It seems like we put everything in boxes -food, jewellery, tools, and even memory keepsakes. However, with boxes, some things just don't fit. God is a being that is not to be placed in a box. Although the text of the Bible may be black and white, remember that God is the one who created every colour of the rainbow, with way more than fifty shades of every colour. Why wouldn't He exceed our expectations, when He gave us the ability to even process expectations.

The Bible was written long ago, but God's words and God's love is eternal. Some may feel that the Bible restricts us, but I have learned that the Bible protects us. We have a father who has seen the history of all time, and who knows human nature better than we do. The mention of a love so great -God's love, is a reoccurring theme of the Bible. When Paul speaks of God's spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:6 he reminds us, "God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us."

When we take time to know God, His qualities of justice, wisdom, power, mercy, and love become well known to us. God exposed his qualities on Mount Sinai when He described himself as a God who is slow to anger, full of unfailing love and faithfulness and a God of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness, but also one who does not excuse the guilty (Exodus 34:6-7, NLT). 

Ours, is a complex God. How could we not feel like Paul felt when he wrote:"Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways"? (Romans 11:33, NLT) Our God is not dull and colourless, He is not simple and limited to our theoretical structures, He is complex and colourful and full of wisdom that surpasses our wisdom. To learn about His qualities we have to seek Him to gain that knowledge like Moses and Paul did. We cannot fit God into a box.

Leah J.

A Thirst That Can Be Satisfied vs. One That Cannot Be

"In my last year on Wall Street my bonus was $3.6 million — and I was angry because it wasn’t big enough." -Sam Polk, NY Times, Sunday Review, Jan. 18 2014

That quote is from this year, it reminds me of what I found in this month's daily devotional, the devotional clarified what was written in Exodus in 13th century BC. The passage in Exodus ch. 16:16-20 is referring to 'manna' (bread). This is where God commanded the Hebrew people to gather as much manna as they need to stay alive in the Sinai desert after they were freed from slavery in Egypt -some gathered much manna -some little. Then Moses said to them, 'no one is to keep any of it until morning,' but they kept part of it until morning, and it was full of maggots and began to smell.

I have stop and ask this question, 'Why do we hang on to things that we have no business hanging onto?' 

For the Israelites -it was manna, for Sam Polk -it was Money, and for others -it is so many things. We witness people, or even ourselves hanging onto time, friends, feelings, material things, and populating our life with things that don't necessarily fit it to God's bigger picture, instead of hanging onto His word, His work, and looking forward to His kingdom. Why is it so easy for us to get lulled into a false sense of security -thinking that these things will bring us happiness? It is important to remind ourselves that, it is written:

"To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."-Ecclesiastes 2:26

It seems that we hang onto things, because we have trouble keeping our 'eye on the prize'. We probably can remind ourselves of Matthew Ch. 6:19-21 everyday, and it won't be too much. 

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The the best advice we can get to change our routine of clinging to all the wrong things, is from the Bible itself. In Ephesians 5:15-17 it says:

15 "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."

So I leave you with this question, 'What are you hanging onto, and what are you not hanging onto?"

By: Leah J.