Stubbornness

Hello readers! I apologize for my one week absence in posting. I could give a myriad of excuses but I will simply leave it at the apology.

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I would say the majority of individuals define stubbornness as something like: the trait of being difficult to handle or overcome. Now, this definition is absolutely true, but my contention is this: we ALWAYS equate stubbornness to a bad concept when it is not always bad.

Let's look at some other definitions that are equally as valid as the first one:

Dictionary.com - "unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving: a stubborn child. "

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: "unreasonably or perversely unyielding"

These are the initial definitions we all think of, and the ones first presented in any dictionary. However, there are other definitions in the same sources! Definitions that we far too often forget:

"Fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute."

"Justifiably unyielding: Resolute."

You'll notice these definitions are put more in a positive light. We continually push stubbornness as a negative trait when often times it is not. Consider this: What if our forefathers had not be "stubborn" in fighting for freedom? What if Martin Luther had not been "stubborn" in his religious views? What if Gutenberg had not been "stubborn" in believing all people should be able to read the Bible?

I won't waste your time by discussing how improper stubbornness is destructive and annoying because you already know that. So let's talk about how often we refuse to be "justifiably stubborn".

For example: an Atheist walks up to me and says, "Hey there! God doesn't exist, you shouldn't believe in Him, it's all a joke, you should give it up and stop believing in Him."

Me: "Oh gosh. I bet you're right! I guess it is pretty silly to believe. Sure, I'll give up on Christianity."

NO! Why would I do that? That doesn't make ANY sense. I have every right to be "stubborn" in my view-point and beliefs. Just as I would expect a staunch atheist to not simply give up all of his views and become a Christian just because I tell him he should. Sure, he is wrong in his beliefs, but he would see me as wrong in mine as well. My point is this: as Christian we should be stubborn. We should stand our ground and be "Justifiably unyielding", for if we are not then we are Luke-warm (or worse) Christians.

I urge you to consider this principle. Yes, refrain from wrongful stubbornness, but never forget that there are two distinct definitions of stubbornness. Don't give up on your beliefs and faith. As a Christian you are on the right side and many will try to sway you against it, be stubborn! Stand your ground.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

Persevering; persisting; steady; constant; as stubborn attention. Hardy; firm; enduring without complaint; as stubborn Stoics (A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining). Refractory; not easily melted or worked; as a stubborn ore or metal.

Hiding, but not Hidden

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

Psalm 139:7-12

In today’s post I would like to build off a quote I heard this Sunday from a pastor Brad McMurray. He made the profound statement:

“You can hide IN God. But you can’t hide FROM God.”

This is absolutely true and I would like to prove it through scripture. We will begin by looking at the former half of this quote. “You can’t hide from God.” I believe that this is really important to study and look into for a couple of reasons. First of all, we like to think we can get away with participating in wrongful actions that no one else will know about. Second, when we feel under attack, lost, desperately in need, the One we should turn is God because we can and should hide in God.

Let’s look at this through Scripture. We already saw clearly in the opening verses (Psalm 139:7-12) that there is no where we can ride to escape from God. It is quite literally impossible. This is expressed in a couple of different ways throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testament.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:12-13

These verses dive further into the idea that we cannot hide from God. The author states that not only can we not hide from God, but all creatures are not hidden. From the fish to the birds to us humans, nothing can run from His sight.

"Am I a God at hand, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?”(Paraphrased)

Jeremiah 23:24

The reason I chose this final verse for this point is because it is God speaking. We’ve heard from the Psalmist in the Old Testament, we’ve heard from the unknown New Testament author of Hebrews, but what greater source to turn to then God Himself? He asks a hypothetical question where the obvious answer is: NO. A man cannot hide himself so that God cannot see him.

With all of this in mind I would like to turn the tables and look at the former half of Mr. McMurray’s observation. “We can hide in God.” The Psalmist loves to accept this fact and prove it as his life gets in danger. He feels threatened by armies, people, even the world, but he expresses his firm belief in the fact that he has God to turn to and truly hide in.

 

“Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.”

Psalm 17:7-9

Here we see the analogy of hiding in the wings of the Father. Just as a little chick when in danger runs and hides in the protective wings of his mother, so we should run and hide in the shelter of our Father’s wings.

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.”

Psalm 27:4-5

This final passage really wraps up the beauty of what God will do for us in time of need. King David gives some examples here once again beginning with the idea of hiding in the wings of God. He uses three different examples:

One, God will hide Him in His shelter. This could be conveyed as the wings of protection. God will keep you safe in His shelter.

Two, God will conceal us under the cover of His tent. We could think of maybe rain fall coming down and the tent being the protection from that trouble.

Finally, three, God will lift us up on a high rock. I would posit in King David’s time if there was a wild beast pursuing him he would seek a high rock to climb on to get away from the attacker. In the same way when in times of attack or trouble God will lift you up and keep you safe.

I encourage you to remember this important idea: we can hide in God, but cannot hide from God. We should live our lives based on this fact and understand nothing is hidden from Him, and in times of trouble we must turn to Him for safety.  

Wisdom & Knowledge

For this post this week I chose to not write two posts (one on Sunday and one today) but rather take the time to write a longer, more in depth post on one topic. I hope you enjoy the words below and I pray they shed some light on the topic of Wisdom and Knowledge. I would love to hear your thoughts!

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The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.

The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already in the ages before us.

There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."

And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

-- Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 --

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As I read this chapter written by the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, it throws my mind into a twilight-zone where I wonder what the purpose of any of the learning I have endured has for my future. Pre-school, grade-school, middle-school, junior high, high school… Is it all really “vanity”? The final sentence of this chapter is what hits me the hardest. If wisdom is vexation, and knowledge increases sorrow, then why on earth would I ever want to learn more?

What further causes me trouble is when I look to Proverbs and find such verses as these:

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 17:24 – “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

According to Solomon knowledge is sorrow and wisdom is vexation. Yet, according to the Proverbs the fool despises these things. Once again, why would a fool despise something foolish? Or, why would something that Godly people must seek be so bad in Solomon’s mind?

As I pondered these questions I think I have come to a somewhat reasonable conclusion. I would like to tie this into my post from last week regarding the evils of the world and us not worrying about them. I would posit that son of David is seeing the evils of the world and seeing how crooked and perverse it is and because of this he sees somewhat of an irony in trying to gain wisdom. The world is foolish and everything in it, what actual wisdom can there be? Quite honestly, this isn’t all that unreasonable of a thought process.

Because this is still a confusing conclusion however, I decided to read the 2^nd chapter of Ecclesiastes to see if I might find more answers. I absolutely did. The 2^nd chapter we see Solomon gives himself all of the pleasures of the world. He felt that wisdom and knowledge were useless in the world and decided to check out the life-style of the world. It is almost as if he tried to perform a research study to try out the different ways of life:

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I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity.

I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?"

I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.

I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.

I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.

Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.

Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness.

The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.

Then I said in my heart, "What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?" And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!

So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.

So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?

For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

-- Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 --

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After reading this second chapter it finally dawned on me that Solomon truly was the wisest man who ever lived. If you take a minute to think about this fact it should strike you as a key part of answering the question why Solomon feels the way he does about wisdom.

1^st Kings 3:7-12 – “’Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’

“The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.’”

God quite literally granted Solomon wisdom that surpassed anyone living in his day and surpassed the wisdom of anyone who would ever be born after. Consider that for a moment. Imagine being wiser than anyone else on the entire planet. How would life be knowing you knew better than everyone around you and there was no hope for them ever coming close to the wisdom you have. How would life look? Well, Solomon puts it best in these two chapters of Ecclesiastes. It was a living hell.

However, the conclusion that Solomon offers sheds light on the final truth we should hold on to. The truth that gives us hope to live and continue trusting God.

“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”

You can be the wisest man to ever live, you can have knowledge and wisdom that far surpasses the world but in the end it is all from the hand of God. And apart from God we cannot have anything. Vanity may be vanity, and the world may be despicable, but all that truly matters in the end is that we believe in and live for God. 

Do Not Worry

Often I look at the world and see that virtue and integrity has vanished. There are so many people living in the world that haven’t a care for God, the Bible or even Christianity at all. I see this horror and wonder when the end of the world will come because there seems to be no righteousness remaining. But as I read Psalm 12 today it dawned on me that the world I live in is nothing new at all.

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

It is quite obvious that long, long ago the world was just as wicked as I see it today. King David has the same idea of the world as I do. And as I kept reading his Psalm I noticed that he had the same conclusion as I as well. He sought for the Lord to solve the situation because it rested so heavily on his heart. In addition to this David sought safety from the evil. He didn’t want to live among those who did not serve and love God, he wanted to be saved from world and live with Christ.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

I posit this, no matter how evil the world may seem, we still have God on our side. We have God who will keep us safe, will guard us, and will always be there for us. I think rather than worrying as I have about the generation, and fearing our almost certain demise, I should seek the truth. I should try to speak truth in love to all those around me. What does worrying do to solve the problem?

I believe that King David’s response was perfectly accurate. Yes, fear the problem, but no, do not fear the solution. Understand that God is there, God has the situation under control, and it is our responsibility to do our part to save our generation.

Let’s conclude with a passage from Matthew that I find applicable. In the same way that we shouldn’t worry about the present generation’s unbelief, we should not worry about the common staples of life. Worrying is simply something we should not do.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34

Wisdom

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Fall term for me. All of my students are back in the studio and ready to begin lessons again, the speech and debate classes I will be coaching are starting up for the competitive season. School has begun. The difference between this week this year, and this week last year, is that last year I was the student. I was looking to my teachers to counsel and guide me, looking for help for all the problems I could not solve on my own.

 As I was pondering this idea today I was hit with the most terrifying realization. I am absolutely not fit to be leading my peers. I am young, I have so much more to learn, indeed I am in many ways just as ignorant as those I am suppose to be coaching this year. And yet, even with this, it is still my duty (And certainly my honor) to lead them.

But this got me thinking further. How am I going to teach this year? How is my coaching going to affect the lives of those I lead? Will I have wisdom and understanding or will I fail? God is the answer to these questions. We all know the verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). Here is the simple truth: This year will NOT work on my own strength. I will not lead properly, I will not speak wisdom into those who need it, I will not be able to accomplish anything apart from God, His strength, and His wisdom.

So I read Proverbs 9 in the hopes that God would teach me something. That I would glean something that I can use to increase my wisdom to be a better teacher. And wouldn't you know? This is what it says...

Proverbs 9:7-8 "Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you."

A couple of thoughts:

1) I do NOT want abuse. Who does? I do not want injury. So I should simply leave any trouble-makers alone and only focus on the "good" people. No. False. I believe these verses are speaking specifically to me in the position I am in today. The leader. God will be teaching me this year. God will be showing me what to say and do in certain situations, and God will reprove me for my wrong actions. I must make sure to guard my heart and not turn and be the scoffer. In the same way as I would not like a student to talk back to me, I must not talk back to God.

2) I would posit that one of the first baby steps to being Wise is in verse 8. If God reproves me, corrects me, tells me of a fault, and I love Him, I am beginning to gain wisdom. If my knee jerk reaction to God's correction is anger, then I obviously have a lot to work on.

Now, all of this is quite pointed to me, but I would say that certainly some of you out there are, or will be struggling with this topic. You must know you are absolutely not alone. But furthermore, I need your help. If I am to be an effective leader I must be willing to listen. I must be willing to take correction and have a humble attitude. As I move into this new stage of life, this time where I move from student to teacher, I would ask for your help to encourage me, correct me when I go astray, and help me keep on the right path.

Aside from God we are nothing. At the same time, aside from strong, Godly discipleship we become weak and stray. Let us band together to encourage and love one another as we take on this next year. God is always on our side, and we should fight together just as Christ fights for us. 

School Begins

Today is the first official day of school. Whether homeschooled, public schooled, or private schooled, this marks the beginning of the school year. Granted, some of you are not starting yet, some have already, but it's safe to say that the school year is well under way. In this post I would just like to offer up some thoughts (feel free to pass it around if you deem it worthy) about school, the year, and hopefully a little encouragement.

So far I have seen one person be incredibly excited about school. He literally has been screaming  he's so excited. But the other 99% of those I have spoken with seem either 1) Apathetic, 2) Scared or 3) Downright Angry. Because of this it is somewhat fitting that the Psalm of the day is Psalm 5:

Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. 

Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 

O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 

You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. (1-6)

Some of you may take these verses and definitely nod your head at the groaning, certainly agree with the "cry" and the "pray". Life is about to get a lot worse in your opinion and you're simply bracing yourself for impact. You may even see the teachers in your life as evildoers and are wishing for God to smite them down and put you back to the beginning of summer again! Ok... maybe not, but you get my point.

However, I would like to use the second half of this Psalm as an encouragement to you. This year can be great. This next semester can be life-changing. If you choose to, you could make this year be the one where you learn more scholastic knowledge as well as more about God than you ever have before!

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 

Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 

For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 

Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 

For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (7-12)

Take this school year with excitement. Take it with the understanding that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Pray to God, seek God to get you through the hard times. Let's talk about those people who are inevitably going to be the thorns in your side this year. Those people who will annoy you, upset you, or constantly bother you. What will your reaction be to them? How will you treat them? You are called to treat them with love and respect, to honor them, and not be angry with them. A very hard task to accomplish, but you should at least try, right?

Then take the words from the Psalm, if there are unrighteous people around you, if there are foolish people around you, if there are those who are doing things that you think shouldn't be done, don't take condemnation upon yourself, don't take judging into your own hands. Take the words of the Psalm to heart: Make THEM bear their own guilt. Let THEM fall by their own counsels. There will be many who speak lies, who deceive, and that isn't your problem. It is only your problem if you are one of them. Let God take care of them, and you focus on the straight and narrow.

My final exhortation is one word that I think would behoove you to keep in the back of your mind: Focus.

Focus this year. Focus on your work, learning, and then at the end of the day (or weekend) when all of your work is done, have some fun! Party! But when working, just focus. You'll get so much farther in life if you concentrate on learning in the present.

You can do it!

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 

but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 

for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Our God

During worship yesterday at Church we sang the song Our God by Chris Tomlin. Definitely up there in my favorites for worship songs. But the chorus got me thinking about something.

"Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!"

It reads that God is higher than any other. Any other god. And as I pondered this I remembered back to the days when I studied Greek and Roman mythology and all of their gods. In this post today I would like to look at one of the Greek gods and three goddesses and compare and contrast them to the One True God.

Zeus had his golden throne on the highest summit of Mount Olympus and was respected and awed by all gods and mortals. He was the "Lord of Justice", punishing anyone who lied or broke an oath, but was fair and always striving to keep a balance of all things.

Furthermore, Zeus was responsible for the weather and was shaping it according to his temper. When in high spirits, Zeus was blessing the world with fine weather; in case of bad mood, however, he would throw rain, winds, lightning and thunderbolts to cause disaster to the mortals.

But even Zeus' powers had their limits, for, however powerful as he was, he had neither the right nor the ability to intervene in the decisions of the Fates.

What does God have to offer against such a powerful god?

Psalm 33:5 

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

Mark 4: 37-41

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jeremiah 23:29

Does not my word burn like fire?" says the LORD. "Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?

Now, I don't see anywhere in the Bible where it says God has a limit. Zeus cannot intervene in the decisions of the Fates. What are the Fates?

The three Fates in Greek mythology were: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Clotho, the spinner, was the youngest of the three Fates; she spun the thread of destiny with a distaff, determining the time of birth of an individual; Lachesis measured the thread length to determine the length of life; finally, cruel Atropos cut the thread of life, determining this way the time of death.

So these three goddess had technically more power than Zeus himself. If you don't know, they were Zeus's daughters. However, it still took THREE of them in order to birth life, continue life, and end life.

Genesis 2:7

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:18-24

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

We see that not only did God create Adam (man), as well as all of the trees and all of the animals, He also created Eve. What help did He have? None at all! Just Himself. Furthermore...

Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

God is certainly more powerful than any mythological god.

Why do I say all of this? I'm sure you know it already, you know that God is greater than any fake gods. You know that there is only One True God.

Here is my point. It's healthy to step back every once in a while and see just how great our God is! And I don't mean by simply saying God is great, I mean by actually seeing, researching, understanding WHY God is so much greater than us or other gods. We can live with simple faith and dedicate our lives to God. But He deserves so much more than that. Just look at mythology, look at how silly it is that they need so many gods and goddesses all fighting with each other and we have the God who is greater. The God who actually exists!

 

I urge you to think about this idea this week. Ponder how we have a God who created everything. 

Everything we see was created by God. Everything we know was thought up by God. Everything goes back to our awesome, mighty, incredible God.

We owe our lives to Him.