When I write on Mondays, I want to talk about our state of being, and how we are meant to live. Society and culture everywhere lacks some or other of what God calls us to. There is so much glory and goodness awaiting us!

Since this is the first post of its kind here, I want to recall an older post theme, because it is, I believe, where we have to start. This is from April 2012, my first year of grad school. Who was I back then? I don’t even remember.

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I have learned over the past two semesters a tremendous amount about myself and, infinitely more importantly, about God. Through class? Well, maybe a bit. But mostly, I have learned through encountering difficulties, experiences, and relationships that have acted as agents in God’s brilliant plan to kill me so that I may live (Romans 8:13 tells us we will live if, by the Spirit, we put to death the deeds of the body). And that I may live for His glory, not for myself.

 Side note: Paradox is a given in the things of God, even at the most elemental level: Christ, the Son of God, was also human. God is just and merciful. If you stop trying to meet your needs, your needs will be met (Matthew 6:33). If you try to save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose your life you will keep it (Luke 17:33). You can call them contradictions if you like, but by God’s doing they are not incompatible truths. Have you ever asked anyone a question with two options, and they answer, “Yes”? I think it’s a little bit like that. In each of these statements, both clauses are true; they do not exclude one another. I am not a philosopher, so I will not attempt a lengthier discussion of paradox and premises and all that. At any rate, God is far above philosophy, which can never fully understand nor explain the ways of God. Isaiah 55:8-9: For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares 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.

One foundational thing God has done and is doing is renewing my comprehension of His sovereignty. I have been awed by His might, His forgiveness, His sweetness, His fearsomeness, His grace. I have seen how tiny I am. And what a mystery, that this all-powerful and holy God has loved a weak and blemished creature like me. It is beautiful to be loved by your parents, friends, siblings, mentors, beloveds, children. But of such greater magnitude and wonder is it to be loved by Love Himself, infinite God, humble Saviour, gracious Spirit. O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart… (I Kings 8:23)

There is none like God, O Jeshurun, Who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms… (Deuteronomy 33:26-27)   The fact that God is Who He is gives my life meaning. It is the overarching Truth, under which come myriad other truths, which all are part of this one Truth. I mean that the truth about my identity comes from God being Who He is. The truth about my salvation comes from God being Who He is. And the truth about how I ought to live comes from this Truth as well.

Through this understanding, I have come to believe that if we understand God’s sovereignty, we may approach a more robust and peaceful understanding of how to be. In other words, God’s sovereignty is our serenity. If we have a proper view of God, His character, person, and authority, our paradigm may be renewed as we learn how to rightly love Him. Sovereignty changes everything.

The Monday posts will be part of a series about the many areas in our lives that are transformed when we live intentionally acknowledging God’s sovereignty. I write this series rather selfishly, because I want to benefit from such transformation and need to learn the things I am going to write. My hope is that, by writing and reading and thinking and learning and praying, you and I will both come to a deeper knowledge of the person of Christ. I don’t mean knowing about Him; I mean knowing Him. The former is historian’s work, and we should possess such knowledge, but if we stop there, we may still hear Him say, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” Let us seek to know God, if such an audacious thing may be said by a human. I think that’s what He wants – for us to know Him, and to glorify Him on the earth. May that be our heart’s cry and our utmost desire.

When I wrote that sovereignty changes everything, I meant it. More and more ideas to write about keep occurring to me, more facets of my life that need the transforming knowledge of the sovereignty of God to manifest itself. Eventually I’ll run out of things to say, but not for a long time. I am eager to begin this journey, and I hope it is a blessing to you, reader, as well.

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I’ll be reliving some other old posts the next several Mondays, because I can’t stand to leave them behind. Not for any merit of the writing itself, but for the sake of the theme and content.

And you, friend, please join me. If these are conversations that draw you in some way, please, reply, question, challenge, affirm, all of that. I need your voice in my story.