Awesomeness of God

There is a popular contemporary worship song titled "Awesome God". It is a fun song and it is a great thought. But as much as we might like to sing it and as much as we know that God is awesome, I think as we go through the routine of each day, the awesomeness of God escapes us. I was reminded of this during our Sunday school class this week, during the Disciple class last night, and today during our devotional time.
The wonder of creation with its intricacies and majestic nature is awesome in and of itself, but to think that God created all of it is just beyond my comprehension. Even people who do not believe in God are awed by the miraculous nature of the known universe.
Our devotion today suggested that we try the following exercise when God's awesomeness escapes us. Contemplate the vastness of this creation; then contemplate the amazing details of it; then consider all the things God has done in redemptive history and also in your life. Then realize the awesome truth: The God of all that power, who has done all those things, and who continues to sustain it all, is the God who is watching over you.
Our God is an awesome God!

Day of Reflection

          Today I had the opportunity to reflect on how God has intersected with my life and taken me to places that I did not want to go but places that made an extreme difference in my life.  I wanted to be an orthodontist but ended up as an army officer then a pastor.  I wanted to be a father but that did not work out and I had to settle for being a dad.  I wanted to go to Hawaii and he took me to Misawa, Japan where I adopted my daughters.  I wanted to teach third grade, he wanted me to listen.  I thought my life was ruined when I was divorced and he showed be a new life beyond my wildest expectations.  So many times when I was in the Army he put me in the right place to use the gifts he gave me.  He sent me to Bethel to use the gifts he gave me and to pass on the lessons I had learned in my faith journey.
          Today I wonder how many of us go through life trying to do things our way and being satisfied with what we can forge for ourselves.  It took me a long time to realize that my vision for myself was so limited and so self-centered.  Life is so much different today.  I do not try to please others, or even myself; in what I do I try to please God.  And you know what -- it may seem a daunting task but it is not.  I have begun to realize that there are some things I can do and some things I am not so good at.  And if I can just focus on doing the best I can at all that I do, God will not ask any more of me.
          I wonder how many of us try to be the best persons we can.  I wonder how many of us focus on being the best spouse we can be.  I wonder how many of us focus on being the best parent we can be.  And as we do all that, I wonder if we realize how God is leading us AND how we resist!
          Stay tuned, there will be more to come.