I am guilty!
I am guilty of placing limits on God. I am guilty of having a perspective of God that is too small and limited. God is BIG and our view and perspective of him should be BIG. God knew we would struggle with this.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I am currently reading Mark Batterson’s book In a Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. Mark is pastor of the National Community Church  in Washington, D.C. It is a fun, easy and extremely motivational read regarding how to survive and thrive when opportunity ROARS!
He is challenging the ‘stink’ out of me to face my fears and look at them as opportunities to thrive. He emphasizes that when we run from fear rather than face up to it, we forfeit opportunities to see God show up in a BIG way. He challenges us to consider our view of God.
“Astronomers have spied galaxies 12.3 billion light-years from earth. To put that distance into perspective, consider the fact that light traveling 186,000 miles per second only takes eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles between the sun and planet earth. Sunlight is only eight minutes old. But light from the furthest galaxy takes 12.3 billion years to get here. That distance is virtually incomprehensible! And God says that is about the distance between His thoughts and our thoughts. Your best thought about God on your best day falls 12.3 billion light-years short of how great and how good God really is.” (pg. 28)Â
I am in the midst of expanding my perspective and view of God. I invite you to join me on the journey!
Russ,
I also place limits on God. I believe it’s a drawback of the physical world. We seem to look at things in a relative manner, always measuring and comparing one thing to another. I once heard someone say that the road to enlightenment cannot be measured. That sounds cliche, but is speaks volumes on our human desires for comprehension. I am so glad that you used an astronomical analogy to explain that point in church, because I too look to the universe to experience a bit of God’s grandeur. I truly enjoy your sermons. Thanks for being there.
Billy