"Above the World, Looking Down"

I am so glad God made mountains. If you have ever climbed a mountain and have been able to be at the peak of such a monstrous mass of beauty, then you exactly what I mean. The trees all unified in a line made not by man but by a God who knows the purity of beauty. You you’re your hands and pinch a picture of water with one eye closed. Everything that is huge to stand by has become small in your view. When flying on airplanes, I always want to sit near the window, because then I am able see how such a machine can lift me above the world. Second by second the I am not only distanced from where we took off but I am able to scope out places I know. The buildings I had looked up to in a car window were now small and I was above them all. To fly or stand above landmarks of any sort, whether in cityscape or landscape, gives you such a soothing feeling, one of awe and inspiration.

For those of you who know me personally, you know that I am a janitor at Liberty University. Right as I was finishing cleaning the tower part of our football stadium I was able to stand in a wonder of beauty. Things I noticed by only observing. I rarely spend enough time observing from above, but when I do I am overcome by the things I typically miss from a horizontal point of view. Looking down on the football field, I noticed a hedge of bushes that spelled out “LU” that I would often pass by, but looking down on them I saw how it was all spelled out. As graduation was going to be the next day, rows and rows of chairs for 5,000 students were lined perfectly on the field say for one. One chair was off slightly, it stood out like a sore thumb. All alone by itself, there it was.

As in Psalm 102, and many other passages, it states how God looks “down from heaven.” He sees not only a small bird or leaf on the ground and knows its reason for being in that exact place, but he sees the whole picture. For us as humans, we have the ability to look at a portal on a screen in front of us to a picture of the world and then shift our eyes to a fish bowl lying on the table in front of us. Our eyes can only focus on what is in front of us. Not for God. I once had a friend who was a genius mind you, that tried his best to teach me how God is completely outside our 3-dimensiol minds. Not only out of space and time, but out of our complete knowledge that there are dimensions we will not ever be able to understand or find. God knows inside and out of everything. Everything. God created. From nothing.

Now this same God has our best interests in mind. He holds all the answers, but He may not always give us the answer in the way we want or at the time we want. He “babies” us, because we would not be able to grasp the vastness of His understanding if He merely told us. Sometimes He shows us in a specific time that only we as an individual with our own personality, background, mindset, and understanding could appreciate. Maybe not at that time but always some time after a trial or blessing (and even during!).  I could never understand God. He is too amazing, and I love Him for that.

When we look “above the world” whether in an airplane, on a mountain, on a skyscraper, or skydiving, we are given a chance to view somewhat like God. This reminds me that He sees the whole picture. Each piece designed to be in their place for that moment. Each person created in His image, and how He desperately wants them back and to live and worship in His presence. God has not left, He is there with You now, wanting you to know Him more. Trust Him. The Creator of all things, the ruler of the visible and invisible.

“Thank You Lord for being the Beginning and End. Such a beautiful world You have created, and each day You give us chances to see Your works in creation. One day soon we will see You. Oh Father how full of splendor You are. May we trust in You today and be reminded by You that You are always in control and have the big picture though we cannot see it, we will trust in You.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

May this word have encouraged you to love out your faith today dear friend. Be bold for His glory.

Your Brother in Christ,

Andrew Anderson

“Would I Have the Strength?”

We watch recreations, movies, plays; read books, Scripture, poems- all about the crucifixion of our beloved and amazing Savior, Jesus Christ. I think of all the times I have read about the crucifixion, been told of its horrifying pain and brutal torture. Many times I was taught how Christ fulfilled Scripture by being nailed to that cross. And yet, in all of this, the part that grips me every time is His powerful words of compassion, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

My heart breaks. I become silent. Lost in bewilderment. His words go against the grain of what our culture would have anticipated. Here is a man, an innocent man, having His life stripped from Him in the cruelest manner during the Roman Empire. His own people had betrayed him, or had at least turned their backs in not helping Him within His trial. This same man had loved them and showed his love through healing and speaking. Twelve men He had poured His wisdom and ministry into. Thousands of people had seen His beautiful miracles.

But we all know what happens. A murderer was chosen over Him. Torture was given to Him. Made to walk a path while bleeding and weak. Having a crown like that of knife blades to pierce into His gentle head filled with the wonders of creation and splendor. Men, drunk and sinful, ripping out the strong and firmly attached hairs that made His beard. Being asked questions about who He was, in a way being told to back down, but He refused, He was not to ever deny He was the Son of God. He lay upon His bare and torn back upon wood. This same wood would be His torture and His end (only for a time). The nails were then driven through His flesh, fastening Him to this cross of horror.

We can only barely imagine the pain, the sight of this inhumane treatment.

He had every right, according to the thinking of man today, to rebel, to fight, to deny, to accuse others, to speak out, to yell, to lift a weapon, to stand up, to subdue… but He did not.

He forgave.

He forgave!

Oh the beauty.

            For the past little while I have read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, please read it sometime soon within your life or reread it. The stories of how these people, the people you and I should become. Ones that did not fight back or to be heroes, but became fighters of forgiveness and compassion, heroes of faith and humility and love- these are beautiful to me.

            I began to think, “Would I have the strength?” I mean, to be one of these people? To stand in face of having done nothing wrong but loving my God and wanting to please Him and being killed or tortured for it, innocent. Could I have the strength to ask God to forgive them?

            May I fall in love with my God and my Savior in such a way that I could do nothing but that.

"Fasting"

Fasting?
What does that really mean?

We just had what we called a “Facebook Fast” in our youth group, and I believe that we must take those idols and distractions away from our lives to show God we care more about Him than these “things.” It was a day for taking something that was a distraction from God and placing it aside to focus more on Him. But what is real fasting? Is that REALLY it?
No.
In Scripture and in accordance to every Scripture, the word fasting is always used as a link to food, or shall I say being without food. Food is the sustenance we gain energy from, it allows us to gain weight, stay healthy, become stronger, and have contentment in its taste. So when we refrain from eating what are we supposed to do in that time that we do not eat? Well, according to Christ’s example, we should go to a quiet place and pray (Matthew 4). Jesus went for forty days and nights without eating. Can you imagine? I am not boasting about this, but I have fasted for a whole day before and even by dinner time I was aching in my gut for a steak and mashed potatoes. Probably even as I wrote those words you got a mental image-picture of a juicy steak smeared in sauce and a glob of mashed potatoes with sour cream and bacon bits on it. Right? Oh man, now I’m hungry… Anyway, one day and I was dying, now think if you could with me about FORTY DAYS AND NIGHTS. This was not easy, and I again I repeat NOT EASY. Now this does not set you at a higher standing with God, meaning that you will “gain more love if you fast,” but it does mean that you should be relying on Him and that does bring Him glory.

So what about you? Have you thought about fasting ever before to prepare you as Jesus was at the beginning of His ministry? Or perhaps to increase your faith in God to be more relying on Him?

Well, let me say do it in a way that is humble. Jesus was displeased with the religious leaders of the day, because they would take pride in fasting and would want to be seen- thinking that it “made” them more righteous (Matthew 6). Be humble before God and choose to only be seen by Him. Do it with purpose and not just because it is the “Christian thing to do.”

Now I am not the sole expert on fasting, but I do know that as Christians we should strive to be like Christ in ALL His actions (Romans 12:1). When we fast, it brings us close to God; and the more we are closer to God, the more our sin is magnified because of God’s holiness. It is a time to ask God to clean us to serve Him in everything.
Fasting is a beautiful thing. When and where you do it, do it all for His glory. I still have much to learn about it, but my biggest lesson is just doing it.

Praise His Name,
Andrew Anderson