Skip to main content

Oh! Of Course!

             he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

 

            If you’ve read mysteries, you’ve probably read at least a few that make perfect sense once you find out the answer. Yes, all the clues were there. It was only partly the deviousness of the author that kept you from deducing the right answer. It was mostly your own limitations and interpretations that kept you from the truth.  If you were to reread the story, you’d likely say, “Oh! Of course!” to yourself and “Get with it, you idiots!” to the characters. The latter is what I’m doing with the novel I’m reading.

            What Paul reveals here should get the same, “Oh! Of course!” response. God’s will is that He would be Himself and that the universe and everything in it would be itself or themselves, in right relation with Him and one another. And as for the “Get with it, you idiots!” I’m afraid we’re the idiots.

            As you read through the Old Testament, everything started out good, and turned bad, but Abraham was promised that he would be the father of many nations. As you look at the universe, you see both unity and diversity, parts and the whole. Even those who try to dance the multiverse jig face the same conclusion pushed out one step. Those who reject the idea of God still express opinions that prove that they know things aren’t as they should be, and they think themselves sufficiently wise to take God’s place as they declare how things should be. In some cases, they’re even right – as far as they go – or would be right if they didn’t go as far as they have.

            All of this takes us back to what Paul tells us:

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 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 1:19-20)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more