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What Can God Do?

Bible Reading: Exodus 15:1-18; Job 42:2; Ephesians 1:19-23; Psalm 121:1-2 

The power output from the sun is 382800000000000000000000000 watts. That sounds like a lot, but it is actually small in comparison to the power expended in the gamma ray burst (GRB) of a supernova. The most powerful GRB ever recorded occurred in September 2008. If the power of that explosion could have been captured and converted it would have produced enough electricity to supply the entire Earth with 13.8 octillion years of power. Octillion = a number equal to 1 followed by 27 zeros. That’s a lot of power, especially when you consider that there have been and will be other GRBs. 

All that being said, the One who created all things and those stars, is even more powerful! In fact, He is omnipotent, which means God has the power to accomplish any end He desires. Stephen Charnock put it this way: “The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve.” 

God’s omnipotence is revealed in countless ways and examples throughout Scripture, but a few stand out. Creation itself testifies that God is an all powerful God (Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:11). The deliverance of Israel from Egypt was something the Jews praised God for and remember to this day, as evidence of the glory and greatness of His power (Exodus 15:6-7). Jesus’ triumph by way of His death for sins and resurrection from the dead, over sin and death and the devil himself, testify to the omnipotence of God (Ephesians 1:19-23). What is striking about this text in Ephesians is Paul’s prayer that the believer might realize “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). This omnipotence of God is not merely theological or theoretical, it has direct relevance to the believer and is actually availed to him! Its focal point is not God giving us some kind of superhero power for some obscure purpose. No, the omnipotence of God is manifest in the miraculous work of salvation, by which we are saved from the penalty and practice of sin. We are washed clean so one day, we will stand in the Glory of His Presence. 

The phrase “He is able” is recurrent in our Bibles. Humanly we often need to be reminded of what our omnipotent God is able to accomplish in our lives. He is able to: 1) make you stand (Romans 14:4); 2) establish you (Romans 16:25); keep you from falling and present you faultless before His glory (Jude 24); make all grace abound toward you (2 Corinthians 9:8); keep that which you’ve committed unto Him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12); build you up (Acts 20:32); transform your lowly body to be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21); save you to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25); do exceeding abundantly beyond all that you ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). “What shall we say to these things? If God (the omnipotent God) is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). 

Charles Spurgeon, “O my soul, what can destroy thee if Omnipotence be thy helper? Rest thou secure. If Jesus is thine all prevailing King, and hath trodden thine enemies beneath his feet; if sin, death, and hell are vanquished by him, and thou art represented in him, by no possibility canst thou be destroyed.”

God is Everywhere Present 

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:24 

Corrie and Betsie ten Boom helped to hide Jews during the Nazi occupation. The Nazis found out and sent the two middle aged women to a concentration camp. There they endured horrific conditions and incredible suffering. Yet in the midst of this terrible situation, they ministered hope to hundreds of prisoners, as their barracks were transformed into a Bible study. Eventually Betsie became deathly ill and was transferred to a prison hospital. After the orderlies set her on the hospital floor, Corrie leaned down to hear the words on her sister’s lips, “Tell people what we’ve learned here…there is no pit so deep in which God’s love is not deeper still.” Betsie died the following day. Then Corrie was miraculously released as a result of a clerical error. Afterward, Corrie forgave the guards who had held her captive. She touched millions of lives through her books and speaking tours, and once said of her time in the camp, “I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest darkest hell that men can create…I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them.”” 

God is everywhere present, even in the horrific prison camp, with all Corrie and Betsie endured. There is nowhere in God’s creation where God is not. King David praised God for this truth, acknowledging there was no place he could possibly go which was away from God (Psalm 139:7-10). 

It is not that God is in everything, that view is called pantheism. It supposes all things compose an all-encompassing, immanent god. Instead what the Bible teaches is the person of God, who is Spirit (John 4:24) is present everywhere in His creation. As Paul testified to the idol-worshippers on Mars Hill, it’s in the one true God “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). 

What a comfort to know the Presence of God as the Holy Spirit indwells the hearts of those who have received Him. (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16) We are never really alone. Whether you are at home, or at work, or in school. No matter if you are enjoying worship at church, or are all alone suffering some hardship of which others are unaware. The Holy Spirit, our beloved Helper is with us. What a precious encouragement it is to realize we can walk by the Spirit, consciously depending on Him always.

As with God’s omniscience, there is another side of this truth which will one day be tragically clear to people who do not know God. When God’s judgment falls upon mankind, Scripture tells us there will be no place to hide (Cf. Amos 9:2-4). But for people who have chosen the way of truth, there’s refuge to be found in the One who left His abode in heaven to dwell among us (John 1:14). The One who died for our sins and rose from the dead “that He might bring us to God” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Peter 3:18). 

Heavenly Father. How incredible is the truth that you are everywhere present! Forgive me, Lord. I’m too often thinking and acting as if I’m all alone. Thank you for your abiding Presence, faithfully guiding and upholding me through all life’s circumstances. Help me to walk moment-by-moment in the awareness, comfort and strength of Your presence. Amen. 

God Knows Everything

Bible Reading: Psalm 139; Hebrews 4:13

He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, is a fool; shun him.

He who knows not, and knows he knows not, is simple; teach him.

He who knows, and knows not he knows, is asleep; awaken him.

He who knows, and knows he knows, is wise; follow him.

Arab Proverb

The one who truly knows, knows that what he himself knows is infinitely small in comparison to the God who knows all about all.

Theologians use the term “omniscience” (the state of knowing everything) in referring to this attribute. A.W. Tozer summarized God’s omniscience this way: “God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell.”

King David wrote about this truth from a startlingly personal viewpoint. He understood God knew all about him, his daily activities, his thoughts, his path, his lying down, his ways, his words (even before he spoke them). David’s conclusion? “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it” (Psalm 139:6). Indeed! It is a powerful truth. God, the maker of the Universe, knows all there is to know about each one of us!

Hebrews 4:13 puts forth the matter plainly: “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”  Herein lies the practical implications of this lofty truth.  People who have refused the gospel have no place to hide and no defense to make before the all-knowing judge in the courtroom of divine justice.  God’s omniscience is a fearful truth to them.  

There is, on the other hand, great comfort to be had in this truth for those who have trusted in Jesus. My old, falling-apart copy of A.W. Tozer’s “Knowledge of the Holy” has highlighted portions throughout, but only this paragraph is highlighted in pink: “And to us who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope that is set before us in the gospel, how unutterably sweet is the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows us completely. No talebearer can inform on us, no enemy can make an accusation stick; no forgotten skeleton can come tumbling out of some hidden closet to abash us and expose our past; no unsuspected weakness in our characters can come to light to turn God away from us, since He knew us utterly before we knew Him and called us in full knowledge of everything that was against us.” Put simply, in Christ, the God who knows all about us, loves us. And that, my friends, is a wonderful truth worth knowing (Cf. Romans 8:33-39)!

Heavenly Father.  We praise You as our all-knowing God.  You know everything about everything in this universe You created.  You know everything about each of us.  As with King David, we are overwhelmed by this lofty truth.  Though you know about our sins–past, present, and future–you still sent Your Son to take our punishment.  Now, in Him, we are accepted in the Beloved and kept safe in Your loving arms.  Help us to walk daily in the light, even as You are in the light.  Amen.

God Doesn’t Change

Bible Reading: Psalm 102:25-28; Hebrews 13:8: James 1:17

My wife Laura has Stage IV Metastatic Cancer.  She received her diagnosis almost five years ago, after she had dealt with a mysterious back pain for nearly six months.  Cancer changes everything.  Laura was incredibly active before all that.  She admirably fulfilled her roles as a wife and mom and Pastor’s wife and teaching aide.  The cancer had spread mostly to her backbone and caused three compression fractures and a compromised back.  After receiving radiation treatments to shrink a tumor on her spine, she was fitted with a back brace and given a 5lb weight limit of what she could lift.  The cancer treatments left her with a weakened immune system and she contracted shingles (a common occurrence for cancer patients).  The shingles rash eventually disappeared, but she was left with a condition called Post Herpetic Neuralgia, which inflicts her with a chronic pain which she deals with 24/7.  

As a result of Laura’s cancer, we made the decision to move close to our grandkids.  We sold our dream home, left our hometown and our beloved church family (the church I’d pastored for almost 30 years) to move to be near our grandkids.  Every month we make a trip to Kennewick to the oncologist and palliative care specialist to review her blood counts and treatment plan.  She’s now on her third distinct treatment regimen, the first two having run their course.  But God is good–He’s provided the best of medical care for her.  We’ve many friends who pray for her and she has maintained a wonderful attitude through it all, trusting Jesus and finding positive ways to love and serve others (as she has always been prone to do).  By God’s grace she’s been an inspiration to me and others!

I say all of that, not to garner sympathy, though your prayers for us are always gladly welcomed, but to illustrate that life is full of change.  That’s true for all of us.  We change.  Our circumstances change.  Indeed, these days are not only filled with many changes, but it seems as if change is happening at a faster rate.

There is comfort in the realization God does not change.  God is unchanging in the perfection of His attributes.  God is omnipotent, He cannot grow stronger and will not weaken.  His infinite knowledge and wisdom will never increase or diminish.  His love will never be more, or less than it has always been.  We have bad days, God does not.  We experience mood swings, God does not.  Our strength and ability to remember things diminish with age, but not so with God.  He is unchanging in His purpose, His promises and in His Word.  “The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).  The heavens and the earth themselves will pass away, but God will remain the same (Psalm 102:25-28).

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).  The Jesus who brought you “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) is the same Jesus who is even now at the right hand of God “interceding for (you)” (Romans 8:34). He is the same Jesus who will one day “transform (your) lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21).  How reassuring is this!

A.W. Tozer, “What peace it brings to the Christian’s heart to realize our Heavenly Father never differs from Himself. In coming to Him we need not wonder if we will find Him in a receptive mood…Today, this moment, He feels towards His creatures, toward babies, toward the sick, the fallen, the sinful, exactly as He did when He sent His only begotten Son into the world to die for mankind.”

“Yet, in the maddening maze of things,

And tossed by storm and flood,

To one fixed trust my spirit clings;

I know that God is good!”

John Greenleaf Whittier

The Timeless God

Bible Reading: Psalm 90, 93:1-2; Ecclesiastes 3:11

I don’t know about you, but we’ve got a lot of clocks around our house.  I’ve got one on this computer, another on my watch, and still another on my smartphone.  There are several in the kitchen, on the oven and the microwave.  Even the TV tells me what time it is and so will Alexa if I ask her!  I’m thinking maybe the clocks have gotten the best of us, demanding we do this, or do that, at a particular time.  “Ticktock, ticktock” they say as our lives go by one moment at a time.

We may be creatures subject to the dictates of time, but God is not.  God is eternal.  And while this subject may require significant time to consider, I believe it will be time well spent.  The eternity of God Himself is an extraordinary truth.

What is meant by this particular doctrine?  The hardest thing to comprehend is the fact there’s never been a time when God was not and there will never be a time when He ceases to be.  As the Psalmist declared “from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2).  We’ve already considered the infinitude of God; the eternity of God is similarly transcendent.  It’s difficult for us time-bound creatures to comprehend a timeless God.

C.S. Lewis likened God’s eternality to a sheet of paper which extended infinitely in both directions. He suggested we take a pencil and draw a short line segment representing time, for just as that line begins and ends on the infinite piece of paper, so time finds its beginning and end in God. 

The month of January derives its name from the Roman god, Janus, who was thought to be the god of gates and doors.  With one face looking forward and one looking back, he was hung over doorways and was said to hold the key to what was and what is to come.  The God we worship is far greater than that.  

God is infinite–He isn’t bound by time .  From our perspective life happens in a series of events…one thing leads to another and so on.  We remember some things from our past and can’t see into the future.  But God dwells in eternity.  He exists in the past, present and future simultaneously.  History is not a series of random events spiraling out of control towards some unknown destiny.  Nothing which happens on earth is a surprise to the One who reigns over all in heaven. He is the sovereign and eternal God who declares “the end from the beginning.” He will accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 46:10; Cf. Ephesians 1:11).

We wear watches, but thankfully God does not.  The eternity of God draws us to Him.  A. W. Tozer put it this way, “’He hath set eternity in their heart,’ says the Preacher, and I think he here sets forth both the glory and misery of men.  To be made for eternity and forced to dwell in time is for mankind a tragedy of huge proportions.  All within us cries for life and permanence, and everything around us reminds us of mortality and change.  Yet that God has made us of the stuff or eternity is both a glory and a prophecy yet to be fulfilled…God’s eternity and man’s mortality join to persuade us that faith in Jesus Christ is not optional.”  The good news is that “our Savior Christ Jesus…(has) abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).  

Heavenly Father.  We praise You as the God without beginning or end, the eternal God who knows the end from the beginning.  Thank you for purposing from eternity to send Your Son to rescue us from our mortality.  Thank you for choosing us before the foundation of the world!  Thank you that nothing which happens in this world is a surprise to You.  Help me to live my life in view of what matters for eternity.  Amen.

 “Trust in the Lord forever,

For the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

Isaiah 26:4

If I were a clock 

How happy I’d be

That all of the humans

So depend upon me

We are many, we clocks

And scarcely is found

A place where we’re not

In which humans are bound

With two hands that go ‘round

Or digital display 

We never stop working 

Through the night and the day

Time to wake up and go

To school, work, or to play

Get going, don’t be late

There’s no time to delay

Those funny humans 

Always hurrying about

See all we can make them do

Without even a shout 

Tick tock tick tock

One second at a time

There’s no stopping us now

Unless we unwind 

And still we remind them

“Life’s passing” we say

And even if we stop

We’re still right twice a day

On a tombstone in a graveyard you will likely find a symbol, a short and simple line, between two dates.  The dates, on the left and the right, mark the year of the beginning and end of one’s life.  The “in-between” part—the life lived–is all summed up and represented to us by a dash.

The dash bears more weight than it should.  A simple short line can hardly suffice to tell the story of all that transpired in the life of a person.  Did they die young or old?  The dates tell that story.  But the tombstone and the dash say little or nothing about the dead person’s character or deeds.

Our omniscient Creator knows all both about the dates and that which lies in-between.  Where we see a dash, he sees and knows a person.  A person created by Him to know and love Him.  He has “set eternity in their heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  In the heart of each rebel sinner lies a God-given desire to be reconciled to Him.  

Without knowing anything about a person we know something about them.  We are all born sinners.  We’ve all missed the mark and have fallen short.  We’ve failed to measure up to God’s holy standard (Cf. Romans 3:23).  The death date on the tombstone testifies to the reality—“death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

The date on the left speaks to the year of one’s birth, but another birthday can work to radically alter the character and eternal trajectory of a life.  Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).  “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” 1 Timothy 1:15) and died “for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).  To those who receive Him He gives “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).  The new birth works a wonderful transformation in one’s identity, life, and eternal destination.  Jesus can make something beautiful of the dash between the dates.

The death date on the tombstone does not mark the end.  “An hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds, to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29).  Those who die knowing Jesus will spend eternity with Him.  Those who don’t will “pay the penalty of eternal destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Having assurance of heaven the believer in Christ is nevertheless concerned for the character of what lies within the “dash between the dates.”  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).  On that day the “quality of each man’s work” will be revealed with fire and he will accordingly either suffer loss or receive reward (Cf. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).  What is done here matters there (i.e. in heaven).

Paul’s instructions to Timothy speak to such matters: “Instruct them (“those who are rich in this present world”; 1 Timothy 6:17) to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).  Our “dash” should be filled with such things.

Missionary C. T. Studd put it this way:

“Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,

And stand before His Judgment seat;

Only one life,’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

What’s in your dash? 

Pastor Jerry

2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

On one of my visits to Africa, I was privileged to witness the distribution of “Operation Christmas Child” shoeboxes to children. People from around the world fill these shoe boxes with toys and other items which are then sent and given to children in needy places. On the occasion of my visit, there were about two hundred children, all sitting in a big school yard, trying their best to be patient as they waited for all to be given their box, appropriate to their gender and age. Most of these children had never received a gift of any kind before, so imagine their excitement when they opened their boxes and discovered their own precious gifts! It was one of the most joyous scenes I’ve ever beheld!

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this matter of gift giving lately. I remember as a child how excited I was for Christmas in anticipation of opening my Christmas presents. Those days were long ago, and those gifts are but distant memories. Since then, I’ve received many gifts from family members and friends, some quite valuable and precious. But of all the gifts I’ve ever received, only one could be deemed “indescribable.”

Some forty years ago I was given this gift. It came undeserved and unexpectedly.  At the time, I knew I had need of it, but since then, I’ve come to understand, in a growing awareness of my own frailty, that I needed it much more than I then realized. Most gifts wear out over time, or they are replaced with something better or more suitable to our changing wants and needs, but this gift will never wear out. In fact, the more I examine it and make use of it, the more precious it becomes to me.  The value and beauty of this gift is such that it only grows in its allure over time. The gift came to me at infinite cost to the giver, such is the largeness of his heart and readiness to give good gifts to all. Since I received this gift, I’ve met countless others who have received it too. And regardless of age, gender, or stature, they are all likewise incredibly grateful for being so immeasurably blessed. One day, I’ll meet the gift giver face to face. I’ve been told that I’ll marvel even more as new facets of the gift will be unveiled to me (2 Thessalonians 1:10). 

By now you’ve realized that I’m speaking of Jesus and salvation. He came into this world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) and He’s the indescribable gift spoken of 2 Corinthians 9:15. Salvation comes to us as a gift, freely given to those who put their trust in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9). He gladly forgives and saves and transforms us, and assures us of a future home in heaven. He, in His person, is the perfect gift. Have you trusted in Him for salvation?  There is much joy to be had in receiving Him (John 1:12)!  

Jerry Conklin

A tree was cut down

A feeding trough shorn

The carpenter not-knowing 

For what it was borne

The long promised Savior

Did come on that day

He was laid in that manger

His blanket the hay

Wonder and mystery

God was made man

A moment in history

Where Christmas began

A tree was cut down

A cross of wood shorn

The carpenter now-knowing

For whom it was borne

The long promised Savior

The once cradled One thrown

Onto a cross, hung there

For our sins to atone

Wonder and mystery

That God was made man

A moment in history

Where Christmas began

Trees bloom and wane

Carpenters too

But the Christ child reigns

Forever, its true

A cradle and a cross

A manger and a tomb

A pure lamb’s life lost

For me and for you.

Pastor Jerry

Charles Spurgeon, “Some of us have been taught that we have nothing out of Christ, by terrible abasements of heart before the Lord; and when we have seen the utter barrenness and death of all creature power, we have cried in anguish, “From him all my fruit must be found, for no fruit can ever come from me.” We are taught, by past experience, that the more simply we depend upon the grace of God in Christ, and wait upon the Holy Spirit, the more we shall bring forth fruit unto God. Oh! to trust Jesus for fruit as well as for life.”