200 Words or Less: The God Who Says “No”

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

Human choice is broken down into two parts: desire and action. But since each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire and then that desire gives birth to sin, which brings forth death, it is safe to say that we need someone who has the courage to tell us, “This far you may come and no further.” (Job 38:11)

But if our desires lead to death, we are trapped in that dark state and cannot act, because only the living have the freedom of choice. Therefore God, in His free choice, designed a way to give us life by: 1) telling us “no” so that we awaken to the immutable boundaries that structure freedom, morality, and life in our chaotic world. And 2) choosing to substitute His perfect life on the cross for our sinful one, so that He might take on our sin, and we might acquire His righteousness and life.

Then, He rose from the grave.

This is the ultimate No. The no to the power of death.

Therefore, the issue is not with God telling you “No.” There is value in God’s “no’s.” The issue is: Will you say, “Yes” to God?

200 Words or Less: The Lord Who Breaks Out

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

wpid-wp-1440125028666.jpeg

As waters break out — God comes like a flood, like a mighty river bursting the walls of a dam.  There is no time for the enemies to react. He has acted swiftly, decisively, and justly. The waters cover them. This is not the antithesis of love. Rather, it is the epitome of it. Continue reading →

200 Words or Less: Not a Man

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

God is not a man, so don’t try to compare Him to one. God and man live by different standards and live their lives in different ways. Unlike man, who lies to avoid shame and judgment, God finds no need for deception. He does not feel shame, for He is the embodiment and the arbiter of Truth. Nor does He fear retribution, because He is the First Cause for creation and for behavior. Others cannot and will not influence Him. To permit this would abdicate His position as First Cause. Even when God became flesh and dwelt among us, the change of venue did not persuade Him to change His character.

He is also not a son of man. People procrastinate and change their minds. God is a planner and a doer.  He is not wishy-washy. From the beginning, His voice has declared His purposes and His person, generating a continuous line of creating moments where He has permanently altered reality. From darkness becoming light to sinners becoming saved, God has been intentional. His promises are fulfilled, because He has spoken. He is not a man, nor a son of man. He is the continuously creating, truthful, immutable, redeeming God.

200 Words or Less: Ancient of Days

/ mhowellw / 1 Comment

God has always been and will always be. He created what we know as “beginning” and He will create what know as “end.” Bookending these two distinct periods in history is eternity, and He is there too. Nothing is beyond His reach, nor does anything exceed His understanding. As a result history is not out of control. He created night and day, and He will do away them. He establishes rulers and deposed them. He knits together children and numbers their days  before they are born. There is nothing outside of His grasp. No wonder He says that no one can take His children out of His hands. He alone gives permission for the world to spin and sets our lives in motion. He is the Alpha. He is the Omega. To trust any other would be not only fruitless but also ignorant.

200 Words or Less: God is Clean

/ mhowellw / 1 Comment

Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. (Numbers 19:7)

Humans vary between clean and unclean. But God is eternally clean. God does not EVER require improvement, polishing, or purifying. He does not need an intercessor. He does not need to be isolated so that others will not be infected with His uncleanness. He’s forever clean.

God is self-sufficiently clean. He is the source of His cleanness. He is His own fountain of living water. He is the First Cause of all creation and, consequently, of all holiness. God does not improve or evolve, as some suggest. Cleanness erupts but never dissolves within Him. His self-sufficiency sustains His holiness.

God is wholly clean. He is the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins, because in all ways God is clean. His directions are clean (His Word is Truth). His judgments are clean (He’s righteous in all His ways). There are no inappropriate thoughts in His omniscience, no abuse of power in His omnipotence.  There is no vulnerability to wickedness in His omnipresence. He may witness a million sins but He commits none of them. His cleanness protects Him from being tempted and from tempting.  There is no blemish in Him. He is wholly, eternally, self-sufficiently clean!

God – in 200 words or less

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

At the beginning of this month, I wrote a post labeled “Two Question Christianity.” In that article I suggested that there were two main questions that Christians should consistently ask themselves: 1) What is this scripture saying about who God is and 2) How do I respond to this God?

While both of these questions are important, I believe that the first question is superior to the second one. Modern psychology has so infiltrated Christianity that an overemphasis on self often occurs in our theology. This can lead to an anthropomorphic view of God (i.e., making God in our image) and an idolization of our selves. But when we begin with who God is, we place Him both at the center of Christianity and as the starting point for answering the second question. In other words, He defines us and our actions, not the other way around.

Therefore, over the next two weeks I will be breaking from my usual pattern of writing one to two entries a week and will post something every day that helps answer the question “What is this scripture saying about who God is?”

However, trying to “define” God can get cumbersome and wordy. That is why I am going to try to follow the advice of one of my former professors and keep these articles short. It will be difficult, but I am going to attempt to write each post in 200 words or less. Good theology should be concise and clear. I hope to accomplish both of these goals. Still, 200 words is not a lot, and if you see anything in the verses that you want to add (or ask), please feel free to do so in the comments section.

At the end of the series, depending on responses from you, we may explore the same scriptures, just with a focus on question #2, or we may continue on with new topics altogether.

I hope you find this series helpful. The first post will be coming out later today. May God bless you as you seek to know Him more.

How to Love Like Spam

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

Spam. We all get it. We all hate it. We rarely read it. Yet, I never expected to learn anything from it. The other day I received an unwanted email from Men’s Health magazine. The subject line read “Leave Her Begging for More.” Like you, I did not need to open the email to know what they were selling, but I have to admit, the title caught my eye. Continue reading →