Unfathomable Truths.

In the Old Testament, there was a veil in the temple separating the Holy from the Most Holy Place; God dwells in the Most High Place. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, and even then, he was required to wear a veil over his face for if he caught sight of God, he would be struck dead.

This God, He is so holy that men were not worthy to even catch a glimpse of Him. Think about it. I mean, REALLY think about it. In front of someone highly respected, most people find the need to bow or stay quiet in reverence. But how many respected people do you know tell you that you're not worthy of even looking at them? Can you imagine knowing someone so awesome, so above you, that a peek will cause you to die? The thought of it blows my mind. This God must really be HUGE if even a glimpse will result in death.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked God if the cup could be removed from Him. The cup He refers to is the wrath of God. Can you imagine the wrath of this God? This God that is so Holy that eyes could not even be laid on Him without it resulting in death, His wrath must have been SOOOOOOO BAD. Can you imagine making Him mad? This is a God that is angered by sin, that is jealous for justice and righteousness. I would rather die by being struck down for seeing Him, than have to suffer His wrath. That would be beyond brutal. And not only that, God hates the sin in one person. Though I've never killed anyone, my sin qualifies me for the burning pits of hell. But this cup, this wrath, it's not just for one person, it was supposed to spill over all of humanity. Not just for one person's deserving of hell, but for everyone. Ouch, to say the least.

It says in the Bible that Jesus was in agony at Gethsemane, "his sweat became like great drops of blood". No wonder Jesus felt abandoned. To have to suffer the intense wrath of His Father when He's done nothing wrong at all; His Father, the one who strikes dead those who look at Him, the one that punishes harshly those who sin even in the slightest ways, it just doesn't seem fair. But this could have only meant one thing: Jesus must have loved His Father SOOOOO much. This is not the type of love that I can easily understand. He must have had to love His Father with such a perfect kind of love to be able to love the people His Father loved, to be able to willingly submit to experiencing the abandonment and separation He did as He hung on the Cross.

"As we watch Jesus pray in agony in Gathsemane, He has every right to turn His tearful eyes toward you and me and shout, "This is your cup. You're responsible for this. It's your sin! You drink it." This cup should rightfully be thrust into my hand and yours."

-CJ Maheney

Thanks, Jesus, for trading our cup of wrath for one of salvation.

Isn't the Gospel refreshing? :)

Scattered Thoughts.

2 very different things on my mind right now:

1. "Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God...our goal in the pursuit of godliness should be to grow more in our conscious awareness that every moment of our lives is lived in the presence of God; that we are responsible to Him and dependent on Him. This goal would include a growing desire to please Him and glorify Him in the most ordinary activities of life."

-Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges

Currently reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. The first sin he introduced was ungodliness. Reflecting upon the chapter, I was quite discouraged by how short I fell. So this week, as I journeyed onto being more mindful of God throughout my day, I noticed how little I included Him in my decisions, in my words, in my thoughts, in my actions. But rather to have me dwell in my own shortcomings, God was good to show me how good it is when I DO include Him. There is hope in His grace that He provides me when I so easily forget Him in all the doings of my week! This week, as anxious as I may have been, was a blessed week. Yea, it was busy, and yea, I was scared for my future but it was a blessed week because it was a God-filled week. The next chapter is on Anxiety and Frustration. I'm excited.

2. Today, saw a friend change her profile picture to that of her small group 4 years ago. It got me to thinking about how we've all grown up and are becoming our own person. 4 years ago, when small group first started, I was a completely different person, as were my sg girls. But now, we've grown up, matured some, learned some. It's interesting to see how God's worked in each of our lives throughout these 4 years. I think, it's helped me to see how differently God works, how distinct He is with each little detail in our lives. While reflecting, it's also made me see how different His timing is for each person's life. God grew/is growing me and my sg girls at different times. I think, sometimes I get discouraged when I see my friends straying or putting God aside. But then I am reminded of how perfect God's plan and timing is. I used to not want to grow up. But now I'm really excited to see God's timing revealed in my life.

*Side note: I love how God created us to be little pieces of Jesus to one another.

This entry is so scattered. That's alright.