Delight in the Lord—Especially the Parts We Don’t Understand I delight in the reality that there are aspects about God I don’t understand, of things I can’t comprehend. I savor the wonderful mystery of God. So does the apostle Paul. In many of his letters, he talks about aspects of God as mystery. If there […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 7 Today’s passage: Luke 3:21–38 Focus verse:“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) When the people ask John if he’s the Messiah, whom the Old Testament prophets foretold, he tells them he’s not, but he’s indirect about it. By way of an answer, […]
God reveals his truth to Paul. Paul calls it a mystery. God gives it to Paul so he can share it with the church in Ephesus; he’s not supposed to keep it to himself. This isn’t something Paul figures out on his own; he doesn’t logically deduce it or make it up. This isn’t something […]
We Can’t Force the Beauty and Mystery of God into a Neat Little Box Just as I bristle over the word theology, I also don’t like the word doctrine. Though the two words mean different things, in my mind they have the same effect: They both turn the beauty of God into an intellectual construct, […]
If We Can Fully Understand God, Then He’s Not a Very Great God Some people are confused when they hear about Jesus or read the Bible. Because they don’t fully understand everything, they dismiss him, waiting until everything makes sense. It never will. At least not during our existence here on earth. This is the […]
God Grants Jabez’s Request My favorite verse in the Bible is about an honorable man. His name is Jabez. What did he do? He prayed. That’s it. Does that sound boring? It could be, except for the outcome. The result is profound. After Jabez prays, the Bible says that “God granted his request.” How reassuring […]
Embracing Tradition and Worship Ritual With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #28. Steeped in ritual resulting from centuries of carefully protected tradition, the spiritual mystery of this tiny liturgical church presented me with an enigma I’m yet […]
The New Testament Centers on Jesus, but the Holy Spirit Emerges as Key in the Book of Acts We’ve talked about how the Bible Reveals God the Father to Us and how the Bible Points Us to Jesus. The Holy Spirit forms the third part of the Trinity, the supernatural mystery of three spiritual deities […]
God Wants Us to Know Him and Be in a Relationship, Not to Study Him or Try to Explain Him When people learn of my deep interest in studying the Bible and my passion for God, they often ask me a theological question. I groan when they do. You see, I hate theology. While a […]
To me, God is a mystery: a beautiful, elusive mystery. I cannot possibly comprehend all there is to know about him. I will never have an answer to every question people ask about him or fathom how he functions. I’m okay with that. In fact, I celebrate it. There’s an allure to not knowing. If […]