Our God is Great

Job 36:26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

I am going to join my voice with Job’s friend Elihu and say, “God is great”.  God is Excellent, Mighty and Perfect.

Sometimes we are made to doubt those clear facts about God.  Many things cause us to question, fear and deny Who God really is.  But if we will just stop up our ears to everything that is contrary to the Word of God, we would find ourselves focusing in on what is real truth.  God is Great.

Maybe you have come under the illusion that you are great.  You may have natural talents that make you believe in yourself more than you do God.  This could be why you become so depressed when something doesn’t go your way during the day.  You have removed your focus from an infallible God, to yourself, a fallible human being.   

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 

Any strength or talent you may have is given to you from the Lord, our GREAT God.  We are nothing in ourselves without His help and strength.  When we get to know Him better, we find that we are much better as a Christian sister or brother because we take our hands off of our lives and surrender to HIS PERFECT will for our lives. 

This past week my daughter was asked by a young man from another Bible College if she believed that there is a perfect will of God for her life.  She responded affirmatively and was immediately subjected to a barrage of lengthy retorts on why she was wrong.  Mark helped her understand why she said yes and what the difference was between perfect and revealed will of God.  I thought on it and read what the Scripture says, I think that if a Christian is fully submitted to God and His will, then yes, there is a perfect will of God in our lives.  Semantics would cause us to parse this down to “Is it God’s will for me to make chicken salad today for lunch or spaghetti?”  I think that would be silly to make that the basis of my argument.  Why? Because my God is Great.  I believe He is so excellent, that as He orders my steps (Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.) He is delighted by the choices I make in that I make them while being submitted to HIS will and His will can be NOTHING BUT Perfect.  Why?  Because He is Great. 

For me to rely on Sheri would be an awful thing.  And yet, knowing this, I find myself doing just that quite often.  Why?  Because I am NOT great.  I have the flesh to contend with, so therefore I need to contend with my flesh the way my GREAT God instructs me to.  And how is that? 

1.       Make NO ROOM for the flesh.

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

That means don’t set aside a spot for the flesh.  It means we shouldn't harbor anything that can only be used by the flesh and is contrary to the Spirit of a Perfect and Great God.  That means purifying your thought life to the extent you will reject any thought about that teacher you don’t like, that preacher you can’t stand, that annoying person at church, work or school.  You hold those thoughts up against Philippians 4:8 and if they are contrary then you reject them.  I’m not saying it is easy, but it is right.

2.       Submit yourself to God.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Every single day we have to look at God, recognize HE is GREAT and then purposefully mortify our flesh.  Our desires.  Our pride.  Our talents.  If we are saved, we belong to Him and we ought to want to do His will.  Why?  Because He is Great. 

Down here where I live in Brazil there must be a trillion spiders.  They vary in size, but they plague me with their webs.  If I clean one corner of the kitchen window today, you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a replacement tomorrow.  This morning I watched a little red spider furiously weaving an intricate web by a wall outlet.  That spider was so concerned with the task at hand that he didn’t notice my large frame standing there with a flip flop in my hand ready to end it’s little eight legged life.  Immediately upon standing there, I thought to myself, this stupid spider is exactly like us.  We can get so busy working away and depending on our own selves that we forget that it all could be taken away and cleaned up in a heartbeat by our Great God.  We don’t stand in awe of Him any more as a people or even as a nation.  We forget that God is really God.  He really is able and will complete His perfect will in our lives.  He doesn’t rely on our abilities at all, because He is Great.  He is Excellent and He is Mighty enough to do whatever He needs doing.   

Bring yourself into check.  If you have been flitting around thinking you are “all that”, maybe you need to realize that tomorrow you could be in an accident that could take away your beauty, your so called talent, and abilities.  Then what?  God will still be Great because He doesn’t change. And He could bring your focus back onto Him very quickly!  

If we will realize that He is the Ultimate of the Ultimate and the Powerful Great God, then we will submit with ease.   

There is no spin on this post today, it is cold hard facts.  Either we believe our God is Great or we are believing and living the contrary.   Choose Greatness today.  Submit to His Spirit and do Great things for our Great God. 

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri