Beech Tree News Network

One of the most amazing statements in the Bible is found in the book of Isaiah. “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?” (Isa. 40:10-13). In the description of God, we see One with a strong hand, One who has measured the waters with His hand, and One who has measured the heavens with a span (the tip of your little finger to the tip of your thumb)! Of course, this is figurative language used to describe God. Nevertheless, in this passage, we see an astonishing God. No one else is described in this way. In fact, man is described as “grass” before Him (Isa. 40:6; I Pet. 1:24).

    Knowing that we have such an astonishing God, who are we to question or defy Him? This point is made in Isaiah 40:13. Who are we to say we know more than God? Yet, some declare it through their words and actions! For example, when men say that baptism does not save us, they are saying they know more than God, for God said, “baptism doth also now save us” (I Pet. 3:21)! Who will we believe? When men today say, “Join the church of your choice”, they are saying they know more about the church than Christ knows, for He said, “I will build my church (singular)....” (Matt. 16:18). When men belittle the value of the church, saying it is unimportant, they are also declaring that the blood of Christ has little worth. Why is this? It is because the Bible connects the Lord’s church with His blood. Acts 20:28 tells us it is Christ’s blood that “purchased the church”. If the church has little worth, then the blood used to purchase it must have little worth as well! Who are we to say such a thing? We see other times when men declare that their intellect is superior to God’s. When does this happen? It happens when men say that marriage is for the same gender. God said men and women are to be married (Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 19:4-6). No other combination is allowed by God. In addition to the above issues, there are many other ways men contradict God today. It is very sad to see this being done when we are in the presence of such an astonishing God!

    Remember, we are not here to command, but to serve (II Tim. 2:3-4). When we can hold all the waters of the earth in the palm of our hand; when we can measure the heavens from the tip of our little finger to the tip of our thumb, then we can tell God what to do! Until that time, let us be satisfied to simply be the servants of our astonishing God!

-- You are invited to visit with the Caneyville church of Christ. Times of services: Sun.: 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 5:00 pm; Wed.: 7:00 pm. Website: http://caneyvillechurchofchrist.com Tune in to our radio program 101.5 FM at 5:30 am, Mon-Fri. Questions? Call: (270) 589-4167