Who's in charge?

"Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it can not explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."

Sir Isaac Newton

This is spoken by the man who first discovered gravity, a very very wise man. Why is it now that you can't be smart and believe this stuff? Why is there only one acceptable way of thinking in our schools in this regard?

God is in charge, and will be whether we agree that to be the case or not. Someday we will all realize that...

Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton... What do you think of? The apple on the head and gravity, right?

I just read a really good article all about him, tons of info about all of the other things that he discovered, and worked on, in his life. He really was a brilliant man.

Here's a quote from Newton that surprised me:

"This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being... This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all; and on account of his dominion he is wont to be called Lord God..., or Universal Ruler.."

Why wasn't that take included in my science textbooks?

What happened?

"How have we grown so deaf? How have we grown so immune to awesomeness? Why are we so reluctant to be staggered or thunderstruck?

Perhaps the frequency of miracles blinds us to their beauty. After all, what spice is there in a springtime or a tree blossom? Don't the seasons come every year? Aren't there countless seashells just like this one?

Bored, we say Ho-hum and replace the remarkable with the regular, the unbelievable with the anticipated. Science and statistics wave their unmagic wand across the face of life, squelching the oohs and aahs and replacing them with formulas and figures.

Would you like to see Jesus? Do you dare be an eyewitness of His Majesty? Then rediscover amazement.

The next time you hear a baby laugh or see an ocean wave, take note. Pause and listen as His majesty whispers ever so gently, "I'm here."

Max Lucado, God Came Near

Often hear of our need for childlike faith. Again, it fits here. How often do my kids pull me aside to look at something that amazes them, and I barely glance as I do "important stuff"? How much I have I missed? Subtly, I've allowed the "grown up world" to rob me of amazement. I've allowed my life to become a series of to do lists. Yikes! Today I put on my list to play with my kids, blow bubbles, be amazed!

The ropes

"..The ropes used to tie his hands and the soldiers used to lead him to the cross were unnecessary. They were incidental. Had they not been there, had there been no trial, no Pilate and no crowd, the very same crucifixion would have occurred. Had Jesus been forced to nail himself to the cross, he would have done it. For it was not the soldiers that killed him, nor the screams of the mob: it was his devotion to us."

Max Lucado, God Came Near

Wow. I am so undeserving of that kind of devotion, that kind of love. And when I know of a love like this, that desires to be freely given, how selfish I am to not share it with everyone I meet! There is a special Someone who loved you enough to give everything for you!!!

Pits

An excerpt from Christianity.com's daily email devotional:

When people dig a pit for somebody else, they end up falling into it themselves. In fact, Proverbs 26:27 says it most directly,
"Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him."

Pretty plain, isn't it? If you are asking God to get you out of a pit, you need to take time to consider if it is a pit of your own construction. If you have done something to get someone else in trouble--even if you think you are justified in doing it because that person has hurt you--you need to repent. Until there is repentance, God will not intervene.

God is not going to get you out of your pit while you have a shovel in your hand.

How many of the times in my life when I feel the most alone, and well, in the pits, is that very pit of my own making? I do need to stop and think on this. I do need to repent more often, to really admit that I have done something wrong and ask forgiveness. It 's not a natural thing, or an easy thing, but then again, the right things seldom are.

In the flesh

“When God chose to reveal himself, he did so(surprise of surprises) through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And his tears.. oh, don’t miss the tears… they came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.”
So, people came to him. My, how they came to him! They came at night; they touched him as he walked down the street; they followed him around the sea; they invited him into their homes and placed their children at his feet. Why? Because he refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit. He chose instead to be Jesus…

Remember that.

Remember that the next time you find yourself amazed at your own failures.
Or the next time acidic accusations burn holes in your soul…
Remember. It is a man who creates the distance. It is Jesus who builds the bridge.

“Just call me Jesus.””

God Came Near – Max Lucado

The baby Jesus with the glowing halo shown in all the Nativity scenes never existed. Jesus existed, but he was a person that wouldn’t have jumped out in the crowd for most of his life. He put himself in the position to have to live a “regular” life, full of joys and full of disappointments. Because He chose to live out this life, He does understand. He really does. That is such a comfort to me. He understands me and He still chooses to love me!!!!

Resource

A neat resource I have found just recently is www.Christianity.com . There are TONS of articles there, email devotionals to sign up for, blogs to browse, just lots of good stuff. Just wanted to share :)