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The Old Testament is the story of Israel’s relationship with God. As we have surveyed this story, the following highlights stand out:
As God brought Israel out of Egypt, and began to form them into a nation, He used the manna to teach them that their continued, daily existence was absolutely dependent on His active decree. They were kept alive, not by the food they ate, but by the words that proceeded out of His …
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So, God used the manna to teach Israel that their continued, daily existence was absolutely dependent on His active decree. They were kept alive, not by the food they ate, but by the words that proceeded out of His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). He was preparing them for life in the Promised Land, where He would bless them abundantly. In the midst of that blessing, He didn’t want them to become confused and forget that …
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As we have begun to track our dependence on God through The Story, we have made the following observations:
As Christians, we tend to be ok with the idea of dependence in theory, but practically manifest an ongoing desire to live independently of God. This is most evident in the area of provision and protection. The fact that we see money as the most immediate path to provision and protection suggests that it, not God, …
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As we began to explore the issue of our dependence on God in the last article, we set out the notion that, as Christians, we tend to be ok with the idea of this dependence in theory, but practically manifest an ongoing desire to live independently of God. Perhaps this is most evident in the area of provision and protection. The fact that we see money as the most immediate path to provision and …
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So, we have set out to examine this issue of our dependance. In the previous article, we pointed out that our failure to acknowledge our dependency brought about the fall. We did not see ourselves as dependent and so, chose to act independently, as though we could be like God.
Now, realistically, I expect that if you are reading this article, at a very minimum you will already acknowledge God and and our dependence on …
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“What is the meaning of clothes?”
This was a discussion question in a workshop on the post-modern mindset I attended several years ago.
“Clothes are a covering,” was the first response.
Turns out, that was the typical answer. But it did not really answer the question the presenters were asking. “Covering” gives the function of clothes. It doesn’t explain their meaning. The question they were raising was, “What does the existence of clothing mean?”
To get to their …
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This week, we return to the pursuit of God’s will and His pleasure.
In recent weeks, this journey has taken us into the realm of suffering, where we have found that His will may well include undeserved suffering, and that He is pleased when we handle these experiences well. His pleasure is not sadistic, but is a Fatherly pride. When we behave this way, we look like one of His children – like His Son.
What …
As I begin this week’s article, I am traveling across the plains of New Mexico with the Wild Bunch, a group of guys who are a significant part of my journey. We are returning from a backpacking trip to the Pecos Wilderness in the mountains northeast of Santa Fe.
As I was anticipating this trip, I knew it would complicate my regular writing schedule. My original plan was to get this article written before I left, …
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In our pursuit of knowing God’s will and enjoying His pleasure, we have discovered that undeserved suffering may be a part of His will for each of us, and that He is pleased when we handle these experiences well. His pleasure springs, not from the fact that we are suffering, but from the family resemblance that is evident in those times. Because when we behave this way, we look like His Son. Like one …
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In our pursuit of God’s pleasure, which is to say, our pursuit of His will, I have tried to make two important points these past two weeks. First, God’s will is not, at it’s core, about a list of predetermined decisions that we have to get right. It’s about representing Him and reflecting His character.
Second, God does not score us against some standardized scale of performance. He is not our Examiner, He is our …
