ATTRIBUTES OF GOD — IMMANENCE AND IMMUTABILITY

February 2, 2018January 30, 2018 | lindamowles

Today we are considering two aspects of God’s nature that we almost never think about, but which are aspects of the majesty of God with respect to His relationship with us – Immanence and Immutability.

IMMANENCE

Immanence is a fancy way of saying God is with us, always. Our God is at hand and He works even through the minutiae of our lives to produce a love for and enjoyment of His Word and, in fact, of Himself. This attribute is in direct opposition to the concept that God established the world and then just walked away and left it to spiral wherever it wanted to go. That God did not involve Himself with the creation; once the creation was done, He was finished with it and things could go well or poorly and God didn’t really care.

In Jeremiah, God asks:

“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 23:23-24

The Psalmist frequently talks about God and His relationship with the creation. One of my favorite chapters is Psalm 139 where David says God knows him so well that He even knows when we stand or sit, or recline in slumber. God is so near that He knows what we are going to say, even before we express the words out loud. There is absolutely nowhere on earth or heaven or hell that we can go where God cannot see us, reach us, hear us. This chapter extols the immanence of God, without using that term. Beloved, read this chapter and know that our God cares about you, personally and intimately.

In Acts 17, verses 27-28 we read:

“Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His offspring.'”

Acts 17:27-28

Scripture describes our God as One who does not sit back and merely observe a creation which He set in motion millennia ago; He is present and actively participating in His world.

What does this mean to you as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? Immanence is an attribute of God that provides the believer confident rest in the knowledge that there is no place or situation that is too far to be under God’s providence and protecting hand. Things may be difficult as far as this world is concerned, but there is no reason to fear that things will remove you from His love and care.

Paul put it best:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

IMMUTABILITY

Our world is always changing. Even things that we consider unchangeable, immoveable – actually do change.

Half dome (C) — Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Mountains such as those found in Yosemite appear so strong and solid, and they are – at least until God shakes them in an earthquake. But even mountains are changed, albeit gradually, by the ravages of weather.

Yosemite giant sequoia fallen tree (C) — Giant Sequoia Tree fell and its root system was exposed.

Even Giant Sequoia Trees that have stood for centuries, change and, at some point, will come crashing to the earth. Change in this world is inevitable.

Because of this, we have a hard time contemplating the attribute of immutability. Nothing in this world stays the same … everything changes. But not so with God.

Not only does God know every little thing that is going on with each one of us, His immanence, the attribute of immutability means that God will not change His mind when it comes to His ultimate will for His children’s care and protection.

“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

Malachi 3:6

God, Himself, is saying that He does not change – a characteristic that is totally foreign to us. He is immutable. He is the same today as He was before creation even existed.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.“

James 1:17

The fact that God does not change his mind, his characteristics, his plan, or anything else guarantees God’s character will remain the same and that which He has willed, will, in fact, occur.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8

This gives the believer security to know that when we have been adopted into God’s family through faith, we can trust God not to change His mind and “unadopt” us on a whim.

No man can slip through His fingers into the breach of hell if that person is a child of God and has expressed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God neither changes His plan, His covenants, His prophecies, nor His justice. In other words, God is dependable – God is immutable!

Listen to the beautiful hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. Note the words “As Thou has been, Thou forever wilt be.” That’s immutability! As you listen, identify other phrases that point to God’s immutability. Praise Him that He is unchangeable, and He loves us with an unchanging love!

This hymn is sung by Robert and Robin Kochis on the album entitled “Great is Thy Faithfulness”.

Father, Your mercies, grace and love are magnificent. Your involvement with us on a moment by moment basis is such comfort and security, even when things seem to be going poorly, we know that nothing will thwart Your plan for us. I praise You for your Immanence and Immutability. You are God. I praise Your Holy Name. May my life reflect Your grace to others throughout my days.

VISTAS, TIME AND THE NEW YEAR

January 6, 2017 | lindamowles

Mountains – Oceans. Some people love the ocean more than they do mountains. I admit that I like to look at the ocean on occasion, but I love mountains! Specifically, I love my mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. What I truly enjoy is getting to an overlook or valley and then marveling at the vista splayed out around me.

smoky-mountains-vista — Great Smoky Mountains – vista from Cades Cove, Tennessee

I hasten to add that I am an equal opportunity mountain lover. We have been privileged to see a number of mountains in our country, and I have loved every minute of it!

colorado-shelf-road-and-vista — Colorado “shelf road” and mountain vista.

When I stand looking out at the grandeur of the mountains and contemplate the forces that created them, my soul sings to the Creator God, my heavenly Father, in praise and worship.

used-half-dome-c — Yosemite National Park, Half Dome and surrounding vista.

What does this have to do with the new year? A great deal.

We are temporal, mortal, and our days are limited.

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

Psalm 103:15-16

In fact, the Bible affirmatively states that all we have is this moment, and even it is a gift from God. James, the half-brother of Jesus, says it like this:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”– yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

He advises us that we are not to think that we will be here on this earth forever, rather we are to make plans according to the will of our Father. So, it is good for us to look back at the vista of 2016 and see how we did on that directive. Use the beginning of this new year to consider the condition of our relationship with our God so we can more effectively grow in 2017.

When were we close to God;
When did we do His will;
When did we say “I will” when He prompted us to say something to an individual;
When did we learn from His Word;
When did we testify to others of His great mercy and grace,
Now, you add your own points to consider, as each of us will have different things to ponder.

The year 2016 is in the record books. It is over and there is nothing we can do to change what was said, done, or experienced. The stuff we planned to do, but didn’t, will not get done in 2016, it is over. The relationships we intended to nurture, but didn’t, will not be stronger today because of anything we did in 2016, it is over.

dar-library-clock-c — Clock in the DAR Library, Washington, D.C.

As Scripture points out, the only time we have is today. We don’t even have any guarantee that we will see much of 2017 other than the moment we are in right now.

So, take the time to consider your life. Renew your dedication to focus on the Lord God Almighty rather than on the temporal things of this world. Those things that you were going to do in 2016 but then neglected — now is the time to get them accomplished.

Write the letter, send the card, make the phone call, give the hug, encourage the fainthearted, reach out to those who are hurting.

Whatever you need to do, do it in the name of our Lord and Savior. Don’t wait until 2018 — now is the time to do that which our God has asked us to do.

Remember how the Lord blessed and protected you in 2016, how He secured your salvation through Christ our Lord, and how the Holy Spirit worked in your life during the year, and praise Him for it.

Then, as you look ahead to 2017, praise Him for what He is going to do in and through you as you rely on His strength, power, wisdom and love.

The great hymn “How Great Thou Art” details much and can provide a springboard for your praise to our God. Here is the hymn sung on the Concordia Publishing House album Hymns for all Saints, Adoration, Praise, Comfort. Daily, let your heart and soul sing out in praise to our gracious heavenly Father. You might even want to add your voice to that song!

Father, thank You for being with us throughout our life as You lead and guide Your children in Your will. Thank You for sending Your Son to be our Redeemer and thank You for providing Your Spirit to indwell and empower us we grow into the likeness of Your Son. As we look to the new year, may we always remember that You are the only living Almighty God and may we sing praises to You in all that we do.

PERSPECTIVE: FROM MICRO TO MACRO

May 30, 2015May 30, 2015 | lindamowles

We happened to be in England when rapeseed was in full bloom. As we left the airport we were told to watch for the “yellow fields” because they were so pretty. We saw the yellow plants as we sped (literally) down the motorway.

Pretty? Sure, but not necessarily spectacular as we were led to expect.

But then – Oh, but then, we went up a hill and saw the countryside splayed below us, and the “yellow fields” were gorgeous! Only by looking at the overall broad picture could we appreciate the beauty of these fields in full bloom. The patchwork of yellow blossoms, trees bordering the various parcels of land, fields plowed with crops just starting to grow, and homesteads with trees providing shade all melded together to form a mural that made a lasting impression on my mind and heart.

As we were looking at this vista, I could not help but think of the perspective that we usually have. We get lost in the detail of every-day life – bills to pay, work deadlines to meet, housecleaning, laundry, children’s activities to watch, etc.

To quote an old adage, sometimes “we can’t see the forest because of the trees!”

We live moment-to-moment because we were created, in time ‐‐ without the ability to transcend that which is immediately upon us. God, however, has a far different perspective.

The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 7:14 says:

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”

As the creator of time, God is not controlled by it. He sees the end from the beginning, and He sees all that is in between with perfect clarity. While we do not know the future, we can rest in the confidence that He does! In Psalm 139:16 we read:

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

God had our days numbered and the events in them mapped out for our growth in faith and trust in His unfailing love – for the fulfillment of His purposes and for His glory – even before we were born!

We cannot live above the daily grind. As long as we are capable of movement and activity, we will be cleaning homes, watching after the children, doing the laundry, working at our jobs, cooking meals (and even yummy desserts), etc.

We can, however, live above the circumstances by knowing that God is in control and that He knows what we need for our own spiritual benefit. God sees the pattern of our life and how it interacts with the lives of thousands of others – a pattern that we cannot see because we don’t have His perspective.

Next time you are down because of the demands of all the activities pressing upon you, change your perspective.

Stop and visualize the yellow fields from above.

Or picture your town sparkling in the evening light as you stand on a mountain top.

Or visualize standing on a sand dune, gazing out over the vast ocean.

Standing on sand dune looking at ocean waves

Or visualize the power and majesty of our Creator God, at least as we can see and understand it in our finite minds.

May I always take time to praise our Sovereign God for His provision of a perspective that is slightly altered from what I can usually see, a perspective that enables me to remember that the big picture belongs to Him. May my perspective be changed from the micro of every day to the macro of His divine majesty.

He is the Divine Artist Who creates the pattern of each of our lives, all for His glory and honor. Praise His holy name for His promises and perspective!