Thursday, May 2, 2013
Job
Hello all! Seems you are stuck with me again for the blog, can I get a “hurrah!”?
Thanks for your enthusiasm, now let’s get down to business!
So, lately I have been repeatedly hit with the immensity of our Lord’s glory. It’s intense to say the least, but God has been telling me “Yo Micah, you have not even begun to break the surface.” This hit me hard as, just today, I heard a sermon on God’s response to Job. The response begins in Job Ch. 38 and basically goes on until the end of the book. It’s mind blowing as God speaks of all He has done and I encourage you to read the entire response, but I will give you a few verses:
Ch. 28
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels[a] shouted for joy?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
Yeah, makes you think he is amazing, doesn’t it? God makes everything happen, period. I know it sounds childish, but God has the whole world in his hands. I am not over-exaggerating when I say that God has EVERYTHING and so much more!!!!!! God chimes in again“Micah, you have not even begun to break the surface” Wait, what? Yeah there’s more. Incomprehensibly amount more.
I am reading a book with some buddies of mine, The Knowledge of The Holy by A. W. Tozer, and the 2nd chapter is titled God Incomprehensible, hit me hard. Tozer points out that God is not of this world, and when we try to think about God we “… tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms… we want a God we can in some measure control.” I know I have done this, made God smaller then what he really is.
So how do we begin to understand the incomprehensible? Tozer continues and says “… God can be known only as the Holy Spirit performs in the seeking heart an act of self-disclosure.”
And now I land on the shaky at best conclusion after throwing these quotes and such at you; let’s begin to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the infinite attributes of God! How much more could we glorify God (the chief end of man) if we began to learn more about God?
My prayer is that God begins to work in us to open our eyes to see just how great the god we follow is. A god who calls us sons and daughters.
Sovereign Father, Heavenly King,
Thee we now presume so sing;
Glad thine attributes confess,
Glorious all, and numberless.
Charles Wesley
Have a great week,
Micah Levinson
Monday, February 18, 2013
My Legacy
What is the legacy that you want to leave? When people walk by your tombstone, what will people read or remember about you? My grandfather recently passed away and after attending his funeral, I have been questioning the legacy that I want to leave. Death can be sudden and is according to God's divine plan. Sometimes, as humans, we become too caught up in the material culture that surrounds us that we forget our true calling in life. In Exodus 9:16, the Lord clearly explains the legacy we should leave, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." The name of the Lord is the legacy awaiting us, if we so chose.
We all experience doubts in our faith that often strengthen our relationship with God. Sometimes, we question our position in a situation. However, worry is unnecessary because God has raised us up for this very purpose, whatever it may be. That purpose can range from attending school and being a beacon of light for fellow students or praying over your meal while out in a public restaurant. God has an absolute plan "for every activity under the heavens" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). As a competitive swimmer, I realize that every stroke I take is a blessing and I am incredibly grateful for my ability in this sport. Although I may win an award or swim an incredible race, it all means nothing without God and He deserves all the glory. After I pass away, my accolades will have absolutely no importance. However, my faith in God and His Son will give me eternal life in heaven. I may never become an Olympic swimmer or be a worldwide icon, but I know that my treasures are in heaven. When people remember Lauren Blakey, I do not want them to remember that I was a swimmer or even a part of Ghana Rock. Instead, I desire God's name to be at the forefront of their lips.
~Lauren Blakey
We all experience doubts in our faith that often strengthen our relationship with God. Sometimes, we question our position in a situation. However, worry is unnecessary because God has raised us up for this very purpose, whatever it may be. That purpose can range from attending school and being a beacon of light for fellow students or praying over your meal while out in a public restaurant. God has an absolute plan "for every activity under the heavens" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). As a competitive swimmer, I realize that every stroke I take is a blessing and I am incredibly grateful for my ability in this sport. Although I may win an award or swim an incredible race, it all means nothing without God and He deserves all the glory. After I pass away, my accolades will have absolutely no importance. However, my faith in God and His Son will give me eternal life in heaven. I may never become an Olympic swimmer or be a worldwide icon, but I know that my treasures are in heaven. When people remember Lauren Blakey, I do not want them to remember that I was a swimmer or even a part of Ghana Rock. Instead, I desire God's name to be at the forefront of their lips.
~Lauren Blakey
Sunday, February 10, 2013
God's Timing
Hello all,
So, recently I received a huge thrill. I’ve been tutoring this kid who is a freshman at my school for a few months now. He’s a bright young fellow, but quite controlled by his mother to perform well, which I think affects him in a terribly negative way. Last semester he got a D in world history. This was it, the final straw, for his mother. So, she called the school, and I was paired with him as a tutor. We worked through the end of last semester, pulling low D’s to high D’s and high D’s to low C’s. Progress was slower than molasses. He passed, but it was a discouragingly close pass.
Early this semester, we started working again. He was doing a bit better. Two weeks in and he had made a high C. Then we were working on his next test. This test was filled with 1000 names of figures and events. It was a complicated business, but he worked harder than he ever had before. The weekend after the test, I received a text from his teacher: “He got a 94 on the History Test. Good work.” I was actually at play practice, and I might have told everyone I saw. He received an A.
So, this taught me something about God. There was a time when I felt like my student’s progress was much too slow, like we weren’t getting anywhere. We had worked for more than a month and he still only got a D in the semester. But, frankly, God doesn’t work like that. God doesn’t operate on our expectations. And even when we commit to Him for months, years, or even decades at a time, He will still let us fail. Sanctification isn’t a one step process. You don’t bring a tutor in to get the fix in one week. Even if that was my expectation. Even if I thought that maybe even I could help get him to success that quickly.
But, though God’s timing is often slow, it is so often perfect. He will always give us precisely what we need. When my kid received a 94, I knew that there was success. It’s like when God finally gives us a peek of that glory, of that wonderful purity that he has to offer. Change is not immediate, but invest and it will come.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”- Matthew 7:7.
…maybe not immediately, but certainly within God’s time frame. And this year on the team this is what we are hoping and praying for. We pray that God will give us a bigger success than ever before. But, the fact is, it is always His timing. We must be diligent and watchful but also faithful. For He will appear, and His timing will be brilliant.
-Andrew Rikard
So, recently I received a huge thrill. I’ve been tutoring this kid who is a freshman at my school for a few months now. He’s a bright young fellow, but quite controlled by his mother to perform well, which I think affects him in a terribly negative way. Last semester he got a D in world history. This was it, the final straw, for his mother. So, she called the school, and I was paired with him as a tutor. We worked through the end of last semester, pulling low D’s to high D’s and high D’s to low C’s. Progress was slower than molasses. He passed, but it was a discouragingly close pass.
Early this semester, we started working again. He was doing a bit better. Two weeks in and he had made a high C. Then we were working on his next test. This test was filled with 1000 names of figures and events. It was a complicated business, but he worked harder than he ever had before. The weekend after the test, I received a text from his teacher: “He got a 94 on the History Test. Good work.” I was actually at play practice, and I might have told everyone I saw. He received an A.
So, this taught me something about God. There was a time when I felt like my student’s progress was much too slow, like we weren’t getting anywhere. We had worked for more than a month and he still only got a D in the semester. But, frankly, God doesn’t work like that. God doesn’t operate on our expectations. And even when we commit to Him for months, years, or even decades at a time, He will still let us fail. Sanctification isn’t a one step process. You don’t bring a tutor in to get the fix in one week. Even if that was my expectation. Even if I thought that maybe even I could help get him to success that quickly.
But, though God’s timing is often slow, it is so often perfect. He will always give us precisely what we need. When my kid received a 94, I knew that there was success. It’s like when God finally gives us a peek of that glory, of that wonderful purity that he has to offer. Change is not immediate, but invest and it will come.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”- Matthew 7:7.
…maybe not immediately, but certainly within God’s time frame. And this year on the team this is what we are hoping and praying for. We pray that God will give us a bigger success than ever before. But, the fact is, it is always His timing. We must be diligent and watchful but also faithful. For He will appear, and His timing will be brilliant.
-Andrew Rikard
Monday, January 7, 2013
More than just property.
Hello all,
Well, the year has come to an end and for me it has been, although fast, fantastic. Sometimes in the busyness of everyday life, especially around the holiday season, we lose sight of our God and His personal meaning to us. Even our trust in prayer may become weak and that is harmful to our prayers and walk with Christ.
As an athlete I struggle with this from time to time. I train most of the year and compete in the summer. While competing, I am constantly comparing myself to the other athletes and sometimes that affects how I view myself personally. This is harmful not only to my personality but also to my prayer life and how often I pray. Whether it is that I forget to pray or just do not think my prayers will be heard, my prayer life is surely affected. This has happened several times in my past and every single time, when I finally remember that God loves me so much more than I ever could imagine, I pray. And every single time He shows me that it’s not about who’s better or what place I get or how many points I get on a dive, it’s about Him and living my life for Him and His cause.
This is only a small issue in my life, but the children in Ghana deal with this everyday. My hope for the children on Lake Volta is that God would show them that they are worth far more than their owners show them. I pray that they would see their individual worth and seek Him. And I pray that they would know they are so much more than just property.
- Harrison Mitchell
Well, the year has come to an end and for me it has been, although fast, fantastic. Sometimes in the busyness of everyday life, especially around the holiday season, we lose sight of our God and His personal meaning to us. Even our trust in prayer may become weak and that is harmful to our prayers and walk with Christ.
As an athlete I struggle with this from time to time. I train most of the year and compete in the summer. While competing, I am constantly comparing myself to the other athletes and sometimes that affects how I view myself personally. This is harmful not only to my personality but also to my prayer life and how often I pray. Whether it is that I forget to pray or just do not think my prayers will be heard, my prayer life is surely affected. This has happened several times in my past and every single time, when I finally remember that God loves me so much more than I ever could imagine, I pray. And every single time He shows me that it’s not about who’s better or what place I get or how many points I get on a dive, it’s about Him and living my life for Him and His cause.
This is only a small issue in my life, but the children in Ghana deal with this everyday. My hope for the children on Lake Volta is that God would show them that they are worth far more than their owners show them. I pray that they would see their individual worth and seek Him. And I pray that they would know they are so much more than just property.
- Harrison Mitchell
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