In the name of God… (11/22)
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know me. This post prioritises the love and character of God, not me.
Church leaders should help people know and follow God, not just the leader. Sadly, success, security, status, and solvency can lead to self-serving, Godless religious activity.
Some TV evangelists, and other leaders, enjoy fame and fortune and misuse God’s word to bring themselves attention, popularity, and finance. For more click: Church. Church: Them and us. Church: Finance. Church: Value Added.
I need to take care. It is too easy to be critical and judge someone else’s servant. (Romans 14:4) Myself?
I have been distracted and selfish with the life God gave me when successful. Re-storied, post-coma, I must now become more focused on God.
David – Heart of hope, beloved by God.
Translations of biblical names for God vary, but His ‘character’ is clear. I need to learn from Emmanuel-Hesed.
Emmanuel -God with us.
(Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14)
El Shaddai – Nourishing/God Almighty.
(Gensis 17: 1-5, Hosea 11:4)
El Olam – Everlasting God.
(Hebrews 13:8, Genesis 21:33)
Jehovah Nissi – God our banner.
(Exodus 17:15, Isaiah 11:10)
‘I AM’ – God of our fathers.
(Exodus 3:13-15, John 8:24, John 14:6)
Jehovah Shalom – God of peace.
(Judges 6:24, 1 Peter 5:14)
Abba – Father God.
(Matthew 6:5-14, Mark 14:36)
Post-accident, I felt the loss of capacity, health, and leadership status. I found myself in a very vulnerable vacuum. And yet God found me in this place. He was always with me, often unknown. I needed, awareness of Him, not self and situation. Easier when removed from the rat race.
I’ve been too unwell to return to salaried work and had a Fitnote for over 4 years. I often require ‘reasonable adjustment’ to achieve. Willing adjustment has been most evident from the professional secular world, friends and family. The work of God can come from anywhere. It may not always come from where it might be expected. Charities and church don’t always get things right.
“The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death. The pattern for all who serve God – famous or obscure, respected or ignored – is that death is the door to glory.” (Justin Welby)
Despite lack of full time work, God has provided for my financial needs amazingly. My own focus and perspective, requires ongoing cognitive adjustment. In faith, you believe God is real. My reasoning is re-grounded.
Why is the Lemniscate, lazy 8, infinity symbol ‘∞’ relevant for this post? Irrespective of mathematical, physical, and metaphysical infinity types…
God is our infinity, THE infinity. Glory beyond infinity.
Beyond infinity. Even mathematically, academics can demonstrate one infinity as bigger than another. The concept of infinity varies. Infinity comes in different sizes. Does that work with how you understand infinity?
We may be able to update our knowledge and understanding, mathematically. What about science? Science can neither prove nor disprove God. We must not define, and limit, the glory of God by our own current brain capacity. We are still being transformed.
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
In the name of God… I should; honour, ask, hear, respond and obey.
“After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22)
God is our all in all, for all. All have the challenge, to walk as Jesus did.
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)