God is...Self-sufficient.

Lets talk about God...the fact that He is self-sufficient. I can't think of a subject that is more important...or exciting. The term self-sufficient means: "able to provide what one needs without outside help.

"God is seeking to speak himself out to His creation.

The whole Bible supports the idea.

God is speaking.

Not God spoke,

but God is speaking."

A.W. Tozer

And God is speaking to you and to me, right now, today. The question of course is, Are we listening? He has so many wonderful things that He wants to tell us. There are so many lessons we need to learn, truths about Himself that He wants to pass on to us. The desire of His heart is that we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is Yaweh, Jehovah, the Great I am, the God of the Bible and the Lord. He wants us to understand that He is not only eternal and self-existent but self-sufficient as well. Self-sufficient in that He had no origin or beginning and He will have no end. Self-sufficient in that He possesses all things and is able to support and maintain His life without any help or assistance from anyone or anything, including you and me. When we grapple with these formidable facts and begin to understand, at least to some degree, who and what He is....we are blessed.

So why is the fact that God is self-sufficient so important? Well, to be honest until about a year ago I didn't have a clue. I had never explored the self-sufficient side of God's nature. Then I started attending an in-depth Bible study in the Book of Genesis. It took us about amonth to work our way through chapters one and two alone. The information and truths that were presented opened my eyes not only to the miracle of creation but also the Creator Himself. I started thinking about God existing before there was anything, and it humbled me. In Genesis 1:2 it states clearly,

"And the earth was formless and void,

and darkness was over the surface of the deep;

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the

surface of the waters."

Think about that for a minute. God was...hovering. Hovering meaning contemplating, preparing, looking forward to some special and awesome event. But what "event"?

Well, look at Genesis 1:26. What does it say? God says to...God,

"Let Us make man in Our image,

according to Our likeness;

and let them rule over the fist of the sea

and over the birds of the sky

and over the cattle and over all the earth,

and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

God the Father...God the Son...and the Holy Spirit got together. They had a meeting you might say and came to a cooperate and unanimous decision. A decision to...create man. And that's key. There wasn't something lacking in God's life that needed to be filled. The Godhead existed very nicely and happily before man. What that means is: God made man because He wanted man. Wanted! And when you consider that fact soberly...and reflect on how extra-ordinary that is...it changes everything.

A.W. Tozer wrote this profound statement: "We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is." And for you and I to grapple with the fact that God is self-sufficient is a good place to start. Why? Because...well, when we witness God forming man from the dust of the earth...and He breaths the breath of life into his nostrils...

when we reflect on the reality that the very same God who created Adam personally formed you and me in our mother's womb...and He did so because He wanted us...well, we are better able to see what an awesome and undeserved gift God has given us. What "gift"? The gift of life.

"What is man that Thou art mindful of him?

And the son of man, that Thou

visited him?"

Psalm 8:4

TAKING IT PERSONAL

Today meditate on the fact that God is self-sufficient and that He wanted You! Consider how that scriptural fact plays into the personal relationship you have with Him. Write down your thoughts and impressions. Thank God...let Him know how much you appreicate Him.

Until next time,

Love in Christ, Patty Clark

Searching for God...

Hello!

I have had the pleasure of leading a series of Bible studies this year about the nature and character of God. To say the least it has been exciting. So many of God's people in one place...
studying God's Word. So many of God's children hungry for His Word. The study is entitled: "Here Is Your God." The purpose is to lead us to the person of God and allow us to see Him as He is...learn the truth of who He is and what He is doing...what He wants to do in and through you and me. A deeper understanding of God...our Maker and Savior. That is what we are after. That is what this study is for. Its been life-changing. That's why I decided to share these studies with you.

Each week I will post a portion of the study. All you have to do is read it, meditate on it, and answer the questions that appear at the end of each lesson. Pray. Ask Jesus to tell you what He wants you to know. Be receptive, teachable, and expectant. Because He does have some marvelous truths that He wants to share with you. Are you up for it? Okay...lets go. But first,

Jesus,

The world we live in is a busy place.

Give us grace to be still...and seek You in Your Word.

Speak to us...and teach us to listen.

We seek You...fill us with Your power

Help us set our minds on the things of heaven.

Teach us.

In Your precious name we pray. Amen.

_____

"BUT FROM THERE YOU WILL SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD,

AND YOU WILL FIND HIM IF YOU SEARCH FOR HIM

WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND ALL YOUR SOUL."

Deuteronomy 4:29

_____

GOD IS ETERNAL

"For thus says the high and exalted One

Who lives forever, whose name is Holy.

"I will dwell on a high and holy place,

and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit

in order to revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite."

Isaiah 57:15

We are an in-the-moment kind of people. In fact our culture emphasizes how important it is to take advantage of every minute of every day, so that we will fully enjoy each experience that comes our way. And that's a good thing! We are taught to live life to its fullest. That's a good thing, obviously, because we never get a second chance. But this philosophy of being-in-the-moment is nothing new. In fact the apostle Paul talked about it in Ephesians 5:16 when he said, "...make the most of your time, because the days are evil." And James wrote this about the fragility and brevity of life, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." (James 4:14) Life is a precious gift and in honor of God we should use it wisely and handle it with great sobriety and care.

But there is the eternal side of life that we need to consider too. A bigger picture as they say, that we need to think about. Why? Because you and I are eternal beings, in a sense, after-all. Depending on what we believe...what we decide to do about Jesus...our faith in Him, or lack thereof, that all-important decision will determine where we spend eternity. If we reject the fact that Jesus died for our sins and don't accept Him as our personal Savior, when we die we will go to hell. On the other hand, if we do believe in Jesus and accept His offer of salvation...

believe that He died for our sins and was crucified, buried, and rose from the grave on the third day...we will be spiritually born again and spend eternity with Him in heaven. You see the point is: God is eternal and, in a sense, so are we.

It is important that you and I understand that God has existed through-out time. He had no beginning. He will have no end. And as human beings, that should give us hope. There is Someone bigger, better, and more powerful and infinitely wiser than we are. He's been around forever and He is a someone who sees all and knows everything. He can be our personal Savior if we let Him be. And even though this world seems to be spinning out of control there is an eternal God who is sovereign and is in control. We can trust Him. We should trust Him. Plus, miracle-of-miracles, we don't have to wait until we get to heaven to know Him and enjoy His presence and experience His grace, everyday, at work in our lives.

You know, the interesting thing is, the eternal God who created us...He knows all about who and what we are, and what we are doing. What's more, He wants us to enjoy life and live it to the fullest. There is a God who has existed forever and He wants to touch our lives and bless us...bless YOU!

DRAW NEAR TO HIM...

AND HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU!

Blessings...Love in Christ, Patty Clark