God Is... Justice

By Nick (My Experience As...)

But that's not fair!

At face value, it seems like kids are preloaded with a concept of who God is and all the attributes of God.  In fact, CS Lewis suggests that the universal morality is proof of God’s existence.  This isn’t to say that all people have the same moral values, but rather that we can make statements of “wrongness” because there is a predefined morality that we appeal to.  Something generally instinctive that we simple know to be true.  Hitler was a bad guy.  Sure some folks would argue against this, but generally most can appeal to the wrongness of what he did based on the Universal Morality that trying to exterminate others is wrong.  The proof is much more involved than this, but it is a very interesting thing to be aware of when folks try to argue against the existence of God because “If God existed He wouldn’t let bad things happen.”  Basically this proof comes back and says “If you believe there are bad things then God must exist.”

I digress; along with the general idea of morality we have the best friend to morality, justice, built into us.  From a very early age we generally know right and wrong, and clue in on consequences. That is, my two year old knows when I say, “put that down,” and he responds, “NO!” that there will be consequences.  It is based on his past experience. At some point his little brain will catch up and decide yelling no isn’t a good thing.

This evolves into the most basic sense of justice, that which is fair.  This is one of those self evident truths, justice must be fair, it cannot show favoritism, and when it does it isn’t really justice. How many times have children cried out “but that’s not fair.” This is their internal justice meter going off.  Of course therein lays the problem.  It has been corrupted by a sense of self. It affects me in a way I don’t want so it cannot be fair.

This is the greatest problem a parent faces in helping the internal sense of justice develop correctly. It is part of our job. Just like making sure our children grow strong and healthy with good food, exercise, and education. We must also help finish the development of justice in our children so that they will recognize injustice apart from self, and then be moved to deal with it.

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God Is... Holy, Holy. Holy!

By Jason V

I remember my Uncle Howard's collection of walking sticks.  He had been a world traveller and had collected walking sticks from all over the world.  If we asked nicely, he might show them to us, but we were not allowed to touch them under any circumstances.  They were special, set apart, reserved for his use alone.  They were, in a sense, "holy."

Did you grow up with "holy" things in your life- things that were set apart for a special use, better than common, reserved for certain people or certain occasions?  We just moved from Maryland to South Carolina this week.  In a special box, packed very carefully and handled with special attention was the 110-year-old mantle clock my school gave me as a parting present.  It has become, in this sense, a "holy" object in our household.

These things are, of course, only "holy" in a very limited sense of the word.  To be truly holy, something must be set apart by God for God's purposes, reserved for His use and for His glory.  In this was, the tabernacle and the temple were known as holy places.  When Moses saw God in the burning bush, the Lord called to him and told him to take off his shoes, for he was standing on holy ground, ground that was now made holy by the presence of God.  Later, the Israelites would return and worship God on that same mountain, Mount Sinai, where God would give His Ten Commandments, His holy law.

So, if something is holy because God sets it apart and reserves it from common use for His special use, then what does it mean for God to be holy?  Well, to begin our understanding of this, we need to know two things: First, God is not just holy.  He is Holy, Holy, Holy.  This is what the angels around His throne cry out day and night for all eternity- "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord!"  This emphasis teaches us that God is not just holy in the sense that other things are holy, but He is the source of all holiness, the One who makes things holy. 

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God Is... Infinite

By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)

Our God is infinite, but what does that really mean?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "infinite" as:

1. extending indefinitely : endless <infinite space>
2. immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive : inexhaustible <infinite patience>
3. subject to no limitation or external determination
4. extending beyond, lying beyond, or being greater than any preassigned finite value however large

Our minds cannot truly grasp the concept of a being that knows no limits. We try desperately to define everything within the boundaries of our experience and understanding... But God is so much more than that. Any description we give Him cannot begin to reveal all that He is.

Knowing our limitations, how can we understand God as infinite? Truly, we cannot. It defies our logic. But it does not make it any less true.

Instead of trying to define God, we need to accept and be blessed by His limitless nature. Scripture references several aspects of the infinite God:

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God Is... Wisdom

By Jason S (Connecting to Impact)

People throughout history have attained a certain measure of wisdom. From the practical to emotional to the spiritual, I would say it's fair that the vast majority of us have no desire to be or appear stupid.

We chase after wisdom through education and experience. We gather as much as we can like trophies on a shelf. Wisdom is not a bad pursuit at all, but without the Author of wisdom, it is unfulfilling at best.

Solomon, arguably one of the wisest people and leaders who ever lived, devotes a whole book called Ecclesiastes to the idea that wisdom is not enough. In fact, it's oppressive apart from truly knowing the Creator who would give wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please Him anyway (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

All the wisdom we hold dear in the world is foolishness to God. He dismantles and destroys the wisdom of the wise so all the hoarding we try to do ends up in vain (1 Corinthians 1:19-21).

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God Is... Loving and Approachable

By Jay Cookingham (Soulfari)

The parable in Luke 15 shouts with the love and compassion the Father has towards us. See if you can spot the lessons He would love for us to learn from this story.

"So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.""

See how the father was expecting his son’s return! You don’t see people a long way’s off unless you are watching intently for them to appear. Day after day he continues his watch until one day He checks again and sees a figure, one he is familiar with. He is so excited, that he starts to run! He could have waited until his son reached him; after all he is the father and the one wronged. The father risks a loss of respect to run to a son considered lost, spiritually dead to the family, and does not hesitate a moment.

Here’s a point that I find wonderful, the son could also see his father coming after him! Imagine him practicing his lines; wondering about the response he’ll receive by his return. His head is bowed, he’s dressed in rags and he still reeks of pig dip. He lifts his head just a little and from a distance he sees his daddy trucking down the road towards him. Soon daddy is all over him, throwing his arms around him and kissing him. Dressed in rags, dirty and foul smelling, his father doesn’t wait until his son is cleaned up to embrace him with compassion. He was on a roll now and wasn’t about to stop.

“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

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