“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
                                                  Isaiah 55:8,9 NLT

We are told to seek God.  In Jeremiah 29:13 God promises that if we look for him wholeheartedly we will find him.  But how do we get to know a God who is not like us?

In the beginning humankind was created to be in relationship with God.  But our disobedience opened the door to sin and corrupted the earth.  Our sin created a barrier to reaching God that we could not overcome alone.  Since we were created for relationship with God, our spirits will not rest until we seek and find him.

But God is holy, entirely different, perfect and totally pure.  And we are not.  He lives in a spiritual realm, far beyond our own in every way.  The Father and Holy Spirit are invisible to human eyes.  Since it was impossible for us to find God on our own, God would have to reveal himself to us.  So, the Father sent his Spirit to awaken our spirits and enable us to discern our need for God and to stir in us the desire to be in relationship with our heavenly Father.

The Father realized that in order to have the relationship with us that he desired, he would have to humble himself and come to us.  So, the Father sent his Son Jesus to us in a human body.  Colossians 1:15 says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” That is how Jesus could tell his disciples if they knew him, they would know the Father.

There was still another barrier to be removed.  God is holy, human disobedience, their sin, had to be removed before humankind could come into contact with their Creator.  The Father’s answer was that his sinless Son Jesus would take on the penalty of sin in his own body for us, so we would be set free from our rebellion and death.  In our union with Christ, we would receive his righteousness, thus enabling us to enter into Father God’s presence and come to know him.

Father God has made the way back to himself so we can fulfill the purpose of our existence, to know God and enjoy him forever.  Since the Father loves us that much.  Enough so that he would send his beloved Son to die in our place. What will our response be?  Will we seek God with all our hearts, so we can know him and be restored to our real identity as his children?

Dear friends, be blessed as you choose to follow Jesus, coming to know him intimately as your Lord, Savior and Friend.  Believe that he is the way for you to enter into the Father’s presence and align with his will. Be blessed to get to know your heavenly Father and receive his love, mercy and grace every day.  May you rejoice in your new identity in Christ as you learn to trust him and receive more and more of his love. Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ February 12, 2024

   Have you never heard? Have you never understood?
   The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
   He never grows weak or weary.
   No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
   Isaiah 40:28 NLT

On a good day, we can keep our eyes on Jesus, talk to him during the day and hand our troubles to him before we sleep.  When we do, the peace of mind and peace of heart Christ promised to his followers fills us and protects us.  (Jn.14:27)

Then, suddenly, something happens to throw us off course.  The unthinkable happens.  We hear a loved one has passed away. We fall into a pit of desperation because a child or spouse has made a terrible mistake. We find ourselves caught in an impossible situation.  And where is God?

That is when, more than ever, we need arm ourselves with verses like Isaiah 40:28-30 to remind us who our God is. Since he chose to adopt us as his own child, he loves us with an everlasting love.  The Lord will never change his mind about us.  He will always be on our side and be fighting for us in every situation, even when we mess up. 

No problem or battle is too big for our God.  No sickness terminal unless he allows it.  No temptation exists for which he hasn’t provided a way out.  Our God is all-powerful, ever present with us, never absent, and knowing everything about us and those we love. God “gets” us, he understands.  And he knows what we need.

So, how do we access what God has already promised and provided for us? We choose to trust him.  We believe what his Word says about who he is and who we are in Christ.  It really is the Good News, and it’s really true.  You may have heard it many times, or not at all, but today our loving heavenly Father is asking you to respond to his trust in you, by truly trusting him in all things, not just a few.  We are his witnesses, and we witness first by trusting him.  Then expect the peace to follow.

Dear friends, allow your heavenly Father to surprise you with his power and grace! Choose to trust him in all things, in every situation, with every relationship.  Then be amazed at the peace and love that overflows to wash away the fear and helplessness.  Choose to enjoy the Lord’s overwhelming hope and joy today and always. Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ February 27, 2023