What comes to your mind when you think about God?

The fact that we can actually think about God is not only important it is amazing. We tend, by some secret law of our soul, to move toward our mental image of God. Our worship of God is pure when we have a high view of God. Our ‘worship’ is more base and even sinful with a low view.

Our view of God as individuals impacts the corporate gathering of our church each Sunday. The most revealing thing about a church is her idea of God. The church’s most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid. Often, silence is more eloquent than her speech.

The theologian John Calvin (1509-1527) said, “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts; the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” Therefore, to know ourselves we must to some degree know God and His will for our lives.

Theology is the study of God. The term theology comes from the Greek words Theos meaning God and logos meaning ideas, word, speech, reason, study. (Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, page 43)

God is the infinite One. The uncaused cause. He exists without beginning and end. Because we are finite, in one sense, we could say that God is incomprehensible. Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Although God is infinite, He is knowable. Through Jesus, God has clearly revealed Himself to us and humanity at large. The apostle Paul wrote that Jesus is … “the image of the invisible God.” Colossians 1: 15.

While we humans cannot fully know the infinite God, it abundantly clear that God has revealed Himself and can be know Him to the extent of His self-revelation. In fact, our redemption and eternal life are grounded in knowing God. “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17: 3.

Although God is infinitely greater than human comprehension, He is still intimately knowable through Jesus. As we think about God, humility and reverence are important. God has revealed much of His nature to us as needed to worship Him. A definition of God is helpful. Here is a historical definition as a starting point to help our understanding. “God is Spirit, infinite, Eternal, and Unchangeable in His being. Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, Goodness and Truth are His.” (Westminster Catechism)

Dan Boyd

What will faith do for you as a follower of Jesus when you are going through a rough season in your life? Here’s the short answer – faith will help produce right living.

We could say righteous living. That is living right or righteously before the Lord and others as compared to spinning out of control and into obvious sin. Righteousness in the bible is used to show an attribute of God. He is righteous. The biblical word righteous also carries with it the idea of being just. God is just.

As a matter of fact, Romans 3: 25 – 26 says that God demonstrated His righteousness through the blood of Christ on the cross “so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Here is what I know – when we are going through times of testing and trials, I know that these tribulations are working something in me. For one, they are testing my faith. Do I believe God will take care of me. Will my faith in Jesus hold me or will I begin to drift.

When we go through challenges our faith is forced out into the open so to speak. We are coerced into showing our true colors. Like, is there anything in there? Faith cannot simply be an idea that is separate from our everyday life.

Again, here is what faith will do; it will produce in us right living. We will not throw in the towel, so to speak, and just walk away from the Lord and our Christian values. We will walk in faith believing that God is at work in our situation. We will believe that there is nothing outside of God’s control concerning us and then rest in that knowledge and keep moving forward.

In James 1: 2 – 3 he says that we should consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. Hmmm…. Trials of many kinds. Temptations of many kinds. These two words, trials and temptations, can be used interchangeably. No matter how spiritual you are you will be tested and tried. What we know is that as we face them, we acquire something – experience.

When the devil tempts us, it is to get us to sin. God does not tempt us to sin. However, a temptation is also a time to strengthen our faith and trust the Lord. This is why we rejoice because our faith is strengthened. Isn’t that what tests do? The test is a check. It pushes on what we know to see if it will hold. It asks, is what I believe genuine?

The biblical idea of being tested is not to break you but to prove you! Temptations and tests are working and developing godly character in you. Hold steady.

Dan Boyd

How big were manners in your house growing up? Were there “pleases” & “thank yous” or was it something you had a roommate, spouse, or friend’s family have to teach you? In our family we’ve had a bit of both in our background—having these kinds of words already as habits, and having to build them into habits.

It's fascinating to do this with children. We literally set them up as “magic words”—it won’t happen unless we hear the words to make it happen—please to get it, thank you after it. I can actually hear my wife in a sing-songy mom voice saying, “What do we SAAAYYYY….” To one of my kids when they were little after receiving something from someone.

But it’s more than words, isn’t it? The words don’t just kind of MAKE appreciation happen.
The truth is, appreciation is the true foundation of gratitude and, to many, happiness.

I was reminded of that again on a recent trip to the Fiji islands where our church has the
pleasure of helping to equip, encourage and support a half dozen churches and a couple dozen pastors there. During a meal time—a celebratory event, because my pastor friend, Dan and I have traveled very far to be there and the local church families and pastors are very appreciative and excited that we are there—I felt myself being watched. I heard some excited banter in Fijian from those I had noticed watching me. (Fijians understand and speak English, but Fijian is their comfortable language with one another.) I made contact with one of the ladies as they spoke, and she could tell she was “caught”.

I asked what they were talking about and she gave a good, deep, full belly laugh. She
proceeded to tell me that they loved to watch me eat. She said that they could tell I really
enjoyed mealtime. They asked me what it was about Fijian food that I loved it so much.

I told her that I really did enjoy Fijian food—much of it is roasted over an outside fire, seafood heavy and fresh fruit and vegetables. I mean, what’s NOT to like, right?

But…I realized that to me this moment was far, far more than that. I allow myself to appreciate and enjoy life in these moments--I have embraced appreciation. To truly allow myself to appreciate a good meal; To acknowledge and enjoy a cool breeze on a hot day, or the sun heating up my back on a cool day, are moments I had to start intentionally acknowledging and trying to really take a moment to enjoy.

I’ve found the more I can appreciate, the happier I tend to be, and the more positive I tend to be for those around me. This seems like a pretty good strategy to make for better lives.

I’m pretty sure that it was this appreciative, grateful mindset that the Apostle Paul was
channeling when he was led by the Holy Spirit to write these words:

The secret to living in every situation is to be content. To be more than content, so it would seem, is to be appreciative. To be appreciative, is to be positive, thankful and to make the atmosphere around us a little bit BETTER with our attitudes.

This will become more and more challenging the longer some of us allow ourselves to be
disappointed, pile up unmet expectations, or have things “get worse” and nudge us toward
longing more and more for the “good ol’ days”.

It’s not helpful.
Not to you, and not to anyone around you.

What is helpful? Allowing yourself the moments to appreciate, be thankful, and sit in that
moment a little longer so it affects your attitude and perspective.
Let it happen more often.
Make it a habit.
What happens if you do?

Check out what the Apostle Paul writes through the Holy Spirit after he shares with us his
secret:

You got this. There’s a lot you can take in, roll with, handle and hang with—it just helps A LOT if you give your attitude the recovery time to acknowledge, enjoy and appreciate the little things that come along the way. They add up.

Here’s to appreciating the Lord, each other and the little things a bit more.

@colbyengstrum

So, for those of you who know us, you know that we have a four year-old whirlwind in our home named Roxy. She loves to be chased—but even more-so she loves to be the chaser. She seems to laugh harder when others have something happen to THEM—and she has something to do with it. Case in point: she likes being surprised (not scared) but LOVES surprising others. (I don’t think she cares as much about not scaring, by the way.) How do you feel about surprises?

I think there’s something deeply meaningful about being surprised. (Positively!) There’s something to be said about something that takes us off guard, forces us to take a step back and pay closer attention to something (or someone) we may have missed before. We are broken out of the monotony, the common, or even the boredom of where we were at and what we were doing. We are hardwired to LOVE being surprised—the right way, about the right things.

God surprised Moses on the lonely hill in the midst of his sheep. God surprised Samuel with the littlest brother as his pick as the next king of Israel. God then surprised a giant with that same little brother on the battlefield. God surprised Israel with a traveling preacher from Galilee to be the Messiah. Jesus “marveled”, “astonished”, or “amazed” people many times in the Gospels—depending on what translation of the Bible you look at, or what Gospel narrative you are reading for the word choice used.

To be able to be surprised by God, we have to be in a place to recognize that it is He who is at work in our lives. To be able to be surprised by God means that we have to be in a place where there is some sort of spiritual openness to allow something unexpected to happen. Nothing surprising happens without there being a sense of unexpected. This means that in our moments of where we feel like we have it all figured out, or that we know the “why” of what someone in front of us or next to us is doing, that we are set up perfectly to be surprised.

Those who are open to possibility, are comfortable with some uncertainty, and are infused with a healthy dose of curiosity find themselves being surprised by God in different ways. (Hopefully) We (and not “they”) are not surprised as often by God, Himself—because we EXPECT Him to show up, speak up, step up or lift up—but are instead surprised by HOW he shows up, speaks up, steps up or lifts up.

It is this mindset of walking humbly with God in a way that doesn’t assume we know it all or have it all figured out, and look expectantly for God in the little things, the big things and the in between things that is to guide us. It is this heartfelt, openhanded mindset that is to guide our prayers. A prayer life full of expectation and open to surprise is one that doesn’t go to God with an “if” but a “how”.

“I know you can, God, but HOW will you show up, speak up, step up or lift up?”
 
Can we open up ourselves to be surprised by God in a good way? In humility? In openhandedness and openheartedness? Because, if we can, we can help someone else be surprised by God. WE can be part of HOW God surprises someone else, instead of being in the way .

I like to help. I really do. I’m terrible at cooking, but I’m happy to find things, open things, cut things, hand things, or clean things up. I’m terrible at fixing, but I’m equally happy to find things, prep things, hand things or clean things up. Sometimes I need to make sure I’m not in the way. As much as I want to help, I need to get out of the way and let those who know more than I do, do more than I do.

Can we get out of God’s way to allow Him to surprise people? There are so many people who are spiritually open but unsure about when to give God credit or recognize what He looks like, sounds like, or smells like when He comes into the room.
 
When we are humble, when we are faithful, when we are hopeful, He is able to work WITH us to surprise people instead of having to work around us to surprise people.

Let’s be in a place to be part of the good surprise for someone today.

@colbyengstrum