Holy Holy Holy

"Holy, Holy, Holy
is the Lord God Almighty
who was, and is, and is to come."
-Revelation 4:8b

After spending a month at Young Life camp its hard to come back with the same mentality you came with. So many people have asked me, "What did you learn at Lake Champion?" And its a tough question because I learned so much. Through fellowship with believers who are on fire for Christ and through almost constant prayer and meditation is it almost impossible not to learn at least something. But I think everything I learned can be summarized into one thing.....

He is HOLY!

Yes, our God, the God of Abraham and Moses, the Holy God who lead Joshua and the Israelites into the Promised Land is the SAME God who walks with me today!! If that is not enough to bow down in worship and reverance then I don't know what is. And it seems obvious. Ofcourse God is Holy, He's God! But can we truly comprehend just how holy our God is?! I do not believe we as people in the 21st century comprehend the true might and power of God. The fact tjhat He is everlasting is proof enough. NONE can compare to the glorious KING. And to be totally honest, this is not something I thought about until Work Crew. Work Crew challenged me to read God's word. Not just the comforting scriptures...not just the ones I know from Sunday school but Work Crew opened up my eyes to the Old Testament. And reading the Old Testament scripture makes the Gospels that much more INCREDIBLE....let me show you what I mean....

Job says:

Then Job replied:

2 "Indeed, I know that this is true.
But how can a mortal be righteous before God?

3 Though one wished to dispute with him,
he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.

4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

5 He moves mountains without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.

6 He shakes the earth from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.

7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
he seals off the light of the stars.

8 He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.

9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

10 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.


-Job 9:1-10

In 9 short verses we see an excellent example of the power and might and holiness of God our Creator. Lets break it down verse by verse. Verse 2 starts us of by saying, "Who is righteous before." Because as we should God know because our sin nature we have failed and no long righteous, nor can we be on our own. But a Holy God is righteous, He is the definition of righteous. Everything about Him is righteous yet HE STILL CHOOSES US TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM! Praise Him for verse 2! He alone is righteous and eventhough we cannot compare in the LEAST BIT...He still called us! Praise Him for HE alone is Holy!

Lets take a look at the next verse. Verse 3. Basically who can argue with God! Anyone who wishes to dispute Him or argue he would not be able to answer one of God's responses, hence one time out of a thousand. So God is all knowing. He has a plan so flawless that not even the smartest genous can dispute Him! His plan is flawless, yet we are flawed and dispite that...we are called to be used in His plan! Praise God for verse 3! Praise Him for using us dispite that fact that we are constantly reluctant and constantly argue with HIm. He is HOLY!

Now lets try to break down verse 4. Two main points in this verse. God is wise and God is mighty. It then goes on to say no one who goes against His wisdom and might has prospered. He is wise enough to comprehend the inner most problems in our heart and conquer our toughest struggles. His wisdom is uncomparable and His might is beyond comprehension but He uses us! The UNWISE and the WEAK to carry out His plan! he could do it Himself but He uses US who are unworthy! And thru Him we can be wise and mighty, but only thru Him who is both wise and mighty! Praise God for verse 4! Praise Him for he is HOLY!

I'm gonna combine 5-9 because they are similar but I'll do my best to break it down. God is so Holy that He commands nature and it obeys Him. Can you imagine? He removes the mountains! He shakes the earth out of its place! Who else is powerful but God? None can compare in power! Who is so powerful that HE tells the sun when to shine on earth in the day and when not to shine at night! My favorite part of these few verse is this, "He alone spreads the heavens." This whole passage is extremely power, but that verse sticks out to me. And to think that He cares enough to walk with me! That the God who spreads the heavens is the same God who helps me and my problems. He is the same God who listens to me with a loving ear whenever I offer a prayer in His name. And only that but a theme that is constant. Our God is powerful. Verse 5-9 describe His power in vivid detail yet He chooses US, the POWERLESS to help Him in His perfect plan! Praise God for His power!

And maybe my favorite verse of the whole pasage. Verse 10. God does wonders that cannot be fathomed! And His miracles cannot be counted! How many times have we gotten upset with God for not doing something our way?!?! That is because our way is imperfect and God way is HOLY! We cannot fathom or even begin to fathom the wonderous perfection of His way! And do you know whats amazing?! Its amazing how he chooses to do those miracles! He does them through us! Through us leading someone to Christ, because the fact that we are even faithful is a miracle in itself! But there is a miracle that is far above even that.

JESUS!

What miracle is greater than Jesus?!
What is more miraculous than the virgin birth?!
What is more spectacular than Lazarus being raised from the dead?!
What is more incredible than the blind man begin able to see?!

What you ask?

THE CROSS. The fact that a Holy God would sacrafice His Holy son for us is amazing. You see knowing what the Old Testament has to say it makes the cross and the gospel even more amazing. Because God is righteous. God is wise. God is mighty. God is powerful. God is HOLY. But God is also love. And despite that fact that we argue with Him and doubt His sovereignty, He still loved us enough to make savation avalible to us. Because we are not righteous. We are not wise. We are not mighty. We are not powerful. And we are not Holy. But THROUGH CHRIST. All who believe and follow after Him have been made righteous in Christ. We have been made wise in Christ. We have been given power and might through Christ and we have been made HOLY!!!! Praise God with me for He alone is worthy of our praise!

I hope you have been blessed through my sometimes rambled and jumbled thoughts. God has taught me alot from Lake Champion, but most of all, God has shown me His Holiness, which makes me even more grateful for having recieved His grace!

God is love,
Rob