BBD 08.04.04 God In The Box

#1 · August 4, 2004, 6:06 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on August 4, 2004, 6:06 pm
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush Devotional

(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

08.04.04

God In The Box

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the
LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher
than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9.

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of
Your mercy, because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is
their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. - Psalm
115:1-3.

For I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Whatever
the LORD pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all
deep places. - Psalm 135:5-6.

Over a period of time, many become complacent about God. Now, we may still
come to church, pray, read our Bibles, witness, serve. However, there comes
to be something that is missing. I have heard many people talk about how
some try to use God like a genie in a bottle who when they have a need for
him - rub the bottle, the genie appears and they tell him their wishes. I
think what we do is also what many of the heroes of the faith in times past
have done and is instead like the old jack-in-the-box. You remember the toy,
you turn the crank winding it up and the lid opens and out pops the clown or
jester. What we do is that we tend to put God into a box - it may be
unspoken and it may be even unthought. However, we tend to believe that God
can do just this much and no more. If what we need or want is something we
believe our God in the box can handle then we turn the crank (pray) and we
wait for Him to pop up to take care of it all.

You remember the problem that Moses had when He encountered the Burning
Bush. Now I am sure that if you were to ask Moses if he believed in God at
that point in his life he would have told you that he did. However, the God
Moses believed in was in this little box, He didn’t appear in burning bushes
that didn’t burn up, and He didn’t actually talk and ask people to do
impossible things. God had to get Moses to think outside of the box before
he could free the Israelites from Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land.

Jonah had much the same problem. He hated the Ninevites and could not
believe that the God he believed in that was in his little box, could
possibly care about wicked people like the Ninevites. We know that God used
a very drastic measure to help Jonah to think outside of the box. It was the
big fish tool. I don’t know if God has ever used that tool with anyone else
but I wouldn’t rule it out.

Then there’s Gideon. He was a peaceful non-confrontive person who had no
desire to make waves. The angel appears and tells him that he has to tear
down his father’s altar to the false God Baal (Judges 6). Gideon doesn’t
want any part of it. The part about God thinking he was a “mighty man of
valor” was definitely outside of the box. However, God did use Gideon as a
mighty man of valor to defeat the Midianites and Amalekites. Not with a vast
army but with only a small number of men. The army of Israel was finally
reduced from 10,000 to only 300 men. What faith those 300 men must have
had - They were surely thinking outside of the box to believe that they
alone could defeat an army of thousands.

To think outside of the box we need a greater understanding of the nature of
God. To think outside of the box we must continuously refocus upon God. The
writer of Hebrews tells us that in Hebrews 12:3 where he says, “Consider Him
who endured such opposition from man that you may not grow weary and lose
heart.” Losing our focus on God. Placing limits on God. This results in a
weakening of our faith and a growing weariness with the things of God and of
the Kingdom of God. That is how God ends up in small box limited in our
minds as to what He can do. To escape this trap of a limited and weak God we
must consciously live life in the presence of God seeking to grasp hold of
the true nature of Him.

For us to understand and comprehend that we have and worship a God capable
of more than we can comprehend we need to see that God is God and He can do
whatever He pleases.

Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

Ed Wrather is available for revivals, conferences, and other speaking and
ministry opportunities as the Lord leads. More information about Ed may be
found at www.theburningbush.org/28.html.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has recently added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap’s sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page www.theburningbush.org.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to burning
bushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 300 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A closely related website is
Peoplefaces which seeks to help those in need
peoplefaces.ohzone.net/index2.htm

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush Devotional

(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

08.04.04

God In The Box

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the
LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher
than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9.

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of
Your mercy, because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is
their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. - Psalm
115:1-3.

For I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Whatever
the LORD pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all
deep places. - Psalm 135:5-6.

Over a period of time, many become complacent about God. Now, we may still
come to church, pray, read our Bibles, witness, serve. However, there comes
to be something that is missing. I have heard many people talk about how
some try to use God like a genie in a bottle who when they have a need for
him - rub the bottle, the genie appears and they tell him their wishes. I
think what we do is also what many of the heroes of the faith in times past
have done and is instead like the old jack-in-the-box. You remember the toy,
you turn the crank winding it up and the lid opens and out pops the clown or
jester. What we do is that we tend to put God into a box - it may be
unspoken and it may be even unthought. However, we tend to believe that God
can do just this much and no more. If what we need or want is something we
believe our God in the box can handle then we turn the crank (pray) and we
wait for Him to pop up to take care of it all.

You remember the problem that Moses had when He encountered the Burning
Bush. Now I am sure that if you were to ask Moses if he believed in God at
that point in his life he would have told you that he did. However, the God
Moses believed in was in this little box, He didn’t appear in burning bushes
that didn’t burn up, and He didn’t actually talk and ask people to do
impossible things. God had to get Moses to think outside of the box before
he could free the Israelites from Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land.

Jonah had much the same problem. He hated the Ninevites and could not
believe that the God he believed in that was in his little box, could
possibly care about wicked people like the Ninevites. We know that God used
a very drastic measure to help Jonah to think outside of the box. It was the
big fish tool. I don’t know if God has ever used that tool with anyone else
but I wouldn’t rule it out.

Then there’s Gideon. He was a peaceful non-confrontive person who had no
desire to make waves. The angel appears and tells him that he has to tear
down his father’s altar to the false God Baal (Judges 6). Gideon doesn’t
want any part of it. The part about God thinking he was a “mighty man of
valor” was definitely outside of the box. However, God did use Gideon as a
mighty man of valor to defeat the Midianites and Amalekites. Not with a vast
army but with only a small number of men. The army of Israel was finally
reduced from 10,000 to only 300 men. What faith those 300 men must have
had - They were surely thinking outside of the box to believe that they
alone could defeat an army of thousands.

To think outside of the box we need a greater understanding of the nature of
God. To think outside of the box we must continuously refocus upon God. The
writer of Hebrews tells us that in Hebrews 12:3 where he says, “Consider Him
who endured such opposition from man that you may not grow weary and lose
heart.” Losing our focus on God. Placing limits on God. This results in a
weakening of our faith and a growing weariness with the things of God and of
the Kingdom of God. That is how God ends up in small box limited in our
minds as to what He can do. To escape this trap of a limited and weak God we
must consciously live life in the presence of God seeking to grasp hold of
the true nature of Him.

For us to understand and comprehend that we have and worship a God capable
of more than we can comprehend we need to see that God is God and He can do
whatever He pleases.

Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

Ed Wrather is available for revivals, conferences, and other speaking and
ministry opportunities as the Lord leads. More information about Ed may be
found at http://www.theburningbush.org/28.html.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at http://www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has recently added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap’s sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
http://www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page http://www.theburningbush.org.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to burning
bushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 300 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A closely related website is
Peoplefaces which seeks to help those in need
peoplefaces.ohzone.net/index2.htm