The Heaton File

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples. (Matthew 26:30-35)

False Courage

Peter is a great study of character. He is impetuous, self-assured, impulsive and on occasion right. The man we are introduced to in the gospel accounts is not the same man we find in his epistles. Growth comes to Peter during that transition. His self-confidence is his downfall as evident in the final hours of Jesus’ life. During the Passover feast Jesus washes the disciple’s feet explaining how they should be servants to one another. The revealing of a traitor among them confuses them still unaware of the sudden death of Jesus that looms ahead. Using Zechariah as a backdrop for the garden message Jesus tells the eleven how they would desert him as sheep scattered in time of crisis. Peter immediately separates himself from his fellow apostles declaring while they would abandon Christ he would never do such a thing. Warned by Jesus of his own personal failure Peter again affirms he was willing to die for Jesus if necessary. Hollow words. False courage.

The rest of the story is well known. Shocked by the sudden arrest of Jesus by a huge mob the disciples flee. Fearing for their lives they go into hiding. Peter stays on the fringe of the events of the night trying to understand what is happening. Asked three times if he was a disciple of Jesus he denies his Lord with a final denial of cursing. Jesus looks into the eyes of Peter and the emboldened disciple who proclaimed his courage hours before now flees weeping in sorrow at his debacle. Hollow words. False courage.

Peter would recover and go on to preach the message of a risen Savior to a world darkened by sin. His words are recorded first in Luke’s account of the beginning of the church. The ministry of Peter would be the focus of the first part of the Acts and two of his epistles would be preserved for prosperity. He was a changed man.

Jesus is a master teacher. He is filled with compassion, love and forgiveness. It was clear that Peter and the ten had no idea what was about to happen when He warned them of the events coming that night. His heart must have ached as Peter proudly boasted of his courage. Jesus knew better. Peter was a fickle man of great courage who needed greater courage to learn how to overcome his capricious nature. “I will never stumble” he bragged. Jesus did not rebuke him. He gently loved him and allowed the events of the next few days to mold his character.

So often we are not unlike Peter. It is easy to become smug in our courage as a Christian having the same boldness. Courage is a valuable part of our arsenal to defeat the wiles of the devil but taking stock of ourselves is where true valor begins. We need Christ to be strong. Peter tried to have courage apart from Christ. Little did he know how much he would need the Lord to be strong. Fighting the battle of sin cannot be done with hallow words of self-righteous faith. Sin can only be defeated through the power of God and Him alone! Prayer is the weapon of choice. The Word must be embedded in our lives deeply from hours of meditation. Fellowship with saints emboldens us with the necessary courage to fight together against Satan. Without the help of the Lord we will fail as Peter did.

Faith comes from the deliberation of the word of God. Without the grace of the Lord in our hearts we ring hallow in our courage. The power is the Word.

If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn’t. (Vance Havner)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. (Genesis 8:20-21)

Altar Worship

The last year was an incredible journey for Noah. No man has ever witnessed what he and his family lived through. First the terrible news of what was to become of the earth. Then the task of building an ark to house all the animals that were to be saved from the flood. The day of judgment arrived and gathering all the animals Noah joined his family in the ark of safety as the rains began to fall. Waters from the deep began to surge forward and in time the massive barge of gopher wood rose. All the people outside died. After forty days and nights the rains ceased but it would be more than eleven months before Noah and his family would stand on dry ground again.

Noah had seen firsthand the goodness and severity of God. He and his family had been blessed by the goodness of God because they believed in the promises. Every living being outside the ark learned the word of the Lord was true and perished in the flood. Only eight people stood on the earth. What a marvel that must have been to them. The first thing Noah did was not gather food, build a house or plant a garden. He built an altar. It was time to worship God.

Catastrophic events remind us of the power and grace of the Lord. Noah was a man of worship before the flood and it was only natural to worship his God first when he left the ark. People of God have a natural tendency to worship Him no matter the circumstances. Worship takes first place in their lives. There were a lot of things Noah needed to do in providing for his family. He realized that first things were first. Worship came before anything. People of God are like that.

Today is a day of worship. What we do today is to put God first in our lives. There is nothing we can do today that is more important than worshipping the ONE who saved us by His grace and demonstrates His wrath upon those who do not believe. We have so many opportunities to worship God as a collective group. It is sad that so many of God’s children try to do as little as they can. When Noah offered sacrifices to God the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Let our worship today be a sweet smelling incense to the Lord God Almighty and let us join with the saints in everything we have opportunity to be a part of today. Worship.

Faith is the light of time; it alone grasps the truth without seeing it; it touches what it does not feel; it sees this world as though it existed not, beholding quite other things than those which are visible. (J. P. De Caussade, Abandonment, 1880)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:3-8)

The Character Of Right Decisions

Life is filled with many battles. Often they are only skirmishes but more often than not the larger battles defeat us. We are overcome with the enormity of the challenge that we face and find it difficult to find a way to overcome. The key to winning the battles of life is to learn the lesson of early conditioning. Making right decisions today will help us make right decisions later in life. Sometimes the early decisions we make are not huge but without the character of making the right decisions in the small battles we will not be able to overcome the larger battles looming on the horizon.

Daniel and his friends were captives. Ripped from their homeland and made slaves of the conquering nation, they were in a less than ideal circumstance. Blessed with wisdom, good looks and a gift to serve in the palace of a king, they were put into a three year training program preparing them for the service of Nebuchadnezzar. The course of their training was learning the Babylonian language and the literature of Babylon. Their names were changed from giving honor to Jehovah God to names giving honor to the Babylonian gods. This was a quite a dramatic change for the four Jewish young men. It was also in their training to enjoy the provisions of the king’s delicacies and the wine which he drank. Most slaves would not enjoy the finer things of life. Daniel and his friends were in a fortunate position.

When the four young men were told their names would be changed there was a resignation to accept it with little objection. Interesting in the book of Daniel he retains his Jewish name but the other three are better known by their Babylonian names rather than their Jewish names. Learning the language and culture of the captive land would also be an advantage for them. They accepted this with the opportunity to serve the king. But the requirement to eat from the king’s table was an exception. Daniel had purposed in his heart not to defile himself with this food. Without the favor of God this would have been a very dangerous decision to make. Daniel trusted in the Lord.

The key to book of Daniel is this bold decision to refuse the king’s delicacies. If Daniel and his friends did not take a stand for righteousness in the beginning there would be no courage to stand before a fiery furnace or a den of lions. The character of making the right decisions knows how important the small choices we make impact the larger decisions later on. Daniel trusted in God in every part of his life. The boldness of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to refuse to fall down to worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar had already been cemented in the faith earlier. Daniel’s courage to continue to pray as he always did; suffering the penalty of being thrown into a lion’s den – came from the courage in chapter one. They were faithful to God in everything they did.

Daniel and his friends show us a pattern of character we must follow every day. Preparing for battle tomorrow takes conditioning today. Win those small battles of faith today with courage and you will find the strength to face the larger battles tomorrow. The book of Daniel is a great story.

Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears. (Arthur Koestler, Arrow in the Blue, 1951)

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.” Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment, because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly. For he does not know what will happen; so who can tell him when it will occur? No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt. (Ecclesiastes 8:2-9)

Honor The King

Government is established by God. From the first organization of man into a system of laws the Lord has expected His people to give honor to this basic institution. Paul writes about submitting to the government of the Roman Empire in his letter to the saints in Rome. Peter admonishes those (including himself) living under the tyrannical hand of Nero to ‘honor the king’ because government is established by God. From ancient time this has been the will of God. Solomon reminds us in the book of life our obedience to civil law is imperative because of our oath to God. The rule of government is power. As citizens of the kingdom of God we must submit to the authority of the kingdom of men. Those who obey the law will lessen the chances of being in trouble with the law. Rebellion to civil law is sin.

The pattern of the early disciples explains the relationship of the Christian to government in plain terms. Being warned to stop teaching Christ Peter and the apostles respectfully inform the government officials that obedience to God must come before obedience to man. Disobedience to civil law can only be done when the law of man disobeys the law of God. This does not suggest we can make the law of God apply to our personal gains or needs. Civil disobedience is sinful when the matters do not conflict with the law of God. Solomon was not suggesting that all governments of men are following the law of God. Few if any governments use the word of God for their guides. However children of God are obedient to civil government.

Civil government is established by God and all of the inequities committed will be judged by the Lord God. If there is any vengeance to be given it comes from the throne of God. The people of God are model citizens who obey the laws of the land – whether good or bad. Unless the law forbids the worship of the one true God obedience is required. These are tough lessons. We should always keep before us the words of Solomon: “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.”

The powers that be are ordained of God; whosoever therefore the power resisteth the ordinance of God. For rules are not a terror to good works, but to evil. (William Penn, Frame of Government for Pennsylvania, 1682)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; it shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky. (Psalm 89:33-37)

Faithful As The Moon

The air was crisp and the sky clear. Glowing softly upon a blanket of darkness the moon spread its beauty upon the earth. Ruling the night with a majestic glory God’s creation declared His power and might. When I look upon the moon in its full reflective light I think of the days when Abraham cast his eyes upon that same image or David as he guarded his sheep feeling the security of the great Shepherd upon him. Adam and Eve looked up into the night sky and the moon we see today is the same moon they looked upon. Two thousand years ago Jesus awakened in the night to look upon what you and I see.

Ethan the Ezrahite wrote about the faithfulness of the Lord in Psalm 89. He declares the majesty of God in His longsuffering. There is no one that has the glory of the Lord. He is so much higher than man in all His ways. Men are unfaithful but the Lord is always true. Ethan cast his eyes upon the night sky affirming the presence of the moon is likened to the word of God. Every night in its cycle the moon appears upon the earth to give testimony to man that the Creator still rules and His word is still sure. When man becomes weary he has but to look into the night sky and know that God is alive. His faithful witness bears His mark of love.

The moon has been the faithful witness of God since the fourth day of creation. It will remain in the night sky until the coming of the Lord. As the night gathers its curtain around the face of the day spend time gazing upon the moon and feel the love of God. He is Faithful. He is True. If you feel forgotten look at the moon. God has not forgotten you. Don’t let the days of life take away the nights of remembrance. Behold how much God loves you and He will never forsake you. The moon proves that.

Creation is simply an overwhelming outpouring, the overflow of infinite goodness. (Thomas J. Higgins, Perfection is for You, 1953)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Corinthians 5:4-5)

The Purpose Of Church Discipline

God has always shown to man the tragedy of sin and the righteous judgment of the Lord upon sin. Destroying the world in the days of Noah was a demonstration of grace, mercy, salvation and condemnation. Noah and his family of seven found grace because they were seeking the Lord. Everyone in the world who refused to submit to God were wiped off the face of the earth. Judgment. Sin is serious. Remember the story of Achan and the cities of Jericho/Ai. Read the story of David and Bathsheba. The nation of Israel was almost destroyed because of sin spending seventy years in a captive land. Ananias and Sapphira were struck down in the early days of the church as proof of God’s disdain for sin. Herod the king died a horrible death for not giving glory to God. Sin? It is deadly serious.

The church at Corinth had a serious problem. Sexual immorality was accepted within the body of Christ. Paul was warning the church to make corrections. He first chided the brethren for not having a love for the people in sin. He then instructs them to exercise discipline against the couple to move them to repentance. The Lord wants the church to be pure and purging out the leaven of sin is a response to the serious nature of sexual immorality that was ignored within the church. Paul warns the brethren to take action against the couple withdrawing the fellowship of unity with them so they may be ashamed and repent. The church cannot tolerate sin and by the direction of the Holy Spirit must put away wicked people.

This is very hard to do and in many places very hard to accept. Discipline is never pleasant but the end result is why discipline is done. The Hebrew writer explains chastening is not joyful but grievous. God desires the peaceable fruit of righteousness to come from such action. To the church at Thessalonica Paul reminds the church that erring brethren are not enemies but still brethren. In all of this discipline must be exercise to impress upon the soul the serious nature of sin. The church of today is not unlike the church at Corinth. There can be situations within a local church that requires discipline to be exercised. Unrepentant brethren must be withdrawn from to follow the pattern of New Testament authority and love for the lost. Quibbling over matters of semantics does not address the problem of sin. Personalities are often at odds with the action of church discipline ignoring the reality that people are lost in their present condition. The purpose of church discipline is the salvation of the soul – THAT THE SPIRIT MAY BE SAVED IN THE DAY OF THE LORD JESUS. We must never lose sight of this goal. To do any less would be rejecting the command of God.

Sin is moral leprosy. To put up with leprosy is to die of leprosy. Sin is spiritual cancer. A man who tries only to live with cancer, dies with it. If we do not deal with spiritual malignancy, then indeed it deals with us. (Vance Havner, 1901-1986)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” (Mark 9:33-37)

Road Rage

Politics brings out the worst in people. The disciples had eagerly listened to Jesus tell of the coming kingdom and those among them that would see the emergence of that kingdom come with power. Excited at the prospects of positional power they began to argue among themselves who would get the best seats. As the crowd of disciples walked along the road this became their argument. Matthew was a tax collector and could have thought of himself more qualified than the fishermen in the group. As a zealot Simon would plead national pride and his devotion to Israel. Judas might have suggested being in charge of the national treasury for hidden reasons revealed later. Peter, James and John could have revealed their special place in the ministry of Jesus as they were the ones with Jesus when He was transfigured on the mountain. Twelve men had twelve good reasons to be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus had only one position to offer them.

Mark’s account lends a sense of mystery to the story. Jesus inquires what the disciples were arguing about and they remained silent – probably out of fear and embarrassment. The Lord was such a powerful teacher. He tells the twelve to gather to him and He calls a child to Him. Taking the young boy in His arms (what a great picture of Jesus taking a young boy in His arms) He forces twelve grown prideful men to look upon the face of an innocent child and learn a hard lesson. “If you want to be great, fellows: here is what you need to be like.” The argument on the road became a life lesson. This lesson would stay with them throughout their lives. Sadly Judas would fail this lesson quickly as he betrayed the Lord. The eleven would go on to serve Jesus as little children giving their lives for the establishment of the kingdom of God, the church of Jesus Christ.

Leaders learn the first lesson of leadership is about those they lead. Positional leadership is about power. Effective leadership is leading others with a spirit of humility and servitude. The real lesson in Jesus’ rebuke of His disciples is the relationship we share with one another. If we follow the example of Jesus and walk in His steps we learn how to serve others. We do not argue about greatness but about service. The heart of a child is not lifted up against others. Humility is the trademark of disciples of Christ to give lives of service to others for the glory of God. Ultimately it shows our love for the Father through our love for Jesus Christ.

The dispute on the road turned into a lesson on the journey of their faith. Keep children around to remind you of the lesson Jesus taught. Whenever disputes come ask for a child to be brought in. Serving others is why we serve. Jesus died for all men.

Humility is nothing else but a right judgment  of ourselves. (William Law, Christian Perfection, 1726)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth” (1 Chronicles 16:7-12).

Thanksgiving

There was great rejoicing in the land. David the king had brought the ark to Jerusalem and set it in the midst of the tabernacle. He gave to every man and woman a loaf of bread, a piece of meat and a cake of raisins. Levites were appointed to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel. On that day David delivered a psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren to thank the Lord. David’s psalm recorded in 1 Chronicles 16 is mirrored in Psalm 105. It is a wonderful message of thanksgiving for all that God has done.

Thanksgiving is a time to worship the Lord. While we remember as a country the early days of the American creation, thanksgiving has always been a part of worship to the Creator. When David brought the ark to Jerusalem there was a remembrance off all that God had done. Not just in the physical blessings or wars won but the overshadowing presence of the Almighty. Thanksgiving was a time to worship God. Giving the people a loaf of bread, meat and raisins was showing how dependent the people were on God to deliver their daily bread. Placing the ark in the midst of the Tabernacle exalted the power of the Lord upon the hearts of the people to serve Him in obedience and faith.

David’s psalm expresses praise to the wondrous works of God. Glory should be given to the name of the Lord. Hearts should turn to the will of the Father. There is only one God – the true God who made all things and in whom all things exist. During our time of thanksgiving we should enjoy family, friends and the beneficent hand of our blessings. The center of our thanksgiving should be God. Prayers should be offered. Reading the Bible in praise to His name should be given. There is nothing that we have done of ourselves. By God’s grace we are thankful. By His mercy we endure. Thank you God for all You have done. Everything.

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. (Anonymous)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (Luke 16:27-31).

The Other Lazarus Did Rise

Lazarus was a destitute man who lived a miserable life as a beggar. He suffered from sores that covered his body. Hunger was his constant companion. Dogs were his only friends. Death finally took his misery away as angels carried him to the bosom of Abraham. Around the same time of Lazarus’ pitiful death another man died. He remains unnamed with only the significance of a rich man. In life he lived at the pinnacle of society with all the finery and good health man could know. Friends were always close by and the rich man’s five brothers enjoyed the material life of splendor. Like Lazarus he died too. Now the story takes a profound change.

Before death the rich man was happy and Lazarus miserable. After death Lazarus was comforted and the rich man? The rich man would have begged to have the misery of Lazarus. What he experienced was beyond the imagination of suffering. In his pleas to Abraham he realized how his five brothers were living begging Abraham to send Lazarus to tell them of the awful place he found himself. God does not permit it. The rich man believed too late that if someone came from the grave his brothers would believe. Abraham explains that belief comes from hearing the word of God; not dead men.

Ironically Lazarus did rise from the dead. Not the Lazarus from our story but the Lazarus who was the brother of Martha and Mary, friends of Jesus. When Jesus came to Lazarus he had been dead four days and the tomb sealed. Calling him forth Lazarus came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes. The Lord tells the people to loose him and let him go. Martha and Mary were elated to have their brother back. Friends and family marveled greatly at such a great miracle. They knew that Lazarus was dead and yet he lived. What a testimony he could give about coming back from the dead. It would seem logical that everyone would believe in Jesus now. But there were many Jews who went away plotting to kill Jesus. Abraham was right. A Lazarus did rise from the dead but many did not believe.

After the resurrection of Jesus many dead arose from their graves going into Jerusalem appearing to many. Dorcas was raised from the dead by Peter in Joppa. The Hebrew writer speaks of those who received their dead raised to life again. Countless examples of exactly what the rich man pled with Abraham to do and yet more did not believe than believed. Dead people raised do not save – the word of God saves. Sadly if it were the will of God to allow the dead to be raised today the majority of people would not believe. Why? Because the resurrected Word – Jesus Christ – is proclaimed through the pages of the Bible and men do not believe. If men will not believe what the Bible teaches they would not believe if Abraham Lincoln rose from the dead. The other Abraham was right. Truth is in the Word. Now that is a great story.

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Behold, God is exalted by His power; who teaches like Him? Who has assigned Him His way, or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? Remember to magnify His work, of which men have sung. Everyone has seen it; man looks on it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered. For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, the thunder from His canopy? Look, He scatters His light upon it, and covers the depths of the sea. For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with lightning, and commands it to strike. His thunder declares it, the cattle also, concerning the rising storm. (Job 36:22-33)

How Old Is God?

Science has been able to explain the process of evaporation and formation of rain clouds. It may come as a surprise to many this knowledge was understood by early man. The book of Job was a story that took place during the patriarchal days (like Abraham). Near the end of the story when the young man Elihu is chiding his elders for their lack of understanding of the holy God he illustrates the majesty of God’s power in creation. He knew where rain came from. This was evidence of the beauty of the creation. This knowledge exalts God in the perfectness of His design. Man can understand it and explain it but only the Creator has put this into place. Wisdom comes from God not man.

Elihu puts an interesting twist to his story. Men have sung of the greatness of God since the beginning but no one really understands how great the Lord is. Like some today who ask questions to challenge faith in God Elihu explains there are no answers. “Where did God come from?” There is no answer. The ‘number of years’ cannot be discovered because the Creator is so great man cannot know. This bothers man. He can plunge to the depths of the sea, put a man on the moon and send machines to faraway places in the universe but he cannot touch the toe of God (in fact never come close). Every time man takes a picture of the edge of deep space the Lord smiles and opens up another room in His great expanse. Paul declared to the philosophers of Athens that man lives within the boundaries of a habitation. Man is limited.

Nature extols the virtues of God’s hand when we look at forces such as rain and lightning. We can explain it but we cannot explain it. The only thing we can do is describe what happens but we were not there when the world was void and without form. There was a time no light shone upon this rock. Evaporation was created in the process of God’s design. This we can know because God has shown Himself to man. But that knowledge is limited and we cannot know the years of God. It is not so much trying to count the age of God but to realize how great He is. O Lord how great your ocean and how small my boat. He is big. He is really, really big. And I am glad.

We cannot know God in His greatness, for the Father cannot be measured. (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, c. 175)