Coffee With The Lord

I was reminded of two big words often used to describe God this morning during my Bible reading … “Transcendent” and “Immanent”!

Transcendent means that God is very big and great… Webster defines the word as “exceeding the usual limits: surpassing.  Extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience, beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge, beyond comprehension, transcending the universe or material existence.”  Response? WOW!!!

Immanent means that God is very near – very close – very approachable… Again Webster defines it like this: “Being within the limits of possible experience or knowledge (even indwelling!).”  Response? God is like that!  WOW!!!  I mean, WOW!!!

That’s right!  According to the Bible God is both of these at the same time!  You doubt it’s possible?  Well here’s what Isaiah 57:15 declares…

“Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is ‘Holy’: ‘I dwell inn the high and holy place (i.e. I’m ‘transcendent’), AND ALSO with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit (i.e. I’m immanent), to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Believe me, we need a God who is BOTH!  (And He is both!!)  Bigger and more powerful than ANYTHING … Bigger and greater than the universe He created!  Yet immanent – close – near to help those who are in need!  One word… WOW!!!

Today my Bible reading included one of my very favorite birthday greetings I love to share with friends.  Believe me, it’s a wonderful passage!  It would be difficult to find anything in the Bible that is more appropriate or gracious to share with someone you care about and love.  I’m passing it on to all you today (birthday or not).  A blessing from the Lord is ALWAYS SPECIAL!!!

Here it is – Psalm 20:1-5!!!

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!  May he send you help from His sanctuary and give you support from Zion!  May He remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!  May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!  May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!” (Psalm 20:1–5 English Standard Version)

If it’s your birthday… Happy Birthday!  If it’s not your birthday… just enjoy and be blessed!!

People feel inferior for all kinds of reasons… Their background, their heritage, their family, their vocation, their education or lack of it, their lack of money or possessions, even their nationality or color of their skin…

One word from the viewpoint of “the gospel” and true Christianity can be used to describe this tragedy… “Nonsense!”  God sent His Son, Jesus, to offer Himself to save anyone in “the world” who would put his or her trust in Him! (John 3:16)  The “mystery” of the gospel is that “’the Gentiles’ (even the phrase in Greek is inclusive… it means “those from all nations”) are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel!” (Ephesians 3:6).  Add to that God’s declared redemptive desire… “The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3.9)  To finish out the picture, the book of Revelation reveals a final redemptive scene in which all off heaven is gathered before the Divine throne singing this song to the “Lamb, who was slain” … “Worthy are you… for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a king and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth!” (Revelation 5.9-10)

All of that to say, It doesn’t matter the reason why you may feel unworthy or inferior… God sent His Son to make you worthy and provide your sense of adequacy “in Christ”… As a result of this, when I read this prophetic word in the Bible today (in the Old Testament yet!) I rejoiced!

“Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’; and let not the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’ … I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.  And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, … these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples!  The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts declares, ‘I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.’” (Isaiah 56:3–8 ESV)

Don’t know about you, but I’m grateful for this prophetic promise fulfilled in Christ Jesus!  I’m a Gentile after all and my heritage is from a nation that viciously persecuted God’s chosen people … my family didn’t have much money or prestige … yet the Lord included me!  And He included you too… doesn’t matter your background, your past or your present… In Christ Jesus you are accepted!  He makes you worthy!