God, There is None Like Him

There are a lot of gods out there in the world that the people worship. They take up all of our time and effort and to what end, what is gained from them? I am not here this morning to debate the different gods, I am here to show from one passage that there is none like my God.

“¹⁸To whom then will you liken God,

or what likeness compare with him?

¹⁹An idol! A craftsman casts it,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

and casts for it silver chains.

²⁰He who is too impoverished for an offering

chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skillful craftsman

to set up an idol that will not move.”

— Isaiah 40:18-20 (ESV)

We see here in the above verses the Isaiah begins by asking to whom is God likened. That question is asked to get the mind to begin thinking and then he begins to lay it out.

There is the idol that is worshiped. Beautiful as it may be, notice from Isaiah’s words that even so, it is still made by man. It is cast then covered and ornate additions are made. And, if such an ornate idol cannot be afforded, it can always be made of wood, but still a man makes the idol.

Think of the other gods in this world money or wealth for instance. Yes it can get you things, but they are just things and only solve the problems of this world (if that) and are still made or created by man. And what about power. It can again get you things, but it is lonely at the top as there is always a search for more of it, or at minimum, others to join you in or with that same position and that power is only good in this world and is granted and taken away by man.

No matter the god of this world, it is always created by and run by man. We are always seeking for that which is more sustainable. That which is bigger than the last and more than before. We are wanting of that which is forever and does not fade with time.

“²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.”

— Isaiah 40:28 (ESV)

The LORD my God is all of those. He is everlasting. He does not fade. He gives us all understanding. There is none bigger or more complete than He. When I am leaning on Him, there is nothing additional I need or desire. He fills me with all. There is no other who can match or even come close to Him.

What is your view of God and/or gods? Are you seeing the man made gods somehow as equal to God? What if you saw God as the everlasting, unfading, understanding, and that there is none other like Him?

Honor Everyone

How divided we are and for what reasons, we don’t “like” everyone? Well, we have to get over it. We have to get back to the place where we find that there is disagreement, yet those disagreements do not mean that one side is deserving of evil treatment. Even in disagreement, there is good in most, if not all people. This is where there is the opportunity to come together for the common and agree that the people should be viewed as just that, people and are deserving of love.

“¹³Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” – 1 Peter 2:13-17 (ESV)

In the above verses, Peter is speaking to the people about their relationship with authority. I see this as another extension into our relationship with others. I see that we are in the act of vilification of others, just because they do not think or do things like we do. And this is from all sides of everything. We find ourselves interacting with others that are on the other side of whatever and immediately take the position of opposition and the belief that they are wrong and should be taken down for being so.

Well, this opposition thinking is such a short-sighted approach. I have to remember that those who I interact with are indeed my brothers and sisters. Maybe not in Christ, but in this world that we live in and that brings them to deserving of love and, as Peter mentions above, honor.

Verse 17 is where I was led this morning as I was studying God’s Word. What I found is that honor is to be provided to everyone, regardless of their station in this world. They may be the “emperor” or just someone in the “brotherhood”, everyone is deserving, even those with which we may not agree.

Recently I was presented a situation where I was not being given the information needed in order to understand the situation. We, Lori and I, had been dealing with something over the course of about 11 hours and along the way, felt like we were being set up for resolution, only to be continually in the dark on the plan. I became very stern and matter-of-fact with someone who did not understand my position and procured someone else to speak with me/us. On the surface, it may have seemed that I was being mean and lacking understanding or compassion with the other person. However, what was missing was the understanding from their side. The other person started making excuses as to why the information may not have been shared as opposed to apologizing and just working to get the information. To the outside observer, it may have been thought I did not respect the person, when in fact, I did and that is the reason I was asking for information from them and not someone else. I did not let their position lord over me although I am sure that the reason for stepping away was that the person could not truly understand my frustration.

Even in the situation above, the honor was not missing for the other individual. The person was deserving of honor, it was the lack of information that was being questioned, not the person. Regardless of someone’s position, the person is deserving of honor even when the situation may be a bit contentious.

I have to remember that not all situations will be to my liking and that there will be opposition I have to work through. In those situations as with all, the person is due honor and not to be the opposition. I have the duty to love all people and provide for them that which they deserve.

What do your interactions look like? Are you finding yourself in contention with others and possibly looking at the person as the opposition? What if you were to provide for the person the honor they deserve, understanding the position they hold and working to resolve the situation?

Look Past the Literal

We are so dependent on what we know and can see that we are not able to understand things that we do not and cannot.

“⁵²The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” – John 6:52 (ESV)

The Jews, who had just witnessed Jesus feeding 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, and yet they were still trying to reason things. Sometimes, we have to take things as they are and work to understand them as opposed to accepting them as they are. The Jews may have been taken aback by that which they had witnessed and were trying to understand. Isn’t that what we all should be doing each day. We should be asking questions to understand and not be so accepting only of that which we see.

I am torn in my reading this morning and will say that even as I am writing, I have had some realizations or “understandings” that I did not have when I began. I was looking to find the lesson in the passage this morning and what I should have been doing is letting God’s Word come to me and enter my heart and mind and teach me. I am to be asking questions and not just reading. I am to be working to understand and not just accepting what is written. I have to be like the Jews and looking past the literal to the message and not just the words.

“⁴⁴No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:44 (ESV)

Jesus is the way to the Father. In the literal sense, that is where it all begins and where I am drawn to Him and to the Father. It is in the full understanding that I am able to spread the good news to others so that they to are drawn to the Father. That understanding comes from my questions and looking past the literal into the full meaning of partaking of Jesus, the bread of life, so that I will no longer hunger for something more.

What I can see is only the beginning. The literal gets me started in the direction of the LORD. It is my thirst for more that brings me closer to Him and that thirst is quenched by Him as I am seeking and gaining more and more understanding.

Where are you looking? Are you seeing the literal and accepting of it as the end? What if you see the literal and ask more questions to understand to draw closer and closer to the LORD?

Truth, Wisdom, Instruction, and Understanding

This morning as I continue my study of the word “father” I am led to Proverbs 23. As usual, God had plans for me and my learning this morning. Too often I go into something expecting one thing and receiving something entirely different.

“²³Buy truth, and do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”

— Proverbs 23:23 (ESV)

Where yes, if you look at the verses before and after the above, there are the references to “father”, I also see that which is in the one verse above, and that is truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

It is not a coincidence that Solomon asked for wisdom from God and not riches. It is too often that we go looking for the quick “fix” to what seems to be working against us. I know that I just want things to be over as opposed to understanding them. Yet, God, our Father, is glad in us when we are wise.

“²⁴The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”

— Proverbs 23:24 (ESV)

And it is more than just wisdom that we should be seeking. It is truth and instruction and understanding as well.

I pay attention to politics for the purpose of understanding what is there and what is coming. In doing so, I have to spend a lot of time sifting through the deception, half-truths, and outright lies that are presented. It does not matter the side of the aisle you are on, there is plenty of it to go through. And yet, there are those who are allowing themselves to be duped as they accept what they are told and do not seek with wisdom for the truth and understanding. They are averse to the instruction as it is easier and faster just to take everything at the word of those speaking.

Our Father wants us to seek the truth with wisdom through instruction to gain understanding. When we do, we are blessed with discernment and can then act according to God’s plan.

What are you accepting from others? Are you allowing others to dictate what you know? What if you were to seek truth using wisdom through instruction to gain understanding of God’s plan and how you might execute His plan?