Go Outside and Know God Better

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

God reveals Himself and declares His glory in His creation, so go outside and know Him better. 

The Bible tells us about the attributes of God, but creation gives us visual pictures of so many of His attributes – like His power and wisdom and goodness.  In Mathew 6, Jesus uses birds and fields as examples of God’s care, and we need to learn to interpret creation, to see how it shows forth God’s nature. 

For example, storms give us an example of God’s power.  The intricate design of any part of God’s creation shows forth God’s wisdom.  The kaleidoscope of colorful leaves point to God’s glorious beauty.

When I sit along Lake Superior, the vastness of lake reminds me of the vastness of our God.  The stillness of lake reminds me of the rest and peace found in God.  The crashing waves reminds me of the power of God.

And I could do that along Lake Michigan near where I live too, but I’m too busy.  Maybe you are too?  To go outside and know God better?

One reason God seems so distant to so many today is that they live their lives in man-made homes, traveling in man-made cars to man-made places of work and man-made stores filled with man-made things.  And now we fill every extra moment staring at man-made screens.  No wonder we miss the reality of God.

God reveals Himself to us on the vast canvas of His creation.  Go outside, see how God’s creation points to Him, and know Him better.

OT Journey 2.0: Leviticus

On By BrianIn OT Journey 2.0

There are 5 studies for the book of Leviticus, which you can find below. You can use them to continue leading a study through the Old Testament or to just lead a study on Leviticus. Be sure to read the introduction to OT Journey 2.0 at the bottom of the page here for more information. While not incorporated into this study, you might want to use the Bible Project overview video to introduce the study.

Study 1: Leviticus 1-7

Study 2: Leviticus 8-12

Study 3: Leviticus 13-17

Study 4: Leviticus 18-22

Study 5: Leviticus 23-27

May God bless you as you study His Word!

God Is Love

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

God is love (I John 4:8). God is eternal (Jeremiah 10:10). God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). When you put those three truths together, we find that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a perfect loving relationship for all of eternity. He is radiant glorious love in action for all eternity.

God is love in Himself. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever loving each other. Which means He didn’t need to create us to have someone to love. Instead, He chose to create us, and this eternal love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit spilled over to people like us. That ought to boggle our brains!

And when we sinned against Him, rejecting His amazing love, He chose to show the extent of His great love by saving us through the cross. He went to great lengths to save us, so that He might continue to extend His love to us forever. Not because we are lovable, but because He is love!

So how should we respond to His amazing love? Jesus sums it up in Matthew 22:37-40. Love God with all your being. Love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, love as God loves. Here is our challenge. Here is our purpose. Here is what life is all about. Love as God loves.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 9:1-14

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns

Our God is holy, holy, holy
We are sinners in need of cleansing
We could not find inner purity
From the Old Covenant offerings

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

Offering Himself, Jesus shed His blood
All of our sins and guilt washed away
Now we can draw near and serve our God
Once for all Jesus opened the way
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

God and Our Vision of Life

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

We believe in the one true and living God,
who eternally exists in three unique persons –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Each one is identical in nature and substance,
with the same attributes and perfections.

Our culture tells us that it is all about you.
You create your own story,
your own identity,
your own reality.
You do whatever you want to do,
because you are center,
everything revolves around you.

Is it not obvious that this doctrine of God refutes this vision of life?
Flips it upside-down?
Or rather right-side up?

There is one true living God, and I am not Him.
So everything revolves around Him, not me.
He is center, not me.
I am to do whatever He wants.
Because this is His great story.
He determines reality.
He gives me my identity.
He makes me part of His story.
So I am going to live for Him, not me.

This doctrine totally changes our vision of life,
and so will change how we live each day.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 8:1-13

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns

Jesus our better priest before God
Our punishment on the cross He takes
Reigns as King at the right hand of God
A better covenant Jesus makes

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

God changes us with a brand new heart
He is our God, to Him we belong
We know the Lord for a brand new start
Full forgiveness of our ev’ry wrong
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

Sing! Hymnal

On By BrianIn Sing A Song, Songs to Sing

Getty Music and Crossway have released a new hymnal with a great mix of old and new hymns for the church, family, and individual to sing.  New hymns include songs from Getty Music, City Alight, and Sovereign Grace Music.  Most of the new hymns our church sings are in this hymnal, making it a great resource for us.  I received my copy on Friday, and enjoyed an hour paging through it, reading and singing rich lyrics that raise the heart to worship. 

They also have a spiral version that lays flat and includes the chords.  Just ordered two of those for our guitar and piano players.  I’m excited to have simpler music versions that we will be able to use as we lead our church in worship. 

Their website has a page that not only allows you to see what hymns are included but also allows you to listen to a simple piano rendition to help you learn the melody.  As I was paging through the hymnal, I thought that would be a nice feature for the songs I didn’t know, and then I found it!  Super helpful.

This new hymnal is going to be a great new resource for our small church, and I encourage you to check it out.

Doctrine Matters for Our Relationship with God

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

What is required to have a growing relationship with God, to know God more and more?  I must learn about Him.  Doctrine teaches us about Him – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – so that I might know Him better.

Imagine a young man and a young woman meet, and they want to get to know each other.  What do they do?  They spend time together.  They talk to each other and listen.  They learn about each other.

If you want to get to know God better, you need to learn about Him – who He is, what He has done, what He is doing now, and what He will do in the future.  That’s doctrine.  It’s not dry!  It is relational.  It is exciting! 

And as we learn more about God – His love, His faithfulness, His mercy, and what He has done to save us by becoming one of us to die on a cross – we not only get to know Him better, but we love Him more.  Our love for Him grows.  We learn of His love for us, and we grow in our love towards Him.  Our relationship is not dry, but a loving relationship between God and us.

And as we learn about Him through doctrine, this love then leads to worship.  Theology should always lead to doxology.  Doctrine should always lead to praise.  In Ephesians 1-3, Paul lays out the doctrines of salvation and then closes in 3:20-21 with worship to God.  The same thing happens in Romans.  Paul lays out wondrous doctrinal truth in chapters 1-11, and then closes in 11:33-36 with praise to God.  As Paul reflects on doctrinal truths, he can’t help but break into joyful worship. 

Doctrine teaches us about God, that we might grow in our relationship with Him, loving Him more, and falling down before Him in worship.

Declaring the Glory

On By BrianIn Declaring the Glory

Manido Falls in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20