Thoughts out loud

OK, since this is my blog I am going to take the liberty to be opinionated and rant a bit.
I know that will surprise so many of you:)

I am burdened by the state of the church (in general) today. Grieved, would be an even better word. This has consumed my thinking today.

How is it that we have become so quick to dismiss any truth in the bible that we can't understand or explain about God? That is my question for the day!

I am sick of truth being watered down simply for the reason that we can't fully comprehend or understand it. Even worse, is when we water it down so that we won't offend people. Just because we don't completely "get it", doesn't mean it isn't so and just because it can be hard to swallow, doesn't mean we should leave it on the plate.

Isaiah 45:7 "The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity;I am the LORD who does all these."

Isaiah 45:9 "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'? "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?'Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'"Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands."It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host.

Isaiah 43:10b
"I am He, Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me."
"I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no Saviour besides Me. "It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD,"And I am God. "Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"

Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.


Isaiah 48:11
For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.

So for the fear that I may appear self righteous as I vent my frustration, let me first state: My human mind is constantly limited in my attempts to understand our Creator, and apart from the Spirit of God's calling on my life, I know I wouldn't know Him. That said...

My frustration isn't with those who are lost, but those who claim to be found, and yet deny the power of the One who has saved them!

Our God, who has saved us, says "He creates darkness" and "causes calamity". It is for HIS glory, not ours, so why can't we just rest in that?

If you asked me what is the most important thing in my life, this is it...His GLORY!
I want HIS glory above all. Above my own life, my husbands, my children....No matter what that means! And I am not just saying that, I really mean it. If it means suffering, if it means losing whatever, if it means death, if it means I would praise Him from hell(which I know is not doctrinally correct, but you get my point) I want it if it ultimately will bring my God the most glory! Up until a few years ago, I would have told you I couldn't have made this statement because I wouldn't have truly meant it with all of me. But Praise the Lord He has shown me more of Himself and shown me more of who I am without Him and today, because of His work in my heart, I truly want - His glory above ALL.

I am so saddened that we are so quick to minimize God's sovereignty for the fear of offending people! Who He is can't be defined or explained by what He created. So why is it that when God can't be confined by a big enough box, we try to shrink Him into one?

Jesus did not dress Himself up to gather a bigger crowd. He didn't shy away from speaking the truth because He was afraid people wouldn't like it. Yet Jesus loved people right where they were at. Jesus is the creator and epitomy of love. He knew loving them meant leading them to His truth.

His truth will stand whether we understand it or like it. He is who He is and He will not change or be detoured. He will not compromise, bend or relent from His own will. He will glorify Himself.

There is so much in the Word of God that overwhelms my finite mind, but I never want to be guilty of trying to shrink God into something smaller than He is so that I could feel like I understand Him! I am tired of His truth being watered down.

God is love, He is truth. Wouldn't it be awesome if we the church could get obsessed about love and truth at the same time and with equal passion? It seems any more we focus on one or the other but it is rare to see truth and love flowing at the same time.