Author: albertvredenburg

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GOD AMONG US

The recent flood of movies based on ancient mythology depicts gods with the more base human characteristics of violence, greed, covetousness and murder. The hero god battles the dark side and wins in the end. What a great story line! The same basic story line found in the popular super hero movies.  I love them.  I go to see them often. We all love to see good win over evil. There seems to be a feeling of vindication when the hero wins. I like feeling vindicated.  But, (you knew a but was coming) what if the evil that needs to be defeated is inherent in us? You know those base human characteristics. How’s a super hero or a god going to overcome that?

Now think how the actual event of God walking among us differs from the good vs. evil stories we all love. Jesus came as a helpless baby. He walked unassumingly on the earth as one of us. Who knew that he was an all-powerful being through whom the earth was created? He never whipped out his sword and killed the bad guys. Actually, the bad guys killed him. But, (Yes, we know this but.) He rose from the dead. Now there’s a great story line, and it’s a true story. Don’t you love those stories based on real events. It seems to give the story a lot more impact.

Yes, a great story, but how was the victory won? He didn’t kill all of us who have inherent evil. We’re grateful for that. What he did do was:

Romans 8:3b God….. (sent) his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man…

By surrendering himself (all-powerful being-God) to death, which appeared to his enemy like defeat, his death condemned sin in sinful man. The victory came in his death and was displayed for all to see by his resurrection. This is a powerful real life story that has impacted us for thousands of years. Wow, God really did come to earth and walk among us. It was very different than our favorite stories. The ways of the real God are not our ways:

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

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Puppies and Us

 

On a Friday evening several years ago one of our  then 9 week old puppies got his foot caught and managed to fracture it.  Needless to say this was a great trauma for one so young.  So I held him through the night.   As he lay on my chest he was calmed and comforted and able to sleep.  I didn’t get a lot of sleep, but he did fine.  That Sunday morning during worship time at our church I was suddenly taken by the thought, ‘how closely this relates to God and us’.

God is the great big guy and we are the little pups.  He knows everything that’s going on around us.  We have a very narrow view of the world.  Continuing the analogy, I knew that our five little puppies would be leaving that coming weekend to go to their new homes.  They didn’t have a clue that this was going to happen.  Leaving the comfort of our home and their mother was scary.  I knew their future homes would be loving places for them to grow, but initially the change would be traumatic for them.

When God sends us to a new place or we face a new trial we don’t have a clue what’s happening, but he knows and has a great plan for us.  It’s scary!  But he says, “Trust in me and lean not on your own understanding.”  He wants us to understand that he’s the big guy who loves and cares for us.  He has the big picture.  He’ll walk us through the new unknown stuff.

So, let’s go back to my night with the puppy.  I believe God wants to hold us on his chest through those hurting experiences.  When we’re injured, ill or whatever misery confronts us.  The big guy wants to comfort us through it.  We can lie on the chest of the creator of the universe and be calmed and comforted.  It still hurts, but it’s great to know someone much bigger is there for us.

 

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The Wisdom of Age

 

When I was in my early thirties I remember saying to a prominent lawyer in Binghamton, NY, “Where is the wisdom of age in our society? It seems like the older people are running after the same stuff as the younger people. Now that I am twice as old I find that the wisdom is there among my friends. Perhaps we just have to ask.

At a gathering of these friends I asked them, if you could share one word of wisdom with a twenty year old what would you say? These were couples it their fifties and sixties that had found Jesus in their walk through life. It was unanimous that the most important thing would be to surrender to Jesus. Here is there second spur of the moment responses.

  • Be patient, wait for God, and don’t jump ahead.
  • Walk forward and do what comes to you (you don’t have to look for it or make it happen).
  • Stuff happens! Troubles will come your way. Walk through them with God and you’ll become stronger, and the good times will seem even better.
  • Pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”, this prayer is good in all situations. Ask God to put you into his day.
  • As a part of the body of Christ, stay in your place. All jobs are not your jobs. Leave room for others and you’ll avoid burn out.
  • Cherish every moment with your children for the time passes quickly.
  • If you’ve got something to do, do it. Push yourself to get started and the finish will come. Enjoy your work.
  • God is in the circumstances. Don’t spend your time trying to avoid circumstances but embrace them. Find God in your circumstances.
  • Enjoy life whatever your life is. God does always seek us, finds us and carries us. This is the higher perspective.
  • Don’t take yourself too seriously.