GODOLOGY, WEEK 11

“Time is a suggestion for God, not a rule.” (p. 148)
Well, this is our last week in the book “Godology.” There is something comforting in knowing God is outside of time, controlling the events of our lives from the outside. Honestly, controlling it from the inside gets pretty messy sometimes. God is not like us; He moves in ways we don’t get, He works in ways we marvel at. God is God, and I am not. That is a sentence I need to say often to myself. That is why this chapter helps us in our walk with God. George states, “You and I are not responsible for the future or the past.” One is already over for us, the other is still to come; but we have no control over either. You only have control over right now, which is when God wants you to be obedient. Jesus died for you not being obedient in the past, and will give grace to be obedient in the future. Obedience to God is a now thing. So how can you practice the presence of God right now, where you are?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 10

“God’s in a league all by Himself. He has no competition; He never ties a game.” (p. 134)
God should be mysterious to us. If he isn’t, then one of two things is wrong: either we are no longer amazed at Him, or He is no longer God. The God of the universe won’t fit into the box of my small mind. He’s too big for that. The problem in most lives, from the Old Testament Israelites to the church today, is that we forget to be amazed at God’s mystery. But George brings out the biggest mystery of all: why would this perfect God reveal Himself to sinners in rebellion? This mystery leads me to worship. I want to try labyrinth walking; while it seems a bit strange to me, I do see how it can be a helpful tool in walking with God and seeking Him out daily. Are there things we can do each day that will remind us of the mystery and majesty of our God?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 9

“The patience of God found greatest expression on the cross of Christ. It was a moment of reckless carnage – when the cleanest became the filthy.” (p. 123)
I’m personally very thankful that God is a patient and longsuffering God. I could relate with Christian’s discussion on how we often have very short tempers, and I need reminders of how patient God is with me. Are you aware of how much God puts up with from us? We whine, complain, and argue because He doesn’t move according to our timetables. Yet God is still patient with us; He does not destroy us or give up on us. He works in and through us to make us more like Christ each day. I think that is why we need the discipline of solitude. If we don’t stop, relax, reflect and seek God in the silence, then we begin to think our little lives are all that exists out there. So here is the question: how can you make solitude a part of your relationship with God?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 8

“Our knowledge of God begins with God. He is the One who opens our thoughts to His thoughts and teaches us to read His Word.” (p. 107)
It is not a surprise to us that God is wise; we expect that to be true. I mean, who really wants to trust a God who doesn’t know what he’s doing. But the thrust of this chapter is to remind us that God’s wisdom is a wisdom revealed in many areas. God is not up in the heavens, hiding from us and expecting us to find Himself. He has revealed Himself, the wisdom of His creation and salvation. This is why we should read our Bibles: to get to know God and to grasp His wisdom in our lives. Growing in knowledge about God leads to growing in relationship with God. This is part of being a disciple of Jesus. We are planting our selves deeply into the lives of others (as George states), seeking to grow together in grace. Knowing God deeper is a process, and we need to be working at it every day for our joy! So in light of this, why is it important to have a quiet time, and what do you need to do to improve yours?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 7

“He (God) has a right to be jealous because He is the sovereign Creator. When we place our gods on His throne, His face gets red with rage. God doesn’t take rivalry lightly” (p. 91)
Of all the attributes of God that make us nervous and we wish nobody ever had to talk about, it would be God’s jealousy. The idea of God being jealous sounds as if he is in some way acting selfish, like a child who gets mad because they don’t get the toy they see another child enjoying. It doesn’t seem right for anyone, including God, to get jealous. Yet the God of the Bible is indeed jealous. He is jealous for His name to be first, best and most important. He is jealous that you and I never put anyone or anything in front of Him in our priorities or things we value. And He can do that. He is God. Only God can express “righteous jealousy” because He is the only one who deserves what He is jealous for. And He is jealous for you: your time, your devotion, your affections and your presence. Does He need it? No. Does He deserve it and want it? Yes! So ask yourself this question, how can I give God more praise and glory in light of His Holy jealousy.

GODOLOGY, WEEK 6

“Before humans existed, the love of God burned within the society of the Trinity.” (p. 78)
The love of God is one of those characteristics of God that seems so simple, as the apostle John tells us “God is love.” Yet it is also a mystery and incredibly hard to fully wrap our minds around the fact that God does not just love, but is Himself pure and perfect love. Christian George is right when he points out, “We expect God’s love to be like our love – selfish” (p. 78). Now none of us like to think our love is selfish, but let’s face it: our love always has conditions attached to it. We feel good around them, he provides us “stuff,” she is really hot, and the list could go on for days. But love as God is and a display to us is unconditional, unwavering, and unstoppable. That’s why the cross is so central to everything God has and is doing for us: it is His greatest display of love! It pictures God as sacrificing His beloved to demonstrate His love for those of us who are far from Him. So let me ask you, since the Bible declares that God loved us before we ever loved Him, how important is it for us to understand and find joy in His love every day?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 5

Chapter 5 dealt with one of the most important, yet often overlooked attributes of God: His holiness. We talk more about God’s love, grace, mercy, etc, yet doesn’t the Bible seem to talk a lot about holiness? This means we’ve been missing something, and I am grateful to Christian George for bringing this to our minds in this chapter. The chocolate image may be a bit confusing. His point is to show that holiness, like cocoa the Aztec’s used, is pure, untainted, even seperate from everything else. God is completely seperate from us; He has nothing in Him broken, nothing needing a little work. God is perfect and outside anything we can ever put words to describe. But we are called to be holy, as He is holy. So here is the question I leave you with: how do we do that?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 4

This is probably the most difficult chapter for all of us to grasp in our study of God. Let’s face it: the idea of God being vulnerable, open to pain, experiencing suffering is not what we normally think God should face. But that is exactly what the manger scene at Christmas is all about: God incarnate as flesh and bone like us, one of us. The name Isaiah the prophet gave Jesus was “Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” For God to be with us, he must be like us, meaning He is vulnerable. George writes this so well:

“It wasn’t enough for God to create a femur; He had to stand on one. It wasn’t enough for God to create a finger; He had to point with one. And by becoming a man with real bumps and bruises, God intensified His relationship with us.”

This is why he writes that God has “shown some skin” through the person of Jesus. Jesus, who is 100% God, became 100% man, so you and I could become 100% free from sin’s curse. That is why we celebrate Jesus’ birth: it was the most radical step all of eternity has ever seen!

Question For Reflection: When we consider what great thing He did for us in coming to earth as a baby, what should we be challenged to do for Him?

 

GODOLOGY, WEEK 3

Ok, I admit it is my fault that we are behind on this reading project. My apologies to all of you guys and I will make sure we are up do date on these posts from here on out. So chapter 3 is focused on God’s creativity. I found it interesting that George wrote “our planet is the comedy club for our solar system.” I would add the entire universe! But the point of this chapter is to remind us that this God who is powerful and sovereign is also creative. His imagination is so great and complex that there are things that we just aren’t going to figure out … ever. That is why eternity is so long (unending): because that is how long it will take us to figure out the creative mysteries of God. But this should lead us to worship, not frustration. Many of you reading this are talented; I see it, and I am amazed by it honestly. But who gave that talent to you? The answer to that question defines who you should use your abilities to honor. Some of you are talented in art, music, sports, media, and other things. Use those things for God, so He might be seen and heard and loved by everybody you encounter in life!

Question For Reflection: How should we respond to God’s creativity in our lives?

GODOLOGY, WEEK 2

Jesus ninja. That title alone was worth the cost of the book, especially since I am the only one who paid anything for it! While this chapter’s title is definetley creative, it is also precisely on point. When we think about God’s power our thoughts are often entirely too weak. God is only as strong as we can imagine, or feel, or hope; yet this God, the true and living God, is powerful beyond any of our imaginations. George puts it like this: “Sometimes we want a housebroken God, a domesticated deity … But God is wilder than that, and harier too. He’s not the clean-shaven gentleman we pretend he is.” Most christians today have never meditated on the untamable power of our God. How do I know you ask? Because we would be face-down in awe and worship if we ever caught even the faintest grasp of Him! But we need that, don’t we?

Question for Reflection: What do you do in your everyday walk through the world that lets people know that you walk with Christ? Can people tell there is something different about you?