Glory of God

Alex Bangle on January 17, 2011

“God’s glory is the created brightness that surrounds God’s revelation of himself” – Wayne Grudem. Also described as the visible manifestation of the excellence of God’s character. Now while in day-to-day life we may not all experience this heaven meets each encounter with God, we can see His glory around us. We only need to look at God’s revelation, which does surround us in His own creation. And those who trust and follow Jesus Christ will view His fully glory in heaven (Rev 21:23)

But even now we should seek to be people that reflect His Glory “…being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…” (2 Cor 3:18). This same idea also repeated in Matt 5:16 & Phil 2:15. Clearly showing that we reflect the Glory of God, maybe not in a visible light but in great splendor by how we serve and love our God.

God is Everything

Alex Bangle on January 17, 2011

How great is our God, how majestic is everything He does. We cannot escape his Presence and we cannot reach his Holiness. He loves us without any condition and His common grace covers everyone in every situation. His Wrath will be seen and His name will be Glorified above all. He will never run out of Love or Mercy and all we see Him for who He is. And we can rest assured we will bow before Him in His splendor and His Justice will be exercised in the end.

We are people under a great and Sovereign God, please don’t miss that today. Don’t miss the opportunity to love the least as Christ commanded, don’t forget about the lost and the hungry. Rather in every situation put aside our selfish desire and place God first and maybe just maybe we’ll get the chance through Him to reach out to someone.

God Infinite and Personal

Alex Bangle on January 16, 2011

If we ever stop to think about God and answer the hard questions we will often find ourselves struggling with balance. In our minds it is hard to grasp how big God is yet how personal He can be to each one of us. On one side He is not limited by anything that is or could exists, yet He can be very personal in our lives to where we experience His love and comfort.

Think on this though of God. Because here’s the hard part, we know by scripture God is infinite in all things, which would mean He does not need anything, including us. Yet by scripture we see He is personal to us and many of us have experienced that. And if even for a moment God needed that personal attention, He would loose His being infinite, so He is both. This truth is not a contradiction but to me an amazing view of our creator and how wonderful He is in all that He is.

Relationship with God

Alex Bangle on January 13, 2011

Through all science or doctrine or evidence there is nothing greater to our hearts then the relationship we can enjoy with God. And the wonderful thing is God is the pursuer in the relationship, He will actually come after us and reveal who He is to us. “… and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27 ESV) “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” (Romans 1:19 ESV)

These verse bring humility to my mind as I realize that I am not the one who initiates the relationship with God. But then we are relived to know that God in all power initiates it. “the Son chooses” and “God has shown it” both confirm this idea of God’s pursuit of us in His Love and Grace.

Existence of God

Alex Bangle on January 12, 2011

I’m really torn on what to write on tonight, so many big thoughts that I can ‘t put into a paragraph. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ” (Psalm 19:1 ESV). It ‘s a beautiful thing to marvel at the existence of God. I realize that it is only us that we have been blinded from seeing it, that we suppress the truth. Because once opened to the universe around us it is astounding how everything points back to God.

All things have a cause, therefore must have been caused. There is harmony, order and design in our word, so it has to be set that way. We have a sense of right and wrong as God will cast justice one day. We all deep within cannot shake the fact that there is a God and when you stop to think and reflect on that it is truly amazing. I realize many people would argue many of those truths but again it comes back to we are so depraved from God that we naturally reject Him.

The Word of God

Alex Bangle on January 4, 2011

The Word of God can be expressed in several ways, as Jesus Christ (Jn 1:1, Rev 19:13), speech by God, personal address by God, God speaking through human lips and the written word (The Bible). All of these are truth and ways the Word of God haven been shared and expressed to us. Of all of these though, we have direct access 24/7 to one, the bible. The bible is God’s written word, documentation of that which He has, is and will do.

“This is the form of God’s Word that is available for study, for public inspection, for repeated examination and as a basis for mutual discussions. It tells us about and points us to the Word of God as a person, namely Jesus Christ, whom we do not now have present in bodily form on earth.” – Systematic Theology. We should read the bible daily and reflect on God’s Word, letting it reach deep into our hearts and minds to change us and shape us into His image.