THREE IN ONE - THE TRINITY

If you are a Midwestern reader, or in Colorado where I have many cousins, you might be tired of hearing about the 'sun hat and flip-flop' weather here in the San Diego area. So, I won't say much accept that we have blankets of purple flowers everywhere! I just love how our Lord shows off like this every spring. Only He can take barren, lifeless foliage and bring new life. And, only He can take our unsatisfying life, our fears and worries, and give new hope and new life to all who come to believe in Him. Take heart, spring is on its way!

There is no place where a life 'out of control' is more evident than in our jails and prisons. Feelings of no self-worth, fear, powerless over circumstances abound. But don't we all struggle with 'being human' in an imperfect, confusing world? I think I've mentioned several times throughout the last year of blogging that I am part of a jail ministry. I've probably shared the Lord with over a thousand female inmates during the past 10 years. The ones who come sincerely want to change their lives; we help them find a way. I've seen 24 women during the past couple of weeks and one asked me a question about the 'TRINITY'. Don't we have just one God? She wanted to know.

This past Christmas I noticed so many decorative signs that simply said - BELIEVE. I wondered, believe in what? Believe in who? Just wondered.....did any of you? As Christians we want to know WHO and WHAT! This is why my focus is always on the Bible, because this is where we discover the answers to 'who and what'.

I probably don't say this often enough.....God is able to make Himself known to everyone, everywhere - you don't need to have a Bible, you don't need to be able to read - God is not limited in any way. He gathers His sheep.....read Ezekiel 34: 11 - "I myself will search for my sheep and look after them". I think of John 10 as the 'sheep chapter', a good description of Jesus as our Lord and Shepherd. Not one of His sheep will be lost because they had limitations.

THE TRINITY as defined by Webster's New World Dictionary -

1. The condition of being three or threefold.
2. Set of three persons or things that form a unit.
3. The union of three divine persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) in one Godhead.

I recently ran across an article I'd written for our church newspaper in July 2005 about the 'Mystery of the Trinity'. I started out by writing that when my husband and I became Christians and started to study the Bible, we looked all over for the word 'Trinity'. It wasn't there! Something so fundamental to our Christian faith.....how could that be? I soon discovered that man has come up with terms that describe and reflect Biblical concepts and truths so that our human mind can grasp what Scripture teaches.

How can you have three in one? Well, think of water - H2O - this is the formula for water, two atoms of hydrogen, one atom of oxygen. We experience drinking a glass of water, holding ice cubes in our hand, and seeing steam from a kettle rising into the air - all three have exactly the same chemical make-up, but they can appear in different forms. Or, think of yourself as a person who is - a son/daughter, a husband/wife, and a father/mother - each roll is very different, but you are only ONE person.

I know I have some readers who are math oriented people so you could think of the Godhead as 1 x 1 x 1 which equals ONE! I barely passed high school algebra so I defer to the math lovers on this. When God wants to teach you a truth, He'll find a way to do it.

IMPORTANT - All three persons of the Trinity have the same attributes - they are eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and immutable - but each person has a different function.

THE FATHER- 'In the beginning God', Genesis 1:1 - pretty awesome words! It all began with Him. His Spirit hovered over the the waters, Gen 1:2. God is spirit. He spoke our world into existence....'and let there be'. God gave us 'The Law' and He is the Judge - James 4:12. God does what He has planned, He is sovereign - Psalms 115:3. The Bible paints a total picture of this sovereignty from Genesis to Revelation. He is the One we run to - "Abba Father" - Romans 8:15. And best of all, He loves us and provided a way to live with Him eternally.

JESUS - Jesus is God in the flesh - "He became man and dwelt among us" - John 1:14. Jesus was with God in the beginning and through Him all things were made - John 1: 2-3. He paid the penalty for our sins, John 3:16, He carries our burdens, Matthew 11:28, and supplies our faith, Hebrews 12:2. Only those who believe in Him will go to heaven, Acts 4:12.

HOLY SPIRIT - comes to live in us when we receive salvation, Acts 2:38. He is the 'deposit' who guarantees our inheritance - eternal life, until Jesus comes to redeem us. He gives us the power to live the Christian life and it is He who produces the fruit in a believer's life - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control - Galatians 5: 22 - 23.

I'd like to summarize this piece by referring you to Ephesians 1: 3-14. I could write it all out, but I know you'd be so blessed if you got out a Bible and looked it up for yourself, that I'm going to resist the temptation to do that. You won't believe all the information in these few incredible verses!!

I am in awe of You Lord! My human mind can't totally grasp all you are and who you are. I thank you for your love letter to us, the Bible, so we can be fed the 'bread of life' every time we open it.

Since Valentines Day will soon be upon us, next blog I'll share what the Bible says about LOVE.

A NEW YEAR, A NEW YOU

A year can slip away quickly and we think about those resolutions we made January 2010. Even on a daily basis, we can be frustrated by what has been left 'undone' as we crawl into bed at night. I've come to know that just because I have something on my list, it doesn't mean God had it on His list. He sees to it that His agenda is accomplished and that gives me peace.

Sometime during the fall of 2009 I felt the Lord was prompting me to write a blog. I knew nothing about blogs, and to tell the truth, during this past year I've done a lot of writing, 44 blogs to be exact, but I still don't know much about the mechanics of 'blogdom'. I'm amazed by how many find this blog, hundreds, from California to Malaysia. I've done nothing to get it 'out there', so I know it's a 'God-thing'.

I remember the day I set up the blog and wrote a short piece. It was January 9, 2010 and I don't think we'd completely 'un-decorated' the house after the Christmas 'Holy' days, but I knew I needed to start that day. I had a pile of laundry waiting to be done, breakfast dishes were still on the sink, everything was pretty much a mess, but I sat down and blogged. It felt so 'right', and I knew the Lord was with me. I've learned to never depend on my own wisdom, all wisdom comes from Him, I Corinthians 1:20 - "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?".

For those who have visited this blog in the past, I'd like you to notice a new design. I think it may be a little easier to read. I'm excited about what the Lord will be teaching us this coming year. He always has some great things to share with His children....that's us!

I don't want to make anyone feel envious, but here in the San Diego area, we still have roses in bloom, orchids whose little faces just appeared, very green hillsides and lots of snow on the mountain tops. I love sitting at my computer, looking out the window to enjoy the sun glistening off the mountain snow. I'd rather look at it than shovel it!

The birth of a new year can be a time of renewal and change. For those of us who believe, it can also be a time of excitement as we anticipate what God has planned for us to experience, both the good and the challenging. We all like new things, like the 'fresh from the womb' smell of a newborn baby, a fresh coat of paint, a new Bible.....so how about a new 'you'?

The Bible makes some interesting statements about new versus old. It says that before we become a Christian and begin a personal relationship with Christ, we are dead, blind, deaf, and enslaved to sin. Gee, I didn't feel this described me! The Bible is referring to the spiritual, not the physical. We need to have a spiritual birth in order to know spiritual truth. Something exciting happens when we experience this new birth....we become a "new creation, the old has gone, the new has come"....II Corinthians 5:17, A NEW YOU.

Life is a journey. Put a Bible in your backpack, you are going to need it! The Bible is God's living word. It's His love letter to us, our instruction book on how to travel in the best of company with the least stress and most joy.

Next blog we'll talk more about becoming a 'new you' in the new year.

Thank you Lord for showing us a way to travel with you as our guide, our peace, (Ephesians 2:14) and our loving, faithful Father.