by – Dave Bartlow, CenterPoint Westerville

            As a new christian who has finally entered into the walk with the Word among some great new friends, I have immersed myself in multiple Bible studies, daily readings, and now I have quickly acquired a stack of Bibles and study guides.  There’s so much new reading spilling out of the backpack and the laptop bag that I am compelled to finally build that new bookshelf for the bedroom I have considered for some time.  The many discussions ring in my ears for days afterward.  There are so many pages turning and words churning that other mundane tasks still required but not as rewarding are left undone.  It is a maelstrom.

            Soon, I even question my motivation.  Am I really delving into the Word for the glory of our Lord?  Or is this some form of ego trip?  Ah-hah!  The thunderclap of clarity knocks me out of the bed I tossed in all night. 

            The Word was never meant to replace those worldly tasks.  I still have to go to work, weed the garden, clean the cat litter box, and reduce the clutter in the truck.  But knowing now the central command Our Lord gave us, I am at peace:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commandedyou: and lo, I am with you always to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 18-20

            All the meetings and discussions are important.  All the readings enrich a hungry heart.  But as in the first chapter of 1Timothy, I can easily be trapped and allow my ego to distract me.

            Lord, I offer myself up to your service.  Teach me as You would want me to be.  Lead me from the shallow waters and back to the channel.  I am Your servant.

Author – Dave Bartlow, CenterPoint Westerville

God’s Grace has always been there for us.  How do we find God’s Grace?  Look around we are surrounded by grace!  Just as the surface of the Earth is eight tenths water, so too does grace dominate our surroundings in whatever form it is needed.  Soak in the hot waters of God’s grace to soothe soreness and calm our spirits to clarify our thinking.  Dash in the cool waters to exhilarate and excite our enthusiasms as needed.

            Find grace in worship, quiet prayer, a song, a walk in the woods.  Or perhaps one can have grace received (or given) in a smile to a neighbor or stranger.  Polite gestures such as holding a door, or a quiet word well-spoken to a troubled acquaintance can extend grace.  Open your heart to sense when someone has extended some grace to you; they may be sent by the Lord.

            It is easy to extend grace to a graceful person.  The troubled, angry, or bitter person is much harder to reach but much more in need.  We cannot be disappointed when our efforts do not see immediate effect.  It takes many blows of the hammer and chisel to turn a marble block into a statue. 

            Romans 5: 1-5 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

The Trinity, 3-in-1

God is three persons, each person is fully God—there is one God!  The Trinity has eternally existed, before the creation of time.  Wayne Grudem rightfully concludes, “When the universe was created God the Father spoke the powerful creative words that brought it into being.  God the Son was the divine agent who carried out these words (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb 1:2)  and God the Holy Spirit was active “moving over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2)” (Grudem 241).  In fact, the persons of the Trinity are so integral and intimate with one another that the “only distinction between the members of the Trinity are in the ways they relate to each other and to the creation” (Grudem 250).  However, it is important to note that the doctrine of the Trinity will never be fully comprehensible by mankind.  “God’s very being is greater than we can ever comprehend” (Grudem 256).  Nonetheless it remains significantly important to briefly discuss each person of the Trinity.

God the Father

This person of the Trinity is likely the most accepted and easiest to understand.  Mankind generally recognizes the existence and requirement of a higher being.  This is widely accepted as truth in many religions, not just Christianity.  The Father’s role is usually attributed to creation (order out of chaos) and to final authority.  This portrayal is apparent for two primary reasons.  The general use of the term ‘father’ suggests a definition of “a person who has originated or established something” or “a male parent / leader figure”.  The first designation has biblical roots to Jabal and Jubal (Gen 4:20-21) and survives today as a pragmatic explanation for the general origin of practices, philosophies and even events.  Secondly, the male parent or leader figure characterization represents a universally accepted common authority for households, governments, religions and even corporate entities.  Thus both reasons typically promote the recognition of God the Father as our creator and authoritative figure.  In simple terms, God the Father is our provider.

God the Son

God the Son had two primary roles.  The first and most obvious is that of redemption or salvation.  Jesus Christ, God Himself on Earth in human form, comes to reconcile humankind for his own sake and for the sake of humankind.  That is, He came to restore us!  God wanted to rectify His creation by providing the required purity.  He needed to satisfy and justify the Holy intent of His original creation, because we could not.  This satisfaction process is coupled with the final atonement for sin.  This final redemption serves to validate our victory over death and promises eternal life with God.  The second focus or role is to demonstrate to mankind how to live a reverent Christ-like life.  God yearns for us to emulate that of Christ and therefore provides an example of a “perfect” life as an inspiration.  God the Son is our redeemer and intercessory.

God the Holy Spirit

This is likely the toughest person of the Trinity for most to comprehend.  First and foremost, it requires adherence to the first two persons of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit proceeds forth from the Father and the Son.  The Holy Spirit functions as an interpreter, arbitrator and protector of God’s unflawed intentions or will.  It is the mechanism by which we feel His love, His confidence, His wisdom and His peace.  The Holy Spirit exists to strengthen and preserve the relationship between God and His people, by providing assurance at all times.   God the Holy Spirit is our sustainer who regenerates us and brings us peace.

Prayer - Our Heavenly Triune God, thank  you for giving us the grace the comes forth from God the Son, for the love that blankets us from God the Father, and for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that guides us daily.  You are truly a remarkable God!  We pray that you continue to grow us in your likeness and that you strengthen us during our walk with you.  We ask for your mercies to be upon us daily; we need them more today than ever before.  We pray all in the name that saves; in the name of Christ we ask all.

Pastor Jon

Works cited – Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Print.