It seems like just about every pet owner is either a ‘dog person’ or a ‘cat person’. Sure, you’ll find an occasional person who has both, but you can usually determine pretty quickly which is their favorite.
I have always been a ‘dog person’, although I have had a cat or two over the years. While having a preference for dogs, cats have not been an option since I got married because my wife is allergic to cats.
And that suits me just fine. Not that my wife is allergic, but that we don’t have cats.
My son recently related a joke to me which I think really pinpoints the difference between dogs and cats: In explaining their relationship with people, the animals may respond as follows:
Dog: “He feeds me, he loves me, he takes care of all my needs – he must be God!”
Cat: “He feeds me, he loves me, he takes care of all of my needs – I must be God!”
Always ready to find some humor at cats’ expense, I got a little chuckle out of that. However, the timing of hearing that joke coincided with a two-day focus on Psalm 8, which gave me a new perspective on that passage. In that passage, David says:
O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, . . .
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers -
the moon and the stars you set in place -
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority[.] (Psalm 8:1-6, NLT)
When I meditate on that passage in light of the dog/cat ‘joke’, I see things that are no joking matter at all. While even the non-believing world can sense God from the glory of His creation (see Romans 1:20), I think that very often believers take the ‘cat perspective’ of creation and God’s provision to develop the idea that ‘it’s all about us’. We can acknowledge that God made it all, and is in control of it all, but we start thinking He did it for us and for our enjoyment.
That ‘cat perspective’ spills over into our prayer life which invariably focuses on what God can do for us to make our life better, easier, or more enjoyable.
We determine our worship service preferences based on what appeals to us, what we like, and what we get out of it.
We seldom (if ever) step out of our comfort zone because, well, you know – God wired me this way so I’ll just stick to what He predisposed me to do.
Pretty soon we’ve taken this vast, incomprehensible, glorious creation and placed ourselves smack dab in the center of it. And now it all revolves around us.
But that isn’t the perspective David had when he penned this particular Psalm. No, David had the ‘dog perspective’ of creation and His Creator.
David knew that he didn’t have to - and that he could in fact never – completely grasp the magnitude of God’s majesty and glory which could be observed (even though only partially) in the creation. And he knew what an illogical and unreal concept it was that the One Who made everything would actually reach out in love, grace, and mercy to a tiny, seemingly inconsequential created ‘thing’ like him in the vastness of all there is.
David realized that it was all about Him (capital ‘H’), not him (David). David felt the awe of being known and loved by a power beyond imagination – the Lord God Almighty. And it made him want to praise.
I have two ‘outside’ dogs and one ‘inside’ dog. When I drive in the gate in the evening, the two outside dogs come running, jumping and wagging their tails in such excitement to see me. They have no clue what I did during the day, what I’ve thought about, or what may be on my mind. They are just ecstatic that I’m home. The inside dog sees me pull in the garage from a side window. He then rushes to meet me at the back door, unable to contain his excitement to see me.
Those three dogs certainly enjoy being fed. They love for me to play with them. A good tummy rub is always satisfying to them. But more than anything else, they want to be with me, in my presence. They know that I’m different from them – I’m not a dog – but they eagerly desire to be around me.
How about you – what kind of perspective does a passage like Psalm 8 give you?
Are you content to go about your day seeking your own comfort and pleasure, using God for whatever you can get from Him? Or are you so overwhelmed with joy in anticipation of being in His presence that nothing else really matters?
Do you have a list of things you want God to do for you? Or does your awestruck adoration of Him prompt you to seek ways you can serve Him?
Have you let the consistency and abundance of God’s creation dull you to how amazing and breath-taking it really is? Or does the glory and majesty of the evidence of His handiwork draw you inescapably toward Him?
Do you spend time asking God ‘why’, or ‘where’, or ‘how’? Or do you look to Him and just say ‘WOW!’?
David understood the juxtaposition of an infinite, omnipotent Deity and a microscopic, created ‘speck’ in the overall scheme of creation. And David understood that the Creator reached out to ‘the created’ and made him His own.
Yes, indeed – He must be God.
Showing posts with label New Creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Creation. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Year Resolution
I’m not really much of a “New Year’s resolution” kind of guy. Are you?
I suppose that such resolutions have their place and can serve some good purposes, but they’ve never been too important to me. Maybe some deep-seated cynicism within me is trying to protect me from setting myself up for disappointment or something. Who knows?
It has always fascinated me though, how so many people focus so much on one little tick on the clock when our calendars change from one year to the next. They seem to really grasp at straws for the hope of a “do over” in some area (or areas) of their lives. “It’s a brand new year! The past is behind and I can start with a clean slate!”
But . . .
What about that mortgage, car payment, or credit card bill? What about that project you left on your desk at work on December 31st? What about those extra twenty pounds? What about that leaky faucet in the guest bathroom? What about the argument you had with your son on Christmas? What about that homeless guy under the bridge?
Do those things go away or start with a clean slate just because we went from 11:59 p.m. on December 31st to 12:00 a.m. on January 1st?
The reality is that there’s not much in this life that stops being what it is one second and then becomes something brand new the next. There isn’t much that disappears and will no longer burden us just because the clock went ‘tick tock’.
But - you know what did? Here’s a hint: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Have you ever thought much about that? It’s really a wondrous mystery how that happens and it’s certainly beyond my explanation. But what is clear to me is that upon accepting Christ we do not become turbo-charged versions of our old self; we are not updated and improved; and we’re not “made over,” enhanced, or strengthened.
No, we’re NEW CREATIONS!! Completely new! We became something we weren’t before (and could never have become on our own).
However, unlike “New Year’s” revelers who want to pretend a new year makes all things new and leaves all the old behind, we become completely new and then we keep reaching back to our old self to bring it along for the ride. What sense does that make? We’ve been made a new creation, yet we drag the old with us into our new life!
And that just ain’t right.
The God of all creation has made me a new creation, for His purposes, by taking up residence within me (Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:27, 1 John 4:12). And then I keep dredging up the old me. I keep thinking I can ‘resolve’ to improve upon and make the old me acceptable to God to some way.
I’m tired of it. God deserves better.
The old me is gone and could never be made acceptable. He made a new me and He did what I couldn’t have ever done – made a new, acceptable me. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1, NLT)
None!
So, . . . I resolve to leave the old self behind and focus on perfecting the new life to which He has called me. I resolve to make this new creation submissive to its Creator; to more fully trust the Most Trustworthy One.
And I resolve that this resolution will not fade away with the passing of time. Because some things, like the new life He has given me, are eternal.
I suppose that such resolutions have their place and can serve some good purposes, but they’ve never been too important to me. Maybe some deep-seated cynicism within me is trying to protect me from setting myself up for disappointment or something. Who knows?
It has always fascinated me though, how so many people focus so much on one little tick on the clock when our calendars change from one year to the next. They seem to really grasp at straws for the hope of a “do over” in some area (or areas) of their lives. “It’s a brand new year! The past is behind and I can start with a clean slate!”
But . . .
What about that mortgage, car payment, or credit card bill? What about that project you left on your desk at work on December 31st? What about those extra twenty pounds? What about that leaky faucet in the guest bathroom? What about the argument you had with your son on Christmas? What about that homeless guy under the bridge?
Do those things go away or start with a clean slate just because we went from 11:59 p.m. on December 31st to 12:00 a.m. on January 1st?
The reality is that there’s not much in this life that stops being what it is one second and then becomes something brand new the next. There isn’t much that disappears and will no longer burden us just because the clock went ‘tick tock’.
But - you know what did? Here’s a hint: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Have you ever thought much about that? It’s really a wondrous mystery how that happens and it’s certainly beyond my explanation. But what is clear to me is that upon accepting Christ we do not become turbo-charged versions of our old self; we are not updated and improved; and we’re not “made over,” enhanced, or strengthened.
No, we’re NEW CREATIONS!! Completely new! We became something we weren’t before (and could never have become on our own).
However, unlike “New Year’s” revelers who want to pretend a new year makes all things new and leaves all the old behind, we become completely new and then we keep reaching back to our old self to bring it along for the ride. What sense does that make? We’ve been made a new creation, yet we drag the old with us into our new life!
And that just ain’t right.
The God of all creation has made me a new creation, for His purposes, by taking up residence within me (Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:27, 1 John 4:12). And then I keep dredging up the old me. I keep thinking I can ‘resolve’ to improve upon and make the old me acceptable to God to some way.
I’m tired of it. God deserves better.
The old me is gone and could never be made acceptable. He made a new me and He did what I couldn’t have ever done – made a new, acceptable me. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1, NLT)
None!
So, . . . I resolve to leave the old self behind and focus on perfecting the new life to which He has called me. I resolve to make this new creation submissive to its Creator; to more fully trust the Most Trustworthy One.
And I resolve that this resolution will not fade away with the passing of time. Because some things, like the new life He has given me, are eternal.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Change We Can Believe In
Change.
That word is just about everywhere these days: “c-h-a-n-g-e.”
According to Webster’s Dictionary, “change" means: to make different in some particular way; to make radically different; to give a different position, course, or direction; to replace with another; to make a shift from one to another; to undergo a transformation, transition or substitution.
The word “change” is very popular today.
It’s amazing to me how a word like “change” apparently resonates with so many people without them even knowing what is going to “change” or how it is going to “change.” Are people that dissatisfied with what’s going on in their world that any “change” at all is welcome?
Maybe I’m out of touch or something, or just not disgruntled enough, but I prefer there to be a change for the better, rather than just “change.” The word “change” does not, in and of itself, indicate there will be an improvement, enhancement, or advancement of some kind. “Change” does not necessarily mean something “good” is coming.
I can tell you that in the last few months there has been plenty of “change” for which I am none too happy. I have several friends who have lost their jobs – there’s some radical “change” for you. I was forking over a $100 bill to fill up my gas tank – and I didn’t get any “change” back from that. Sales are down, businesses are closing, unemployment is rising. There was enough “change” in my already-small investment portfolio that one would think a withdrawal was made to purchase a brand new car – but the same old cars are in our garage.
Change.
Phooey!
But - on second thought, there is a “change” that really does get me excited. There is a “change” that is so radical - so transforming - that it is really “re-creation,” rather than simply “change.”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
This is a “change” that happens at a particular moment in time (when we accept Jesus), but then continues to happen each day thereafter as we are transformed from the inside out. We can’t make this “change” happen externally (by wearing a ‘WWJD’ bracelet, putting a ‘fish’ on our car, or being seen at church) any more than putting lipstick on a pig makes it a supermodel.
That is what is so exciting about this “change” – it is the actual person of Christ working inside of us, striving to “change” more and more of us. He’s not “out there” putting up obstacles and ‘tests’ to help us grow; He’s is inside us, trying to get our hearts and our minds aligned with His.
This “change” doesn’t happen overnight. But it should be happening every day.
The harder you try, the less you’ll “change.” You see, it’s all about letting Him have His way; it has nothing to do with your effort.
Do you feel the “change?” Is it happening to you every day?
Are you ready for the “change?”
Undergoing the change,
Craig Hollingsworth
That word is just about everywhere these days: “c-h-a-n-g-e.”
According to Webster’s Dictionary, “change" means: to make different in some particular way; to make radically different; to give a different position, course, or direction; to replace with another; to make a shift from one to another; to undergo a transformation, transition or substitution.
The word “change” is very popular today.
It’s amazing to me how a word like “change” apparently resonates with so many people without them even knowing what is going to “change” or how it is going to “change.” Are people that dissatisfied with what’s going on in their world that any “change” at all is welcome?
Maybe I’m out of touch or something, or just not disgruntled enough, but I prefer there to be a change for the better, rather than just “change.” The word “change” does not, in and of itself, indicate there will be an improvement, enhancement, or advancement of some kind. “Change” does not necessarily mean something “good” is coming.
I can tell you that in the last few months there has been plenty of “change” for which I am none too happy. I have several friends who have lost their jobs – there’s some radical “change” for you. I was forking over a $100 bill to fill up my gas tank – and I didn’t get any “change” back from that. Sales are down, businesses are closing, unemployment is rising. There was enough “change” in my already-small investment portfolio that one would think a withdrawal was made to purchase a brand new car – but the same old cars are in our garage.
Change.
Phooey!
But - on second thought, there is a “change” that really does get me excited. There is a “change” that is so radical - so transforming - that it is really “re-creation,” rather than simply “change.”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
This is a “change” that happens at a particular moment in time (when we accept Jesus), but then continues to happen each day thereafter as we are transformed from the inside out. We can’t make this “change” happen externally (by wearing a ‘WWJD’ bracelet, putting a ‘fish’ on our car, or being seen at church) any more than putting lipstick on a pig makes it a supermodel.
That is what is so exciting about this “change” – it is the actual person of Christ working inside of us, striving to “change” more and more of us. He’s not “out there” putting up obstacles and ‘tests’ to help us grow; He’s is inside us, trying to get our hearts and our minds aligned with His.
This “change” doesn’t happen overnight. But it should be happening every day.
The harder you try, the less you’ll “change.” You see, it’s all about letting Him have His way; it has nothing to do with your effort.
Do you feel the “change?” Is it happening to you every day?
Are you ready for the “change?”
Undergoing the change,
Craig Hollingsworth
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