Who Am I!

On a dark night, a night that has very little moonlight--how much bigger and brighter the stars in the nighttime sky appear! You can almost see the objects in the sky pulse and rotate around each other like beautiful dancers. How small and insignificant one human life gazing up at the creation of God seems!

Hebrews 2:6 But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
7) Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, And didst set him over the works of thy hands:

'What is man'?--this has been asked many times, and even though there are many variations on the question--who am I? What am I here for? Where am I going? Usually the person asking is looking for answers that will clear up their clouded mind.

Yet for all of this and in spite of our smallness, our wonder, and our confusion it would be comical if it were not for the audacity--many people still try to tell God what he wants and needs.

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers.
24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

From the worship of God to living and keeping the will of God, people have their own ideas--and God ought to agree.

Just how do I know that 'God ought to agree'? I can't even begin to tell how many times when talking to another person about what the Bible says I hear the phrase, "It's my opinion".

And if the scriptures tell them plainly something other than what they believe, 'but it's my opinion, that'--and suddenly that scripture doesn't count.

When I was young, the movie "Wizard of Oz" was scary. That old witch seemed real to me. I remember the scene in the City of Oz when Dorothy and her companions went before the Great Oz. The old man behind the curtain was pulling levers-creating booming sounds, smoke, and what was supposed to be his image--out front. Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow were all frightened--shaking in their shoes so to speak. Then Toto pulls the curtain back and reveals the originator of the smoke and mirrors known as the Wizard. Dorothy is incensed...how dare he perpetrate this fraud on the unsuspecting victims!

Look around us. How many today are using the same tactics? How many let themselves out to be 'intellectuals', either of learning or doctors, scientists, financial instructors? The list could go on of the intelligentsia that are qualified to 'tell us something'. For example the ones that can tell us how to raise our children--though they have none of their own, or at best have only begun to raise theirs. How to be healthy? No problem, just plug in the right formula, and voila! You're good to go...How about scientist telling us how life began? No God involved of course, just a big bang...

Job 38:2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge? 3) Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 4) Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.

Where were these chief scientists when God laid the foundations of the earth?

I'm reminded of Dorothy and the Wizard, except...Dorothy was scared by the smoke and mirrors, until she learned the truth. I can not imagine how this would play out if you flip the scene.

What would happen if the 'All powerful' appeared in humble clothing, but in the end turned out to be--'All powerful'? Instead of attempting to frighten us with his smoke and mirrors what if he appeared as...

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

What if he was easily approached; as it were someone gentle and loving?

It is easy to be confident when boasting to your friends, family, or even to just lowly fellow human beings. However, what happens when a person is boasting about something, and then they realize someone in authority, or someone bigger than they are is right behind them ready to call their boast or bluff?

Would they find themselves in the predicament as Job did when he was confronted by God? Job 40:4 Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth. 5) Once have I spoken, and I will not answer; Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.

Here in lies the problem. We may think we know the answers, but quite often we don't even know the questions. Who do we think we are to give God advice? It seems fashionable that religion--Christ's religion--is out of style. Eastern mysticism? that's fashionable. Islam? yeah, that's fashionable. Some call these things 'ancient' religions. Under the humanist manifesto, however, Christianity--a much older religion--is a 'dead, decaying corpse'.

I have seen the 'O look', trick on old cowboy shows used to deceive the person holding the weapon. In an attempt get them to look away from the victim, or to look 'behind' them self they say 'watch out behind you!'. That trick is used to take the attention somewhere else. We also see it with the kingdom of Satan.

1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,

Satan knows that if he can convince people that religion is irrelevant, or convince us that we can 'choose' our way to heaven (or better yet convince people there is no heaven, or hell), those people are no longer a threat to him.

Ephesians 3:10 to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,

We must wipe away the smoke and mirrors to see the wisdom of God. Wipe away the smoke and mirrors that Satan uses. Come back to the Bible, the scriptures, and find what was originally intended. We must stop trying to tell God what he wants. We must stop it--and begin to listen to what He wants.

Gilbert K. Chesterton said it well: "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried."

Genesis 3:14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent,...cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;... 15) and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Jesus has dealt Satan a death blow. Satan, the prince of darkness, knows this, but is determined to take as many with him as he can. God has sent/left/given us the Truth, but the world chooses to ignore it, and thus seals it's own doom.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of light 9) (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10) proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord;

Christians were once part of Satan's kingdom, part of the darkness. But, thanks be to God who through Jesus sacrifice allows us an avenue of escape from that kingdom of darkness into the heavenly kingdom of light:

Ephesians 6:12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

And the refrain of the song, and the question runs in my thoughts: Who Am I that a king should come and die for? Who Am I that He would pray 'not my will, (but)thine for?

Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?
2) For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3) He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.
4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7) He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
8) By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
9) And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10) Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand.
11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.
12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Indeed, who am I? Hallelujah--what a Savior!