as good gardeners would have, and a lot of heart. Because of the paving, I have several plants in pots.

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    a hanging basket near the corner

    When we got back from holiday, I found out that our borehole pump, which is the only source of my garden’s water, had broken. Right near the beginning I had set up a small watering system with a programable control which I have to tweak every now and then.

    My first thought when I contemplated the broken pump was to frantically buy another watering system, or at least a long hose pipe to attach to either the back of our cottage or the side of the main house, where municipal water comes out of the outside tap.

    It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t consulted the Lord. When I did, I got the impression that my garden was possibly a bit of an idol to me. I know the Lord created plants and flowers for us to enjoy and to glorify Him, but I should never spend more thought time on the gift rather than the Giver. So I gave the garden to the Lord. Actually, I had already given Him the grass some time ago when I was battling to get the bare patches covered.

    So I am not going to go out and buy any equipment. I shall rely on the gardener watering the relevant sections once a week. In my mind I had a brief image of wilted plants, but it only lasted a second and if that is what it comes to, I must accept it.

    Yesterday morning the first reading was from Psalm 65 vs 9,12-13.

    “You take care of the earth and water it,
        making it rich and fertile.
    The river of God has plenty of water;
        it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,
        for you have ordered it so.
     The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
        and the hillsides blossom with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
        and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
        They all shout and sing for joy!    “

    It could have been written especially for me. Of course, the Lord is capable of looking after a garden. It was His idea in the first place.

    The second reading was from John 7, “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[c] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39 NIV)

    If I want to grow spiritually, I need to pay more attention to Christ’s living water than the borehole water.

    My Prayer

    Lord, thank You for plants and gardens. I yield my garden to You. May I pay more attention to Your Living Water and less to things of this world. I need Your help, Lord, for my thoughts don’t turn instinctively to You. Please would You draw my thoughts to You like a magnet. Amen.

    Angels on the Freeways

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    Travelling on fast freeways with a heavy, underpowered motorhome can be daunting. It is not a time of certainty. The road ahead lies in the future and unexpected circumstances can arise at any time. Will there be stop/start detours, road works, a particularly slow truck holding up kilometres of traffic to a snail’s pace or an unexpected action on the part of another driver? One has to concentrate at all times.

    Coming back home from Scottburgh was such a journey. My husband prefers to do all the driving himself. I can look out the window, read, play games or sleep. On two occasions during the trip we passed angels on the freeway. They were both long, heavy trucks carrying enormous loads.

    The first one had a small message on the drivers door which I managed to read as we overtook him. I read, “Psalm 91:11.” It was subtle taking no more than about 30cm across. I looked it up.

    “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”.

    It is a verse I know well but it was a timely reminder that God is everywhere – even on a busy freeway.

    The second angel was not at all subtle. The company is called Faith Transport. The message was emblazoned over about a third of the back.

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    My eyes are obviously better than my cell phone camera

    “Proverbs 3:5-6.”

    “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

    I am grateful to be reminded that God is always with me. Just the fact that I happened to be looking out of the window when these angels on the freeway were near our motorhome tells me it was a message meant for me. Most of the time I was concentrating on my book or my cell phone.

    My Prayer

    Lord, thank You for safe and pleasant travels and for just reminding me that You are always with me. Amen.

    Natural Wonders Tourism

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    Yesterday we packed up our gazebo, awning, and all that was in them and squashed them all into our little motorhome prior to leaving this morning. We had to give up our last hope of seeing the sardine run this year.

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    When I tried to search for any updates on the sardines, all I got was adverts for holiday packages to see the sardines.

    The trouble with those sorts of holiday packages is the organizers have no control over the natural phenomenon they are marketing, so there are no guarantees. Only educated guesses. Tourists pay a lot of money to see the Northern Lights, or the Namaqualand flowers or go on whale watching trips. They expect to see what they paid to see but sometimes they are disappointed. “The cherry blossoms bloomed early this year so you missed them,” or, “Atmospheric conditions weren’t right in this locality to see the Northern Lights tonight.”

    We humans think we have control but we don’t. We have no control over when we are born or when we die. We can’t see the future. We can only trust the One who can.

    No wonder the Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” or Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

    My Prayer

    Father, I submit to Your purposes in my life. “Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way.” Amen

    Meditations from a Hospital Bed

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    The following is a guest post from Peet van der Merwe, a good friend of ours, who has had a lot of problems with his leg since an accident. On Monday he was in hospital for work on his ankle and knee.

    “Yesterday, I found myself lying down in the waiting area before an operating theatre, an hour that felt like a whole day. In that space — filled with other people’s fears, hopes, and whispered prayers — my own thoughts began to wander.
    I wondered how many prayers had been prayed in that very room, and for what needs.
    Then I asked myself: “What should I be praying right now?” As I was lying there, these truths rose up in me one by one:
    Jesus’ unconditional love — that nothing I do, good or bad, can make Him love me more or less. His love is fixed, steady, unchanging.
    His omnipresence — that He entirely fills that room, long before I arrived.
    His perfect knowledge — that He already knows the outcome, and shapes it for my good, trimming my life like a wise Gardener.
    His craftsmanship — that the One who designed the human body knows exactly what needs to happen, and can guide the hands and minds of the physicians.
    And then the only prayer left in me was simple: Jesus, in Your hands I rest, and Your will I accept. That moment, a peace settled over me — not imagined, not forced, but like anaesthesia for the soul. When I woke up afterward, I knew He had been there in every detail, every moment, every breath. My lesson from that day is this: rest in Him and Him alone. The Father truly is the Vine Dresser, tending, shaping, and caring for every branch of my life to bear much fruit.”

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    My Prayer

    Lord, I pray for Peet and for others who find themselves facing operations or medical procedures. May Your peace be deeply present with them. Amen.