Friday, February 19, 2010

What inspires God?

God, what inspires You? 

You have given us the majesty of the mountain ranges, and the mysteries of the ocean depths.  Flowers and ferns.  Trees and toadstools.  Frogs, felines, birds, bugs and bears.  Waters that sparkle like gems, and gems that sparkle like the stars.  And oh, the stars! More than we can count!  You have given all of this beauty to inspire us!

But what inspires You, God?  What's the back-story to the heavens and earth being formed?  What inspired You, the Creator of creation, to create?

I believe it was love. There is no greater inspiration than love.

In its purest form, love cannot exist alone. It needs someone to interact with, to share itself with, to give itself to.

God, I believe You were inspired to create all of these things so You could share your very substance - love - with me. You had not even created me,  yet You were thinking of me. Right down to the most minute detail of the most minute detail of my life.  Who I would bring joy to by being born.  How I would be a delight to others.  What I would do to  make others laugh, cry, think or sing.

But this part I can't figure out.  You created me, knowing that I would be living a sin-tainted life in a sin-tainted world, in your once-perfect creation that is now marred by sin-tainted man.  You knew from the beginning I would cause You to feel heartache, anger, even grief over things I would do and things I would fail to do - sometimes even deliberately.  Yet love inspired You to create me anyway, even though I'd turn away, destined to become lost and on my own with no way back.

And this is just as mind-bending to me.  Even in my helpless, hopeless lostness, love inspired You to actually  become one of us, as Jesus, so we could be shown the way back, to know You through Jesus, and experience love the way it is meant to be known. A love we could experience no other way.

Love inspires love.  Even in my hopeless helpless lostness You sent Jesus, so that I could place my full trust in him.  Because of that love-inspired love, I don't have to be lost from You any longer.

To me, that is more inspiring than all the rest of creation!

Sunday, February 07, 2010

ANGELS - a book review

Last Tuesday I took some time to bring comfort to a friend who was going through a difficult time. Later, this friend said, "Mary, you're an angel to me."

But I'm not an angel, really.

Dr. David Jeremiah's new book "ANGELS" is an in-depth study of the truth of these heavenly beings, as they are revealed in the Bible. It discusses the roles of angels, how angels are different from us mere mortals, specific angels that are mentioned in Scripture (including Satan), and more.

The book is written in clear, every-day language.  Dr. Jeremiah does his best to stay true to Scripture, and often refers to other writings about angels, including the well-known book by Billy Graham.  Since the doctrine concerning angels has not changed, there is nothing new in this book. But if you want a fresh look at the purpose and characteristics of the heavenly host, I would recommend reading this book.

 This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.