Like The Air We Breathe

The air we breathe is essential for our minute-by-minute survival.  It surrounds us, though it is invisible.  We take from it every few seconds, yet it costs us nothing.  It is one of the most important components to sustain life, yet we usually don’t give it a second thought (unless it is suddenly taken away).

God is like the air we breathe – He surrounds us constantly, though He is invisible.  Whether we acknowledge Him or not, we need God to sustain and uphold all universal laws to keep us alive every moment of every day.  We take from Him continuously and yet it costs us nothing (hence the saying, ‘The best things in life are free.’).  And sadly, we don’t give Him a second thought - unless we are in desperate need.
Each lungful of oxygen demonstrates God’s ‘amazing grace’ that sustains us.  Without it, we would all be in very deep water indeed. (Job 36:22-33)

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The Whisper-Still Voice

There are many sounds we hear constantly, but when they become familiar we cease to heed them.

Many people say, ‘If God exists, why doesn’t He reveal Himself with a big, booming voice from Heaven?’ 
God purposely created us with volition.  He is a Gentleman and will not coerce our free-will.  While it’s true His voice can topple mountains, a big booming voice from Heaven would scare us all into submission.  God does not want us to worship Him because of fear but because of love.  That is not to say He is always silent.  He actually talks to us all the time in a whisper-still voice so as not to intrude on our free-will.  We often call the ‘Voice of God’ our conscience.  He speaks to us constantly, but we either tell Him to be quiet or, sadly, we have ceased to listen to Him altogether.   

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Our Invisible Friend

Young children sometimes talk to their teddy bears and dolls, which is generally accepted as normal behaviour.  But if a child appears to be continually talking to thin air and responding to unheard questions, most people would soon query the child’s sanity. 

As Christians, we proclaim to the world that we have an Invisible Friend.  To a world that has become deaf to God’s call and blind to His presence, it is easy to understand that many may think we are crazy.  All they see is a bunch of nutty people talking (praying) and responding (Christian Service) to the demands of their Invisible Friend.
This is where many Christians may be tested to deny God.  Even when we hear His whisper-quiet voice and feel His presence, we ignore our Invisible Friend because we don’t want the world to consider us insane.  But we must remember, the day is coming when we all will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and our once Invisible Friend will be visible to all.  How will we respond when Christ questions: ‘I have always been a Good Friend to you and faithfully stood by you - but what sort of a friend were you to Me?  Did you stand by Me?’
Will we reply feebly: ‘I’m sorry I didn’t - someone may have thought me mad.’

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The Perfect Sculptor

Sculpture is defined as the art of cutting, carving or otherwise rendering solid material into an ornamental or aesthetically pleasing form. A gifted sculptor can see a work of art within a solid object and have the ability to reveal it. 

God is a Perfect Sculptor and, no matter how hard the world has made us, He can see a spiritual artwork within each of us waiting to be revealed.  Like any good sculptor, God doesn’t go to work with a sledgehammer because He knows that too much pressure applied too quickly will only cause the artwork to break.  Instead, God patiently chips away at the edges to slowly reveal a spiritual artwork.  Attainment of spiritual maturity usually comes through numerous small steps of rehabilitation and we shouldn’t be discouraged when our spiritual growth seems slow.  God is patient – and we should also be patient.  He intends us all to be masterpieces of grace and this takes time.  If we allow God to have His way, bit by bit, the person God wants us to be will be revealed.  Our sinful parts will be chipped away to reveal a sculpture of Grace - a living artwork many people will appreciate. 

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The Missing Key

A man who had lost his car-keys sat down in his house upset and depressed.  Many hours later his wife returned home and asked him what was wrong.
‘I’ve lost my keys and can’t go anywhere without them,’ he roared.
‘OK, calm down - where have you searched?’ she asked, trying to be helpful.
The man looked dumfounded and replied: ‘Well, I haven’t actually looked anywhere!’

 In life, we all sense something very important is missing - a gap that needs to be filled.  We may try to fill this gap with accomplishments, social life, self-improvement classes or expensive toys, but these things will never satisfy and will only emphasize our emptiness.   Until we seriously start searching we can’t expect to find the ‘missing key’.  When finally we get off our mental-backside and look in the right place, we quickly discover that God was never hiding – we were just ignoring Him.  God does not force Himself on anyone; yet He always reveals Himself to those who seek Him.  Since God created us with free-will, He must respect it.  He patiently waits for any who desire an eternal relationship with Him and, for those who seek, God is honour-bound to reveal.  Only through Him will we be complete and fulfill the purpose for which we are created. (Deuteronomy 4:29.  John 8:32)

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A Responsible Giver

It would be foolish and irresponsible to hand car-keys to a small child to go for a joy-ride, as it would be to let a child play with a circular saw, an electric drill or a nail gun.  These items were not designed for children, who do not have the ability, strength, or understanding to handle these things safely.  It would only be a matter of time before they injured themselves and those around them. 

Our Heavenly Father is not an irresponsible giver.  He withholds many blessings until we (His children) have the capacity to handle them without causing injury to ourselves and those around us.  Sometimes success, marriage and prosperity elude us because God is patiently waiting for us to grow up.  If we were given these blessings without the capacity to handle them, it would only be matter of time before a serious accident occurred.

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Not a Crime-lord

Crime-lords, godfathers and kingpins who send out their thugs to shake down local businesses for a percentage of their takings have sadly been a recurrent theme throughout history.  The victims usually pay through fear of attracting the local crime-lord's personal attention – knowing that if they don’t voluntarily ‘cough-up’ the money, bad things will invariably happen to them and their business. 

Sadly, too many Christians view God as a Godfather, our Lord as a Crime-lord and the King of Kings as a Kingpin.  They fear God will cause misfortune and maladies to happen in their lives if they don’t voluntarily ‘cough-up’ a percentage of their earnings.  If they believe God is trying to shake-them-down, they actually believe God is a criminal; no wonder many are trying to pay Him off to leave them alone.  Who wants a personal relationship with a thug! 
But God is not a gangster, He is our loving Father and paying Him off is one of the greatest insults we can unconsciously do.  God doesn’t need our meagre money; He has the riches of the universe at His disposal - He cannot be bought, bullied or blackmailed.  What He desires is for us to freely begin a personal relationship with Him so He can bless, protect and guide us.  Ironically, when we treat God like a thug by coughing-up money and enduring church once a week so as to be left alone, God must respect our free-will and leave us to fend for ourselves in the Devil’s Kingdom.   

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Staying on Track

A train is a powerful locomotive, yet it cannot move freely about in all directions.  A train can only move where the tracks are laid.  And when a moving train derails, the result is always catastrophic.

God is the engine powering all of Existence.  He has been described as the Unmovable-Mover.  God is absolute perfection - He is all-powerful, all-knowing and is simultaneously in the present, past and future.  Even so, like a train God is very restricted in which direction He can go.  He must always remain perfect.  This means He can never make a mistake, can never lie or be wrong - God must always maintain His perfect standard of righteousness, justice, fairness and love. 
God can never compromise His perfect character (no matter how we pray He would concede to our own personal circumstances).  God must always stay perfectly on track - if He ever derailed even once (compromised, erred, sinned or failed), He would cease to be perfect - and that would cause the biggest disaster in the universe.

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The Perfect Potter

A potter can be simply defined as a maker of earthenware vessels.

As Christians, we are lumps of clay ready for moulding, but the question is: By whom?  If the World shapes us, we will end up as useless, broken vessels.  However, there is a Perfect Potter (God) and He is always ready to start His miraculous work.  He starts the moment we choose to put ourselves in His capable hands.  If we let this Perfect Potter have His way, He will gently pick us up and wet us with the ‘Water of Grace’.  Then, He will place us on the ‘Wheel of Life’ and start it spinning.  True, we may become dizzy, but life is where He moulds us into shape.  When we are the form He intends (like a vase, cup or pot – no vessel is ever the same), He places us in the ‘Kiln of Testing’.  To a newly shaped lump of clay, this is a most frightening time.  If the vessel is not properly prepared, the hot furnace will break it.
But we need not fear; we are in the hands of a Perfect Potter.  He knows the exact time to place us in the kiln. He moulded us perfectly to withstand the heat (God has promised never to test us beyond what we are able to bear).  The heat in the kiln can be extreme, but it has a purpose - to harden us (lumps of clay) into the exact shape the Perfect Potter intends (Christ-like).  Soon, we will be an earthenware vessel into which God can pour His divine purpose and many blessings, which we in turn can pour out onto others.   

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The Infinite Imagination

Imagination is defined as the act or power of forming mental images not actually present.

Before creation came imagination.  Before God created the universe He had to imagine it.  What an imagination God must have!  He created the world and everything within, (except sin - that was our addition).  He created animals with all their strange and unique habits.  He created land, seas, skies, rivers and forests as living playgrounds for the enjoyment of His creatures.  He created a variety of seasons and foods for all tastes.  However, this earth and all its wonders are just preludes for what is yet to come.  The universe is where God has poured His infinite imagination. 
So what does the future hold for us in our new resurrection bodies?  Will we be able to ride the cosmic clouds as a surfer rides a wave?  Will a planet bubbling with lava be a universal spa and sauna?   What sights and experiences does God have in store for us?  It will be a pure delight to discover the fruits of God’s imagination.  Whatever our legitimate interests, God has catered for them in eternity.
If we spent a billion years touring God’s “Universal Exhibition”, we would be no closer to exhausting His infinite imagination than when we first began.  It is a show not to be missed.  The good news is - God has paid for our tickets and reserved a seat for all who know Him.

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The Omniscient Chess Player

Satan considers himself unbeatable at the game of chess.  To give the devil his due, no other creature can play like him.  To Satan, we humans are pieces on a chessboard to be sacrificed without a second thought.  Since humanity began, Satan has been maneuvering so he can yell ‘CHECKMATE’ to God.  At times it seemed he had the game nearly in the bag (the Garden of Eden, the Flood, the Exodus and so on).  So many times Satan has yelled, ‘CHECK’, but at the last minute God has always blocked him.  Throughout human history Satan has tried to secure his win with a ‘CHECKMATE’.  However, much to his annoyance, God is an all-knowing, omniscient chess-player and is always one step ahead to block that anticipated final move. 
At the cross, God turned the game around and said ‘CHECK’ to Satan.  Since then, the devil has tried desperate moves, callously sacrificing his pieces to get out of God’s ‘CHECK’.  Now, it is plainly evident to all that Satan is playing a losing game.  At the end of time, God will say to Satan, ‘CHECKMATE’, and all Satan’s pieces will be removed from the board.

Human history is like the chessboard and we humans are the chess pieces; however, unlike normal chess pieces, we humans have free-will and can decide in which direction we move.  The game is winding up.  Satan is desperate.  He is frantically trying to recruit new pieces to sacrifice.  If he can, Satan will employ God’s pieces to use against Him. 
We must question whose side of the board we are on.  Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean God is moving us.  We mustn’t fool ourselves - if we are not allowing God to work freely in our lives and move us where He will, we are Satan’s pawns - there is no middle ground.  We must continuously resist the devil by giving ourselves, as a living sacrifice, to God to use wisely and graciously.

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The Source of Light

The sun is the source of all light.  The moon illuminates the night only with reflected light from the sun.

Jesus Christ is like the sun - the source of light.  Without the light from the sun (Son) we would all be in complete darkness.  Our purpose, as Christians, is to be like the moon and reflect Christ’s light in places of darkness.
At first, we are like a crescent moon.  We reflect very little light because the world casts a great shadow over us.  As we grow in grace we reflect more of Christ’s light over the world.  Then, like the full moon (a mature Christian), we will light the path for those walking in darkness. 

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The Perfect Hairdresser

A hairdresser is a person who cuts and styles hair.  We all want to find a professional hairdresser who is reliable, gives sound advice, knows our needs and can provide a great ‘do’ for every occasion.

God is the Perfect Hairdresser.  He can see us from all angles and knows the best style for each of us.  The problem is we keep snatching the scissors from Him thinking we can do a better job - but what a mess we make!

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The Ghost Writer

A ghost-writer is someone who writes speeches, books or articles for another individual who then claims authorship.  National leaders use them to prepare inspiring speeches and famous people use them to write their autobiographies.  Ghost-writers work quietly behind the scenes and the praise for their accomplishments usually goes to someone else.

It is up to us to whom we choose to write our life story.  As a Christian we have the greatest ghost-writer of all time at our disposal.  Our personal Ghost-Writer is the Holy Spirit - on call 24 hours a day.  He is the Inspirer of the inspirers.  He gives us the words to say when we need them most.  He has a way of writing about life’s confusing moments so they make complete sense. 
However, we may choose not to use our divine Ghost-Writer and try to write it ourselves.  We may think we are professional but it will soon become clear to those correctly reading our life that it is filled with mistakes and makes little sense. 
When finally we hand the pen to God, the Holy Spirit will start writing and every sentence (day) will be meaningful.  Our life will also be an inspirational story to encourage others.  True, we may get the credit for our extraordinary Christian life, but in reality all credit must go to our divine Ghost-Writer who has done all the work. 

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Sharing the Pain

Loving parents share the pain of their children.  When something bad happens to a child (such as an injury, illness, rejection or failure) the parent also shares it.  Love connects people.  When we love someone, we invest part of ourselves in them – and when the object of our love suffers, so also do we.

God is the ultimate loving parent.  True, at times He has to discipline, but He loves us so much that He also shares our pain, even as He punishes us (thus the old saying: this is going to hurt me more than it will you).  As Christians, God dwells in us and is with us 24/7.  He has truly invested Himself in us.  When we suffer through injury, illness, loss or rejection – God suffers with us.  He knows our pain and grief, and wants to comfort us.  However, on the flip side, like any parent, God also shares our moments of greatest joy and triumph.

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The Wind

Wind is defined as air that is set in motion by natural causes.  Since wind is an invisible current, how can we be sure it exists?  We can deduce wind’s existence and presence by how it influences the objects that surround it.  We see trees swaying, flags fluttering, clouds moving and so on. We can also feel its force on our skin and can hear it when it blows through certain objects.

We cannot see God, but just because He is not seen doesn’t mean He is not there.  To us, God is an invisible force.  In revealing Himself, He is unpredictable like the wind.  Most of the time, God is like the still air that invisibly surrounds and sustains us.  At other times, He is like a gentle breeze that relieves on a hot day.  Yet, on occasion, He can be a hurricane that rips the roofs off those who are sheltering in their ignorance and refuse to acknowledge His existence.
God is everywhere (omnipresent) and, like the invisible wind, we can deduce His presence by the way He affects things around Him.   We can witness God’s wonderful design in Creation.  We can see the changes in people’s lives that have trusted in Him.  We can hear God’s whisper quiet voice as it blows through our conscience.  Furthermore, as wind makes a distinct sound when blown through an instrument, God works through the lives of many Christians so His message is clearly heard around the world.  (John 3:8, Psalms 19:1)

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