Wednesday, December 8, 2010

8 December 2010

There Is Only Room For One God In This World

I woke up this morning with the thought:
There is only room for one god in this universe, and that is the Lord God of Hosts, the Lord God Almighty.
And there is only room for one god in my personal world, and that god is the same, the Lord God Almighty.

Well, of course. So?

I was thinking about the majesty, the holiness, and the overwhelming intensity of the light that radiates from the Lord God. And I was thinking about how we're all going to fall down at His feet as dead, as it says in Revelations 1:16,17

16..., and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me,"Do not be afraid" (Good news here. "Don't be afraid.")

Also, all of Isaiah chapter 40 declares the majesty and glory of the Lord God. Verses 15-17 are especially pointed:
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17
All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

OK, so?

This world cannot contain two overwhelmingly intense sources of light. There is only one LORD OF LORDS, AND KING OF KINGS. There is no contest, no struggle, no other god at all!

So?

Well, of course, this argues against polytheism.

It also argues for the Trinity, since Revelations 1 describes the Lord Jesus Christ.

But thirdly, it strongly warns against idolatry in my personal world, especially the idolatry of self. If all the nations of the world are nothing, what then is just one person? Absolutely nothing! And yet, He loves us! Amazing! Especially amazing knowing how much we've messed things up in our lives.

Which brings up a related point. The Lord God loves us enough to drive the idolatry out of our lives. I'm experiencing this now, and it's not pleasant, but I'm glad, for the end result will be very good, exceedingly good.

Know that the Lord God loves you, too, and in fact has numbered all the hairs of your head, as it says in Matthew 10:30. With that in mind, know that we can't hide from Him, not that we should want to, for He loves us. So embrace Him, and all that He is doing, knowing that He tempers His judgment with mercy and grace, for He is exceedingly merciful and gracious.

Let me end with some encouragement from the end of Isaiah chapter 40:

25 "
To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.
26
Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things,Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: " My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Hallelujah!


All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.