My whole life, I think I always knew there was a “big” picture. I’ve always been told & believed, that The Creator made a beginning; things didn’t quite go as He planned and then one day, things would “end”. I’ve always believed that God, my heavenly Father, was running the show; i.e. the universe. I was always told that God loved me – and for the most part I have believed it (but not always felt it) – that he cared about each hair on my head, my hopes, my needs, even my wants. I also believed that our all-powerful, omniscient God, loves each and every single human in this way. But it’s right there where my human brain gets fried. It reminds me of a line from Monty Python & the Holy Grail: “… oh Lord, you are SOO huge… you are SOO verrrrry big…”. Sometimes that is all I can say. I do believe our God IS so big, so powerful, so all knowing – as well as SO loving. But, honestly, my human brain has a tough time comprehending God. I have always heard that to better understand God, His character, His way of doing and His will & purpose for me, I need to read and understand the Bible better. I had always suspected the New Testament had something to do with the Old Testament, but maybe I needed better understanding.
I have begun and been in several Bible studies over the years. Some I worked the lessons & readings, some I didn’t. Some I completed the course, some I didn’t. I also tend to be selfish with my time – something I’m working on. So when I was invited to participate in a Disciple series last August, I was torn – what a commitment; and Sunday’s in the fall are usually so busy. My sister (also the leader), who invited me actually told me God told her to invite me, so the more I thought & prayed about it, I felt God nudging me to commit. And He nudged; if I commit – I had better do my lessons because, let’s just say I have a personal relationship with the leader! Then I heard Him nudge further – this will be one class you will complete and you know it! My spiritual growth has been enhanced in this class and I treasure the new friendships I have made. After all the reading, studying, and listening, I now have a list of things I know to be certain about God:
- I now am ever more certain that an all-powerful, Holy & loving God created His people and wanted relationship and fellowship with them.
- There is an enemy, and it’s bound & determined purpose was/is to cause man to fall and ruin God’s perfect plan.
- But this God; being full of love, grace & forgiveness, came after His people, His children. He set about to guide and to love them; even to the point of letting them suffer because of their choices. But He never quit, He never left them.
- This God had a new plan – all along – even as His chosen people disobeyed, wandered in deserts, learning many hard lessons. He had servants & messengers tell the people of the “new plan”; to bring God’s children back into relationship with Him – the Messiah was the “new plan”.
- I now am certain that the Old Testament and the New Testament do indeed tell the greatest story ever told. And I now am certain I play a part in the story. I am one of God’s chosen, one of His precious children; and He chases after me in deserts and lets me suffer consequences of my choices. He wants a personal relationship and fellowship with me just like all of the souls in the Bible.
I also now have a better understanding of how important it is that if I accept the fact that I am one of His, and if I accept the “new plan” – what His Son did for me on the cross – then I am to show my love and thankfulness to God by serving others, loving others, and forgiving others. I am to be in community with fellow believers; serving my community of faith. I am to fully learn how to receive all the good gifts God has for me in this life, while being as much like Jesus as possible – to show the living Word in me. I am to strive each day to do these things and grow in fellowship with God. I am to diligently pray for those in my community of faith and to show God’s all-powerful love, grace and forgiveness to all other people – for to be His Disciple to those around me, I now know, was His perfect plan to begin with.
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