Sanctification and Reformation

Oldest lighthouse in Scotland OMNIPOTENCE Several decades ago there was an epic show called Star Trek. It was widely viewed by millions every week as the space ship Enterprise would go boldly where no man had ever gone before.   As with many shows, they get misquoted and then the misquote receives the most attention in history – but it didn’t even happen… One of these quotes occurs in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" where actor Jim Carrey speaks into the camera saying, “I can’t do it Captain. I don’t. Have. The power!” Supposedly this was a rip off from ship master Scotty in Star Trek but interestingly Scotty never made the quote. However, Jim Carrey’s misquote retained all the attention. What does this have to do with God’s omnipotence? Not much – but that the simple sentiment is something we can all relate to.   There are many things we wish we could do but for which we lack the power.   We’d like to cure poverty, hunger, war, disease, and Washington DC, bu

Many of us are frustrated by our kids or friends of ours who check their phones at dinner time.   They’re physically present but they’re mentally somewhere else. My wife lovingly points this out to me when I check Facebook or text messages and I’m supposed to be giving her my attention instead of my social media notifications. But unlike my easily distracted mind, God is laser-focused on everything and everyone, everywhere, at all times and in all places. That’s a hard thing to comprehend… This attribute of God, if I’m honest, was the biggest surprise to me as I studied. I knew God was everywhere but I’m not sure how much time I’ve spent dwelling on it, especially the implications of it.   In other words, God is omnipresent but why does it matter? I hope to whet your appetite so that you will look into this more.   Maybe pick a morning, go for a hike, and meditate on these passages of scripture and what they mean for the believer’s life. The puritan Richard Sibb sa

“Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you — majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders" Exodus 15:11 The throne room of heaven is a fantastic scene. It is richly depicted in Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6. The visions give a glimpse of God in a light that is critical if we are to understand Who He is in a right way. Today, that attribute is God’s holiness. In these scenes of the Old and New Testaments, we are treated to imagery of creatures that declare God’s glory without ceasing. But there is only one attribute that is being eternally declared around that throne in heaven: God’s holiness. They are not crying out ‘ love, love, love’ or ‘ truth, truth truth’ despite being good and right attributes of God’s character. Holiness, however, is the attribute that proceeds from the mouths of those beings which were created for the express purpose of glorifying God for all eternity. Ask yourself when the last time you heard a pastor called his