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Archive for the ‘Explanations’ Category

Christ — Sustaining Power

Posted in Christ, Explanations, God, Jesus, tagged , on September 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“[H]is Son, the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power”– Hebrews 1:1-3

1957 Plymouth Belvedere

In 1957 a grand experiment was conducted in Tulsa Oklahoma. A new Plymouth Belvedere was entombed in a “time capsule”, sprayed with cosmoline, wrapped in plastic, and buried in a concrete tomb, wheels off the ground.

What did they find fifty (50) years later? A heap of rust. Things deteriorate unless they are maintained. This world world be the same way were it not for Christ. As the Bible states,

“The earth is filled with your creatures. All of them depend on you … when you take away your breath, they die and go back to the dust from which they came. But when you give them breath, they are created; you give new life to the earth.” – Psalm 104:24-30 GNT

God did not spin the world off and forget it. Christ sustains it by his powerful word. This is not the power of some angel; he has never been an angel. Jesus, our risen Lord, is the one who has always sustained all things by the word of his power and we shall always be his special creation.

We need to stop looking at how big and powerful our problems are and focus on how big and powerful our Savior is.

— fritz@langgang.com

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Christ — Creator

Posted in Christ, Creation, Explanations, Jesus, tagged , on September 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

God … hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son … by whom also he made the worlds” — Hebrews 1:1a,2

God is universally known as the creator but the Bible tells us the agent of that creation was the Son. The point here is that Jesus was not part of God’s creation but the actual creator.

Hebrews is not the only place this is said. Though the book of Genesis indicates God spoke things into existence, the Gospel of John tells us that the Word actually did it, whom we came to know as Jesus. (Maybe that is why John calls him the Word)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) – John 1:1,3,14

Jesus wasn’t (and isn’t) just a godly man who did godly things. When Thomas, the doubting disciple, bowed before the risen Jesus and exclaimed, “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28), he was right to do so.

— fritz@langgang.com

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Quietly Fading Away

Posted in Church, Committment, Compassion, Conflict, Explanations, Quotes, Relationships, Seth Godin, tagged on September 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Song of Solomon

[His call] “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse … Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” [Her response] “I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?” [but later] I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.” — Song of Solomon 5:1-3, 6

Some see the Biblical “Song of Solomon” as nothing more than ancient poetry but within its pages there is an important lesson — no relationship remains static, it either grows or quietly wains.

Whether with Christ or each other, within a church or secular organization, relationships are quietly built or diminished with personal responsiveness or its lack.

Seth Godin, motivational speaker and blogger, puts it this way

“Most partnerships don’t end up in court.

Most friendships don’t end in a fight.

Most customers don’t leave in a huff.

Instead, when one party feels underappreciated, or perhaps taken advantage of, she stops showing up as often. Stops investing. Begins to move on …

Just because there are no firestorms on the porch doesn’t mean you’re doing okay. More likely, there are relationships out there that need more investment, quiet customers who are unhappy but not making a big deal out of it. They’re worth a lot more than the angry ones.” — Read Seth Godin’s complete post here

It takes alertness to the subtle change and a reaching out.

— fritz@langgang.com
See related post: “Jesus Passing By” – May 21, 2011

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