Back to the Basics
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
As human beings we have a natural, unnatural, tendency to make things more complicated than they really are. God created everything! PERIOD That’s the whole story; there is no rest of the story like Paul Harvey used to say when I was a kid.
But as people it is sometimes hard for us to accept that there is a Creator God. I’m not a great theologian nor an advanced scientist that can discuss with anyone the intricate details of how the world was created other than saying God did it. That reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw, it said “I believe in the Big Bang Theory. God spoke, and BANG it happened!” That’s so true, but sometimes it’s hard for us to just accept the simple truth. We can’t believe that computers, or anything else, can be more complicated than God. To a person who is trained in working with computers they are not complicated at all.
There are two myths that I just mentioned that I want to discuss. The first myth is that God is complicated, and the second myth is that God is not complicated. I know some people are shaking their heads thinking, WHAT! God is either complicated, or He’s not complicated. He can’t be both. My simple answer to that is; Yes, He can be both, HE’S GOD!
God is more complicated than you or I could ever realize, Isaiah 55:8-9 are the best verses to explain this, “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 than your ways; and My thoughts than your thoughts.” The ways and the mind of God are too lofty for us to ever grasp.
God created the world, and by His word everything came into existence. Ephesians 3:8-10 says, “To me the very least of all saints this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages was hidden in God who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places.”
All things were created by God, and all things are hidden in His wisdom until He decides to reveal them to us; it doesn’t matter what we know. Like the saying goes, “It doesn’t matter what you know, but who you know.” I don’t care if you have a Doctorate in Quantum Physics unless God reveals the truth to you you are as ignorant as a newborn. (Matthew 16:17)
The ways of God are not just beyond our understanding they are beyond our ability to understand. Many people have made the mistake in believing that they could with enough knowledge be like God. That is what the original sin of Adam and Eve was all about. The Serpent tricked them into believing that they could be like God, and know what God knows. (Genesis 3) Man was in a tailspin after that, but God in His loving-kindness decided that He would come into this world in the form of man, Jesus Christ, and He would settle the score and put us on a level playing field. In our finite human brains that makes no sense; we would never even consider for the slightest minute dying for people who hate us, but that’s exactly what God did! (Romans 5:8)
Even though God is infinitely wiser than we are, and His ways are so much that we cannot begin to fathom them; His plans are so simple that even a toddler can understand them. I went on a mission trip several years ago, and one of the ladies who was with us gave us a card to help us share God’s truth. It was, and still is one the best and easiest ways I have ever seen to explain God’s plan. I would like to share that simple outline with you here.
Genesis 1 & 2 – God Set It Up
Genesis 3 – We Messed It Up
Genesis 4 to Malachi – God Called Us Back
Matthew to John – God Came to Earth
Acts to Jude – God Grows Relationships
Revelation – God’s Going To Sort It Out
That is very simple; to put it in even simpler terms,” God started it and God’s going to finish it.” In the meantime you and I are just passing time doing as He allows. Now, I want to make it clear that trying to get a better understanding of God’s ways is perfectly acceptable, but you must know that you never will. Getting a good, solid theological education is great. But no matter how much you know you will never have a complete understanding of God’s Ways. On the other hand if you want to know His plans for your life then read His Word and pray, but most importantly look at the cross!
The way of God cannot be understood, but the way of God is as simple as looking to Jesus.
John 14:6, “… I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
The image above can be found at:
Yes, You Can Ministry 