AUGHHHH! Can't Look!

Continuing on the book The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. By the way, he just given a message in a conference for pastors that is straight out from this chapter. You can read, listen and even watch it here.

My thoughts on chapter 2:

The Bible has many places gives us glimpses of just how holy God is. Throughout his life, Moses has numerous encounters with God. In Exodus 33:18, he asked to see the glory of God, and God replied "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20) But God did let Moses see His back. And just from that Moses' face became so radiant from reflecting the glory of God that he had to put a veil on his face, so not to terrify everyone else. (Exodus 34: 29)

God is SO SO MUCH holier than humans that we can't even handle looking at a face that has just looked at God's back. So how are we to face Him with our spotty records of our lives? How can we expect to spend eternally with Him in heaven?

"we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:10

"... we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus," Hebrews 10:19

The Holiness of God

I believe that knowing the extensiveness of God's holiness is crucial to christian living. Otherwise, we wouldn't understand how necessary Christ's work on the cross is in order for us to gain access to heaven. After all, why should we deserve hell since most of us have never kill nor sell drugs. So we have lied a little, harbored bitterness a few times and being prideful once in a while, that shouldn't be enough to go to hell, right? Well, if we consider that our God is perfectly holy, then it would make sense that even a tiny speck of sin against Him would send us hell bound.

I want to have a better understanding on the holiness of God. And then my husband got this book from the library called, incidentally, The Holiness of God! The author us R.C. Sproul and I'm going to write what I learn from it as I read it since I tend to forget.

So far what I've learnt:
Chapter 1:
• God is so holy that "Holy is His name" Luke 1:49.
• How we understand the person and character of God affects every aspect of our lives. If God is the Creator of the entire universe, then it must follow that He is the Lord of the WHOLE universe. No compartmentalizing would make sense, including science, economics, and yikes, politics.

Keith Green's 7 Years of No Compromising

Seven years. That's how long Keith Green lived as a Christian before he died from a plane crash 25 years ago. But God used him to impact lives of many, and to this day, his legacy continues to inspire thousands of people to draw closer to God.

My husband and I watched a documentary of his life story, and we were touched by how he held nothing back to live out the Gospel. He could live a very comfortable life making lots of money from his albums and concerts. Instead, he cancelled the contract he had with a record company so he could give away his albums for free, and he refused to charge anything for his concerts. He took in anyone in need, to a point that his house is so full there're people sleeping in their garage, even when he was raising a young family. All his songs and messages points to God, and urged people to live out their faith. He had truly lived out the title of his 2nd album: No Compromise.

Now I need to ask myself: What do I hold back? What have I compromise in my faith? Am I willing to be used by God in anyway, or only when it's within my comfort zone?

Come Sail Away

Ever since I wrote the post titled The Grand Illusion, I can't help but think of the band Styx's album of the same title. Ok, so some of their lyrics are comparable to bad poetry from a high school student, I got to admit songs like Come Sail Away sticks with me and I would not hesitate to belt it along with the radio in the car.

Boy, now I'm nostalgic.

Awwwwww...how cute!

Apparently, devotion to your city's sport team unite people (and statues) together.
(Tribune photos by Nancy Stone & Kuni Takahash)

The Grand Illusion

Ever since I became a parent, my desire for control is even more futile as ever. I can't make my child poop, fall asleep, nor learn a certain skill at a certain time.

The truth is, we hardly have any control at all. We thought we do, but we really don’t. I mean, can you control how your heart beat? Can you control how your brain cells work? Can you control whether tomorrow you'd still have a job, a house, a family?

Oh boy. I just open the can of worms of free will/responsibility of our own actions versus God's sovereignty. Bottomline: they both exist. How? Don't know.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)

Do this! My Way! NOW!

I don't think I'm a control freak. But it does bother me in various degrees when people make different choices that I don't think it's the best, or when they don't do things exact way and timeframe that I want.

I have to be careful not to micromanage. To do so I would overstep others' boundaries, not to mention that'd be extremely annoying. The real issue here is the lack of trust in God. Real lasting change can only comes from God. I need to put trust in God to change the hearts of others and mine, in His own time, IF that's what He planned to do.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Now we just have to make sure we're "those who love him." :)