Complexities

A dear friend of mine was studying the spirit and the soul recently, becoming amazed and almost overwhelmed by the complexity we humans possess. He made the brilliant observation that 'because we are made in God's image, we are far deeper that we think we are.'

That may seem simplistic at first, but in actuality, it is a profound truth.

God is a very complex Being, and so far past our finding out that we could not bear any more than a mere glimmer of His Presence, and because He loves us, that's all He will give us, lest we be destroyed.

People read through the Bible as if it were a novel, and become disappointed or disallusioned by what they read, because God is not at all like what they have created Him to be in their minds.

Even His very word is far, far more complex than what a casual novelistic style of reading will reveal. Layers upon layers upon layers, such that we mere humans can never come to the end of it.

Why should it be any different with us, who are nothing more that the works of His Hands, we who are made in His Image?

Before the microscope, man cut into men for the cause of learning, and found a complex miriad of organs and tubes and bladders and vessels, all working together harmoniously, for the most part, except when one or the other failed and the body ceased to function at all.

Then they developed the microscope, and discovered a whole new set of complexities they could not even have imaged previously, individual blood vessels carrying oxygenated blood to every portion of the body, and even the very blood much more than a simple red fluid, comprised of white cells and red cells and many other things they had to create names for. At that time, it was assumed that the cell was the smallest portion of a man, or any object.

But then came the electron microscope, and once again, another whole world of complexity was revealed, rendering the 'simple cell' into a complex machine with hundreds of parts, and whole libraries full of information previously unknown. The genome was discovered, then decoded (required whenever a 'code' is found to exist). Somehow, the existence of that very code and what it implied escaped many, or they intentionally ignored the implications. (But God knows, for He wrote the code. We indeed are the product of the Words of His Mouth, spoken into existence.)

And now we understand the individual proteins and the particles that comprise them. And we think we have discovered the smallest things in existence.

In all that complexity, it nowhere even touches on the whole realm of soul and spirit. Nor will I here. But I could not allow such a gem of an obeservation to go by unmentioned.

'Fixing' The World

Everywhere we turn today, we see Christian brothers and sisters caught up in the evils of this world. Not caught up as in partaking of it, but rather caught up trying to 'fix' the world.

They believe that if they speak enough, or pray enough, or demonstrate enough, or even whine enough, that they will be able to make this world a better place, to rid the world of the evils of abortion, homosexuality, drug abuse and terrorism, and on and on.....

While seemingly a grand and noble venture, abounding in opportunity for congratulations and 'well done's', it is nevertheless NOT what God has called us to do. Rather, we are called to 'come out from among them'.

Lot was confused by this same issue. He chose the valley of Jordan to live in because of it's beauty and abundance in water and vegetation. But Sodom was there. It was a blemish in the land. And very quickly we see Lot 'sitting in the gate' of Sodom, an idiom for having a position of authority, a judge. He thought that he could 'fix' Sodom. He, who saw no need to judge himself, became a judge of the world, condemning them and 'showing them the light', as it were.

But in the end, we see that his efforts were useless, and the city was not changed one whit for all his effort and judgment. In fact, he himself had sunk to such a low that he now equated them as 'brothers'.

Now Lot was righteous. The Word says so. But not because of his actions. That fact is testified by him being 'brought out' of Sodom before it's destruction. His 'salvation' was not in question. But he was a carnal man. And when he was brought out, he came out smelling like smoke, and all the works of his hands burnt up. He was left with nothing but his two daughters and a jug of wine for all his efforts of 'fixing' that which cannot be fixed.

In the end, this world will burn up, and we cannot save it. It's destiny is predetermined. So why do we spend so much time trying to fix it? Instead, we should be coming OUT of it, and leading others OUT.

Degrees of Light

Many times through my life, I have become impatient with my brothers and sisters in Christ, frustrated that they could not see what I see, or understand what I understand. Many have been the harsh thoughts and harsh words and judgments toward those, who for whatever reason did not live up to my expectations of them.
I have since come to realize that each of us are right where we are by God's grace, and that the light that one stands in, he stands only because God has brought him to that place, and to that degree of light. Not all are in that place, nor can all endure what light each of us may have.
It is through God's tender love and mercy that He so deals with us. If He were to reveal His full light to a babe in Christ, that very light, good and blessed in itself, would destroy that babe, and so God reveals Himself, His light, in degrees, according to our ability to handle it.
And thus, there are some standing in one place, while others are in quite another place, each being right where God has allowed him to be, for his own sake. And if this be true, then far be it from us to judge another for the amount of light that one has, or does not have.