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The Greatness of God
The Greatness of God
Often I have thought about a statement made by the prophet Isaiah that really strikes home I believe. It's found in the fifty-fifth chapter.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways, "declares the Lord, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8.9)
When we consider the many activities and examples given His Word, we see this statement of Truth playing out. Please let me consider a few with you.
Let us start with a man in early history of the Bible, called Noah. We know he had great faith in God, and was willing to follow His instructions and word to the letter. "And Noah did according to ALL THAT THE LORD HAD COMMANDED HIM." (Genesis 6:22; 7:5) God informed him He was about to destroy all flesh in the earth with the great flood because of corruption and violence. (Genesis 6:11-13) Only Noah and his family found favor in God's eyes, and were spared. Consider -- Noah had never known such a thing as a "flood , possibly not even rain as we know it.
To build an ark, with its great dimensions and special accommodations was surely a great extreme undertaking-- one that had to be greatly challenging for Noah. This is something only God would have designed and asked Noah to do, something of great extremes and according to God's mind and desire. (My thoughts are not your thoughts)
Now let us turn to another special character of the Bible -- a man named Abraham. We are told he and his wife Sarah had a son (Isaac) in their older years. IN fact Abraham was 100 years old when this took place. (Genesis 17-19). Sarah was 90 years old at the time, a very old age for having a child. God revealed it would be through this son, Isaac, that all the people of the world would receive the spiritual blessing of salvation from sin. (Galatians 3:16-18,29; 4:31; Romans 4:13-17)
We find this all coming about through Jesus the Christ, being in the lineage of Abraham and Isaac. Jesus being born of woman and God (conceived by the Holy Spirit, Luke 1:31-35)) , therefore being God and man while on earth. After God's plan to save man finally came about, by way of His Own Son, Jesus, and the Gospel plan becoming a reality, when His church began as recorded in Acts chapter two. This wonderful plan for man is still being preached and obeyed even today, in the same way as it was long ago. God's choice has to be our choice if we wish to be saved from sin, and have hope of heaven when life here ends. (John 3:16,17)
For folks of an age of 100 and 90 to be able to have a child (Isaac) after all those years is certainly something we would consider extreme and very unlikely. Again, only God can perform feats that baffle our minds and understanding. (My ways are not your ways).
We find God is not satisfied with the ordinary. We must base our hope on such extreme things such as the virgin birth, the resurrection of the dead, the cleansing power of the blood of the cross, and the precious gift of salvation by grace without human merit. We walk by faith and not by sight, and the hope of the ultimate reward of a non-earthly, non-physical home in heaven. (Even the act of baptism by way of immersion in water may seem extreme in our eyes. However, until that final act of faith (1 Peter 3:21) takes place we cannot have our sins removed.)
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; " (Ephesians 2:8)
I urge each of us to mediate and consider the greatness of God, and all he has provided out of His great love and concern. Only through the plan He and His Son put in place, can we have the hope that Peter describes as a "LIVING HOPE." Think about these things a bit today, Thank you.
Ross
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