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Keeping God, God

By: Ben Kitzelman
A Press Service International volunteer Comment writer for Christian Today Australia
Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 7:17 (EST)
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I was reminded recently about the importance of keeping God, God. It might sound like an odd statement, but I think that sometimes, I for one, can forget that my relationship with the Lord, is a relationship with a being who has the ability to create and control the universe, and all the elements within it. He is the Lord of the big and the small, forging stars, creating galaxies and flinging them into the deep recesses of space, and yet despite this amazing display of power, and in my experience, still answers my prayer for a parking space when I’m visiting the shops.

It’s hard to blend this dichotomy of concerns into the right perspective; God the all knowing, all powerful creator, and God my friend. For me, many of the issues I have had to work through regarding my life with Jesus are relational, such as communication, intention, and spending time together. By nature, these issues are largely internal, focusing on the quality of my relationship with Christ, my core beliefs and motivations.

A large part of Christ’s communication with me is also internal. Part of Him giving me His Spirit means that He leads and encourages me in a deeply personal way with that quiet voice speaking softly though the noise of my own anxieties and inner thought life. It’s so easy to forget, confuse or misplace the absolute authority of that Voice, and treat it with the same frivolity as I would my conscience, as often my own emotions and desires compete with His for audience.

For my part, reading the story of Job in the bible has been a great encouragement in addressing the lack of authority I have given the Spirit in this regard. Job, was known as a blameless man, who avoided evil and feared the Lord, however in the face of extreme adversity and hardship, even though Job didn’t sin by charging God with wrongdoing, he called the Lord to account for the problems he was going through. On more than one occasion, Job expressed his desire to challenge God, and ask Him to account for painful trials he was experiencing as he believed he had done nothing wrong to deserve his present troubles (e.g. Job 31:35).

As far as he was concerned, Job’s conscience was clear, and that made him righteous before God. Our righteousness as Christians comes through Christ, not conscience, but even if Job had Christ’s righteousness, he was ignoring God’s authority. In Romans 9:10 – 23, Paul effectively summarizes God’s authority as creator, as well as saviour as absolute. God in every sense is God; free to make any decision He wants, without question, without equal. Paul writes that even God’s mercy does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s sovereign choice (v14-16). He has mercy on some, and hardens others all according to what He wants to do.

The obvious question then is how can we be blamed for what we do? For if it’s God’s will to harden me, how can I do otherwise? Paul’s response in Romans 9:20-21 :
‘But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? ‘

This obviously can sometimes be hard to hear, especially to those who feel they are beyond Christ’s mercy. It’s so important to remember verses like Acts 2:21, which reminds us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Again, it is not our emotions, or conscience (guilty or otherwise) which has authority, but God and His infallible Word. In encouragement to Timothy, Paul also writes that he will not be shamed, for he has known who (Jesus) he has believed in (2 Tim 1:12).

Remembering who, is just as, if not more important than remembering what we believe in, especially when our hearts condemn us. We believe in a God who at every turn demonstrates His love, kindness , grace and patience.

Of his four advisors, only one gave good advice (Elihu), who was upset that Job, despite his trials, was justifying himself, and not God (Job 32:1). Eventually God himself spoke to Job out of a storm and reminded him of His authority, before Job repented and the Lord graciously restored him to twice his former fortune (Job 42:10).

All authority submits to God, this is a fact that most Christians would agree with, yet moving that knowledge in the head from the ‘interesting factoid’ box, to the ‘deep convictions’ box proves to be difficult, especially in situations where obedience could cause discomfort, or conflicts with our human sense of fairness, or justice. In the end, whatever issues we may have with God’s decisions about our lives, we have to place them at His feet in submission, for whether we agree with Him or not, it’s irrelevant. If God has decided something, it is done.

Ben Kitzelman has spent the last 4 years travelling between Australia and Zambia, serving for one as a missionary, and is now an IT professional in Melbourne.

Ben Kitzelman’s archive of previous article can be found at www.pressserviceinternational.org/ben-kitzelmen.html


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