Simple and Yet Profound

 I am always amazed at the reality of God and His Word and the Gospel contained therein.  I am amazed because in some ways, God, and His Word, and His gospel are exceedingly simple.  It is so simple that the Bible assumes God needs no introduction. "In the beginning God. . . ".  It simply states that "Your Word is Truth" (John 17:17) And the Gospel is condensed into the fact that Jesus died for me, was raised to life and sits at the right hand of the Father.   In many ways, these are simple truths that even children can understand.

And yet, the truths about who God is, about His Word, and about the gospel are also so profound that we could spend our lives studying them and never exhaust that which is knowable about any single part of these three.  For instance, I can know that God is holy - a simple truth.  And yet to mine the depths of what His holiness means and how it is demonstrated and how I am to respond to it is a profound study.  I can know that His Word is true and yet to seek out the fullest and deepest meaning of this truth would take lifetimes and I would never come to a full understanding of its glory.  I can know that the gospel is that Jesus died for me and was raised but to really comprehend what that means for my justification and sanctification and glorification can constantly amaze me.  

God is simple and yet so profound.  Praise God that I can see His revelation and understand it and yet I will never exhaust it.

Reading Goals

 As each new year comes around, there are always people and blogs and magazines that encourage you to read more and strive to accomplish more and do more and be more.  It is almost as if they want you to keep striving to attain an unattainable goal and of course pay $9.95 a month to allow them to help you achieve the unattainable goal.  So, today I want to take all of that and remind you that reading is important.  And if you are going to read anything - read the Bible.  

I do not say this because other reading is not important.  It is.  But it is not AS important as reading the Scriptures.  Since the Bible is the Word of God it is categorically different from other books.  It is Authoritative - we must listen and obey.  It is Inspired by God - its source and origin is God working in and through the human authors.  It is True.  It is Sufficient.  It is Clear.  And I could go on.  But you get the idea - the Bible has qualities that are not guaranteed in other books.  And so, your time is best spent reading the Bible.  

I know that often times Bible reading plans seem daunting because reading the Bible in a year requires around 4 chapters per day.  And that can be a lot.  And so when I encourage you to read the Bible, I am not saying read the whole Bible this year.  I want to encourage you to simply do this:

    Read more of the Bible this year than you did last year.

If you read once a month this year, try to do more than that.  If you read once a week, try to do twice a week.  If you read one chapter a day, try to do two chapters a day.  If you read the Bible through in a year, try to read it twice this year.  Pick a book and read that book over and over this year.  Choose a verse and read it every day twice or three times a day!  Just read the Bible.  Don't let your fear of failure knock you down, just read it.  If you miss a day, read again the next day.  Don't feel like you have to make up time.  Just read.  I think that if you do, you will be glad that you did!

New Year - Same Goals

 Each new year, many people strive to set new goals for the year.  Some want to exercise, some want to lose weight, some want to eat better, some want to read their Bible more, some want to go to church more often.  And it would seem that for many, each year that passes is a reminder that they did not do the things that they wanted to do.  

I also find it interesting that in our categories of things we want to do better we often put spiritual things like reading our Bible more and praying more, and maybe memorizing some Scripture.  After all - the goals for our life - as given to us by God anyway, have not changed in the last 2000 years.  We have all of these goals recorded for us in Scripture - and since the Bible does not change, neither have these goals.  

And so since there is nothing new in the goals, and there seems to be no consistency in our setting and keeping goals, what is the problem?

May I suggest that the problem is one of authority.  Allow me to explain.  When we make goals for ourselves, we are the authority.  I get to set the goal and the tone for my life.  So when I fail to meet one of my goals, I am alone to blame.  But when this happens I still am the authority, and so next year I will make new goals for me that I am unlikely to keep, but I will feel good that I made them. This is a little tricky because the Scriptures tell me that on my own I can accomplish nothing good.  So to make actual progress in the Christian life, I have to stop trying so hard and instead trust that God will accomplish His work as I obey. 

This means that the singular goal we should all have it to slay our selfish desire for authority and instead submit to the authority of God.  Ironically, this submission will likely accomplish the goals we would have set for ourselves to begin with, but through submission the change will be more permanent and more perfect because it will be God doing the work and not me.  This is however a BIG ask.  I have to be willing to cease to be my own authority and to surrender willingly to my Maker.  I have to be willing to die each day to self and serve a Savior.  I have to be willing to give up my authority to pay homage to a Holy God and trust that He will work in and through me by the very means of my surrender.  This year may we surrender to God.  To God be the glory.