KNOWING GOD, CON’T with notes by Lynne Farrow

Daniel is one of those books of the Bible that no matter how many times you read it you always come away knowing more about God than you did when you started. Daniel truly and almost completely, knew his God! In this book you will find the most vivid and sustained presentation of the many-sided reality of God’s sovereignty  in the whole Bible.

The Babylonian empire had swallowed up Palestine, and in thinking of the great world-empires to follow, dwarfing little Israel by any means of calculation, the book as a whole forms a dramatic reminder that the God of Israel is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that the heavens do rule, (4:6) that God’s hand is on history at every point, that history, indeed, is no more than ‘His story’, the unfolding of His eternal plan, and that the kingdom which will triumph in the end…is God’s. I personally feel compelled to say here, in light of our present day circumstances, that the same God of Daniel’s life and time is the same God that oversees our world today…we have so very much trauma and horror going on all around us, it is easy to lose sight of that fact! When the government is so completely corrupt, the church is not what it should be and people tend to constantly do whatever they please, never giving a thought to what God may think or want in our lives. But, that does not have anything to do with His sovereignty…He still is over and controls it all, including the persons and happenings of the US government, the Jewish nation, the Arabs or anybody else, He rules, raises, and puts down at His good pleasure. Therefore, we should not fret…we will…but we shouldn’t, knowing Who is in control of it all! This is the central truth Daniel taught Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, all kings of some of the nations that Daniel served. Daniel’s prayers and confidence in defying authority, his friends confidence also defying authority,…”the Most High ruleth  in the affairs of men.” He knows and He foreknows all things…His foreknowledge is foreordination; He therefore will have the last word in world history and  the destiny of every man. His kingdom and righteousness will triumph in the end, for neither men nor angels  shall be able to thwart Him!

These were the thoughts of god which filled Daniel’s mind, as witnessed by his prayers…the best evidence of a man’s view of God: “Blessed b the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. He changeth the times and the seasons, He sets up and removeth kings, He gives wisdom, He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. The LORD our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth.” Is this how YOU view God???? Is this what we say to God in our own personal prayers? Do we express these kind of ‘feelings’ to God as we pray? Do we thank Him for His moral perfections, His gracious faithfulness, graciousness that keeps us humble and dependent, awed and obedient, ad it did Daniel? By this standard we may measure how much or how little, we know God!

KNOWING GOD, CON’T

Now that I am fairly settled in my new home It’s time to get back to my blog. Forgive me friends for being away so long, but I’m finding EVERYTHING takes me longer to do than it use to…such is life, am just glad I will be celebrating my 75th years in a couple of days and I’m still ambulatory, lol!

I picked up the book again yesterday, read through my recent blogs and found some interesting new things in the next section, so here goes…

Dr Packer makes a very valid point concerning knowing God and Godliness, and knowing about God. I think we all as believers understand there is a difference and may even think we know what it is, including me…however, there is more to it than what is on the surface. This is what I discovered, for me if for no one else. He goes back to a portion of Scripture in Daniel, 11:32, “they that know their God shall be strong and do exploits” and rendered this way in the RSV, “the people who know their God will stand firm and take action.” The context is this…contrasted to the vile person, whose action is abominable, and who corrupts by smooth and flattering talk the conduct of those who have no viable relation-ship to God. This contrast speaks very loudly to the fact that action taken by those who do know their God is really their reaction to the ungodly trends they see going on around them. While their God is being defied and disregarded, they cannot rest; they feel they must DO something! The dishonor done to God goads them to action.

To really get the flavor, you should sit down and re-read the book of Daniel, it’s not very long, but note the places where Daniel will not bow to the worldly things that were going on around him and in some cases, being required of him…he stood against them. These were his “exploits” and his statement for Godliness in his day and in his own personal life. He and his three friends stood against the corruption of Darius’ kingdom. And two additional kings after Darius’ death. Daniel KNEW his God and lived what he knew to be true. He was willing to pay the price, did pay it and was rescued, very obviously rescued, by God Himself! Does all of this sound familiar????? It should, it is very similar to the day we are living in! Daniel stood for his God, was well known for that also and in some cases it was used against him. He lived a very long life and served many kings of differing kingdoms because he was so wise and trustworthy. Next time we will talk more about this subject.

Continuing “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer with comments by Lynne Farrow

What will be some of the themes we will be thinking on as we continue this study? Well, the Godhead of God involves the qualities of the Deity of God. GLORY! The qualities and attributes of the Holy One are so awesome to think about let alone putting them all together in one study and then pondering them, as Mary did concerning the little things of Christ as she saw them happening. How wonderful it must have been for her to have many precious memories of her own to keep in her heart. Well, we can do the same thing here as we contemplate His wonderful attributes and qualities. Let’s begin a list:

His self-existence and infinity, His eternality, His unchangeableness! I do not know about you, but I can “think” ahead @ God always will be! But…to think back, even though I know the truth of “always,” I cannot fathom back, that He always was…my mind seems  to want to bend when I try to think of “always was” and had no beginning! It is just more than my poor, human mind can “get.” So, I just accept it as true. The line of infinity stretches from all the way back to before there was probably nothing but the Triune God, then forward to …to when?????  I remember a Star Trek episode from Deep Space Nine where there were beings that kept saying to each other, pertaining to the humans they were encountering, “they are linear.” They meant in time…I understand that eternity has no time, it just “is.”  Again, my mind wants to bend. So, we can think of our Father as “always” and be content to ponder that. Unchangeableness…that is a powerful image…no change, always the same, unmoved by circumstances. That comforts my heart like little else. I can go to Him and know there is no change in Him, the way He loved me yesterday is the way He loves me today.

He is an Almighty God, omniscience and omnipotent…Almighty says to me in the natural or physical realm, He is indeed an Almighty God…think in terms of all the wonderful, powerful physical things He has/is does…the Red Sea, the Resurrection, fulfilling prophecy to the letter, Jesus and the fig tree, feeding the 5,000, and on and on. His Almightiness is wonderful to behold! His omnipotence on the other hand, I view as more personal His quality of omnipotence. Jesus raising the dead, the demoniac in the cemetery, all the little things He does for us individually that others may not even know about but YOU know it…as a single senior citizen who lives along and makes her own decisions, I love that I can lean on Him for aiding me in decisions and at times, make them for me. I love it, truly. We know He is Spirit, Jesus said so and I do not really understand that but I believe it entirely. His wisdom is beyond anything we can possibly understand. A godly man from the past, Charles Hodge, said this: “What is God? the answer read as follows…God is  Spirit, infinite, eternal, just, wise, good, unchangeable and truth in HIs very being.  Few today, to our shame as teachers, are taught simple, straightforward messages on the nature of God.

There are so many wonders concerning our God and Father, that it is difficult to tell just a few. He is beyond fully describing and for me personally, beyond telling. I have journaled most of my Christian life. I have recorded many of the wonderful happenings that God was behind or just, plain did! I learned as the years went by that I could trust Him with anything…anything at all! There have been times when I did not know what to do, could not make a decision, and turned to Him and asked Him to make the decision for me. He did…how do I know? His Spirit bore witness to my spirit with the peace of Christ and I just, plain KNEW! How do I love Him???? In too many ways to count or tell but I will tell you this. You can trust Him! You can count on Him. Practice it, and you too can know the “peace that passes all understanding,” I promise.

Excerpts from Knowing God by J. I. Packer and comment by Lynne Farrow

Many times we are tempted to ask if studying theology is necessary, will it be time well spent???? Well, the answer is some people will indeed benefit, others will not…it is up to the individual how much of God we individually desire. Some would think it irrelevant to our lives today when in reality…and I speak from personal experience…nothing could be more important to how we should and can live our lives. Our era is very, very complex. It seems to me, only God can lead us in a clear, firm path. There is so much confusion, so much noise from all kind of sources, almost NO place to quiet ourselves just to think. God says in His Word to “be still, and know that I am God.” In past generations, life was much more simple, more difficult and hard on the people who were living it, but there was not the confusion and noise that we have today. And, it is constant! I personally enjoy the evenings, in my room, quiet, comfortable and I find God is there waiting for me to quiet me. It might be a good idea to start this journey by stating five basic principles of our faith:

1. God has spoken to man, and the Bible is His Word, given to us to make us wise unto salvation.

2. God is Lord and King over His world; He rules all things for His own glory, displaying His perfections in all that He does, in order that men and angels may worship and adore Him.

3. God is Savior, active in sovereign love in all that He does through the Lord Jesus Christ, to rescue believers from the guilt and power of sin, to adopt them as sons and daughters, and to bless them accordingly.

4. God is Triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it, and the Spirit applying it.

5. Godliness means responding to revelation in obedience and trust, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God’s Word. This, and nothing else is true religion!

We are going to take a journey and examine these basic and very relevant truths about our Father. We’ll learn deep and revealing truths about Him and how he acts toward us and shows His incredible love toward us. The better we understand Him and His character, the more we will grow ourselves and become like Him. That is the object of our salvation…clear our slate, so to speak and grant us a new start. Then we start on the path of sanctification, which  is what we are doing here, the way to move to Christlikeness. It is a long and at times difficult trip. But again, I will speak from personal experience, surely very worth the effort it takes. God is a great God, and a wonderful Father. He wants the very best for each one of us. If we are willing, He will move Heaven and earth to make us like His dear Son, the first born among many brethren.

Tomorrow, we will look at the “why” of studying the Godhead…why are we doing it…what is our motivation. That’s tomorrow’s blog.

I NEED TO KNOW HIM BETTER…

There is a relatively  old book called “Knowing God” by J.I.Packer that I have enjoyed a few times over the years. I like re-reading books that impacted my growth and this one surely did. I am re-reading it now and have decided to share some excerpts from it with you. Lately, due to a new, painful and chronic condition I have developed, I have neglected posting blogs, even reading at times let alone writing or typing has been quite painful. But, thanks to a new, caring doctor and a procedure he uses, I am now more comfortable and able to get “back to business.” Hurricane Sandy has just let our area, I am at Bill’s in Valley Forge..and discovered my copy of that very book is here in my room in the parsonage. So of course I picked it up an thought about re-charging my batteries, so to speak, read and share this wonderful book…I trust you will enjoy it as much as I know I will and if you have any questions or dialogue on the book, email me @eagleone4@comcast.net or message me on Facebook and we will talk.

Knowing God, by J I Packer, excerpts from it directly, and personal, additional comments from personal application by Lynne Farrow

THE STUDY OF GOD, chapter one

It has been said by someone that the proper study of mankind is man. I will not oppose this idea but I believe it equally important and true is that the study of God’s elect is God. The proper study of the Christian is studying the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, he mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of the child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom we call Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in it’s immensity; so deep, our pride is drowned in its infinity. As we contemplate other subjects, we can come away feeling a kind of self-content and go on our way thinking, “I am wise.” But, when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass’s colt.; and with solemn exclamation say “I know nothing.” In contemplating our God…our minds are more than humbled…we are indeed nothing.

Nothing has brought my mind and spirit “low” then soaring, is thinking on the great words of Scripture concerning the attributes of God. I did a study for my men a few years ago, and each attribute in turn just made me feel so insignificate…then privileged, to be called and chosen by such a great and wonderful God, and He allowed me to call Him Father!  (LF)

While this subject humbles the mind, it also will expand it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the one that simply plods along this narrow globe. The study will also expand the soul! Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great study of the Deity. The contemplating of God can also be a balm for every wound, a quiet spot for every grief, and the Holy Spirit will ensure a balm for every sore spot on the heart.Plunge yourself into the contemplation of God and you will find yourself in the deepest sea, lost in HIs immensity, and you will come forth rested, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing that can so comfort the soul, so calm the swelling of grief and sorrow, speak to the winds of trial, as a devout musing on the subject of the Godhead.

I have spent years teaching and counseling inmates, and learning “on the job.” The Lord Himself taught me, and as I look back now, I am amazed and humbled to think I ever did such a thing, and according to my superiors, became quite good at the understanding of said subject. I came to the job with a pretty good understanding of the Scripture, but the application of it to this particular group of people was new to me. This I know, devoted love for my Savior and the desire and determination to follow the path He was taking me, caused me to cling to Him and search His heart and mind for the understanding and encouragement of others, that I needed. When you cling to Him, yield to Him continually until there is nothing of “me” left…He shows you His point of view. Couple that view with the spiritual gifts He gave me at salvation, encouragement and mercy, I was able to listen empathetically…and learn…and comfort. You know, there is nothing humanly speaking one can do for a prisoner, but there is much you can do to instruct in the Word and how to personally feed the soul from that Word, to encourage the reading and study of it on a continuing basis. God alone can do for him/her what is needed in His own way, but we have the responsibility to offer the soul-tools to facilitate that end. I cannot tell you here, all that I learned of the God I love and serve, but one of my main reasons for writing a blog and posting on Facebook is to share with others some of the wonders God has taught me over the years.  (LF)

 

 

to be continued…

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

From the devotional, The Word For You.

From Andrew Murray’s classic book on prayer, With Christ In The School Of Prayer, a pupil needs a teacher who knows his work, who has the gift of teaching, who in patience and love will descend to the pupil’s needs. Blest be God, Jesus is all this and much more! When we have questions such as 1) I’m not sure God’s listening to me, 2)I don’t understand why some prayers go unanswered, 3) Am I praying right? I’m frustrated with my prayer life. 4) If you want to feel more connected to God and have confidence that you prayers really do matter, say Lord, teach ME to pray!

There are some principles for prayer but we really need to understand that God will lead each of us individually. He wants to take us just as we are and develop in us a “rhythm of prayer.” He wants to develop in each of us a style of prayer that maximizes our own personal relationship with Him. He wants prayer to be an easy, natural, life-giving way of communicating as you share your heart with Him and allow Him to share His heart with you! Prayer is so simple…it’s nothing more than  talking to Him and taking the time to listen to what He has to say to you. God has a personalized prayer plan for you, a way for you to communicate most effectively with Him. We begin by saying, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

One of the dangers of being involved in God’s work is that you go weeks or even months without praying. In a survey of 1,000 pastors, half acknowledged that they often went long periods of time without taking time to pray except for the functions in the church. They preach sermons on it but didn’t practice it themselves. Can you relate? Jesus rose hours before dawn to spend time with His Father, sometimes He prayed all night, and it showed. His incredible success flowed out of His very rich relationship with His Father. He made deposits every morning so that He could make withdrawals all day long.

We can start by taking small amounts of time in the morning, and adding small amounts of time praying throughout the day as things come to my heart and finally ending my day by talking with Him as I fall asleep. When Paul said to pray without ceasing, this is what he meant. You can move from sporadic prayer times to measured. disciplined times without being legalistic. The more you put into it, the more pleasant it becomes and you enjoy the time spent with Him. It is no longer an obligation but a pleasure and privilege. I now realize I cannot survive a day without and be satisfied. I no longer approach God timidly, but I now approach Him boldly, as His Word teaches me to do, and with great expectation. Put it into operation, you will be very pleasantly surprised, pleased, and satisfied.

Walking for the Lord

Reading Psalm 119 is a great experience…there is so much excellent advice for us it warrants re-reading many times and perhaps in various versions, just to get “good flavor.” I love reading in NKJV, then NIV and topped off by reading in The Message. Try it, it’s amazing how much you can gather for later pondering.

The first verse almost stops you…”Blessed are they whose ways are blameless…” have you ever given any thought to being “blameless?” Whenever I think about standing before the Lord at the Bema Seat, I want over- whelming to be blameless. More than anything, I want to hear from Him, “Well done!”  With no reproach. More than anything…

The next verse gives a way to go…”Blessed are they who keep His statues and seek Him with all their hearts.”  Precepts and statutes are given to us to be instruction for character and conduct based on divine principles. This particular Psalm is full of those kinds of instructions. Reading and re-reading, meditating and pondering the messages are very profitable if you are serious about your relationship with the Lord and have that intense, burning desire to please Him. To please Him we must be willing to pay attention to His written Word, put it into practice by living it…in so doing, we become like Him. Reading Galatians 5 teaches us what NOT to incorporate into our character and then follows  those qualities we ARE to incorporate, and they are not for choosing, we are to develop them all and live them. It would be impossible to do this without the Word and the Holy Spirit actively teaching and encouraging us to move forward in our quest. Seeking Him with the whole heart is pretty much a 24 hour a day proposition…one can only imagine attaining that level of intimacy with the Savior!