Friday, December 7, 2012

My Thoughts on Higher Education

Dear Journal,
As I complete my undergrad college education I'd like to showcase the sum of my knowledge attained in the last 4 1/2 years.

 (Ahem)

They're = they are, their = possessive form of they, you're = you  are, your = possessive form of you, youv = not a real word. It takes me a couple times of trial and error but I spell "definitely!" correctly on a pretty consistent basis but of course for the harder vocab words I've got the good ol right click spell check button. Oh and let's not forget that my papers would have had so much less flare without the right click "synonyms" feature where I learned how to masterfully morph rest into cessation, quiescence, somnolence, and siesta.

In all seriousness college has been really good to me. I learned that I'm passionate about helping people, that people will clap for me after I play guitar for them at coffee shops, and that Jiu Jitus is really cool. I married my exquisite wife Rachel and most importantly fell in love with my savior Jesus. All in all...it's been a good.

 Special thanks to all of you in the Facebook/Twitter/Blogger realm for being my go-to public diary. You've made everyday feel like an episode of Doug.

-Cole

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Can We Search the Unsearchable (God)?


Can We Search the Unsearchable?
Is it reasonable to believe that we as human beings, limited in our ability to understand and comprehend, could even begin to scratch the surface of such an unlimited and complex being as God? I have a friend who once told me that his reason for not believing in the God of the bible was due to his idea that if there is a God we're just swinging in the dark trying to find him because there is no way we could ever hope to understand something so unreachable. The heck of the thing is...my friend was right. We truly cannot understand who God is no matter how much searching we do because, well, He's God! If you feel differently than I politely suggest that you reevaluate your view on the magnificence of God compared to the meekness of man. So should we call off the search completely and just head home? No way Jose! God desires an intimate relationship with you. That is to say that He wants you to get to know Him and while we cannot on our own power lift the veil that covers His Majesty, He has freely revealed Himself to us!

Before I go any further allow me today that to fully understand God in this life is an impossibility. He is quite simply too complex, and it is entirely too superficial of us to believe that we could wrap our arms  around a being so beautifully profound...With that being said, not for a moment do I believe that we are entitled to ignorance because of our limited capacity. As believers God has provided for us everything that we need to search and seek a deeper relationship with Him. In the remainder of this blog I'd like to show that we truly can know God because he allows us to. Here are some examples of how God has paved the way for our understanding of Him.

Our Hearts

In the book of Romans Paul writes that no one is excused from worshiping God "For what can be known about God is plain to [us] because God has shown it to [us]. 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 [we] are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20) Just by experiencing the world around us, whether that be the sight of a New Mexico sunset, the sound of a string quartet, or the ecstasy experienced during sex...the creations that we experience point towards the nature and characteristics of our Creator. Paul later goes on to say in Romans that difference between right and wrong is written on our hearts and I believe that in the same way the characteristics of the Almighty have been written on our heart by God so that we can know Him more intimately.

Our Brains

 In addition to a heart that points towards the Creator, God has given us a magnificent and undeniably awesome tool that we call the brain. In my 4 and 1/2 years as a psychology major (who needs 4 year degree plans?) I have been astounded by the brain! Purely scientifically speaking the human brain is what sets us apart from all other creatures. I could go on and on about how clever God was in the design of our brain, from comprehension to memory to imagination but my point is that from the get-go we have been given an amazing tool that aids us in our search for an intimate relationship with God

God's Word

Even if you're using your brain to it's maximum potential (which is way more than 10% btw) you are still incapable of understanding more deeply who God is until you get into His word (The Bible). There is an elaborate and continuous story through out the Old Testament and the New Testament, and it's all about who God is. It is an elaborate love story in which He is the Protagonist. Who are we in His story?We are both the antagonist and the love interest. We are the ones who have turned away from a perfect and loving God out of selfishness, and yet we are also the ones that God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for.
The coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ serves as the climax of God's story. To put it accurately, John Cusack and his boom box ain't got nothin on God's elaborate and dramatic gesture of Jesus on the cross. (If you don't get that reference then watch"Say Anything)
 

The Holy Spirit

Of course Jesus' death and resurrection served as more than just a gesture, it was a powerful move on the part of God that can irrevocably change our hearts. Not too long before the betrayal and arrest of Jesus he told his disciples that he would be leaving them but he also said that it was to their advantage that he leave so that the Helper could come (John 16:5-7). The "Helper" mentioned by Jesus is the Holy Spirit and is the most powerful force we have in understanding who God is because He IS God and He actually dwells within us (take a second to recollect the pieces to your blown mind).

Before the death and resurrection of Christ we were incapable of holding such a magnificent force within us because God, being perfect and holy, could not dwell within sinful creatures. In fact there is a story in the Old Testament about a man who died merely from touching the tabernacle (a box that Israel carried with them through the desert in which God's Spirit dwelt). That same Spirit can now dwell within us when we accept the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. 

Often times I think "Man, it would be awesome if Jesus was physically here so that I could talk to him and ask him questions about the universe!" but Jesus said to his disciples in John 16:13 "When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth."  You see Jesus was limited on this earth because he humbly accepted a body of flesh so it would have been impossible for him to  have an intimate and personal relationship with all of us, but through the Holy Spirit we now have unlimited access to Him. Not to be too irreverent but having the The Holy Spirit is kind of  like having a backstage pass to God's concert. It's one thing to enjoy the band from the nosebleeds or even the first row but it's quite another to actually hangout with the band.

In conclusion

I hope that I've shown adequately through out my little blog here that we truly can search an unsearchable God because he allows us to. I would, however, like to add a word of caution to you truth seekers out there because there is certainly danger in presuming too much of the Lord, and we only have to look at Job's life for evidence of that.

 "Dress for action like a man; I will question you and make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding." (Job38:3-4)

So once again I would like to reiterate that we cannot know God on our own power or insight, but because of His grace he has REVEALED to us who He is and we are invited to join Him in an intimate relationship. It will take all of eternity to truly understand who He is but luckily as believers in the Son of God that's precisely the amount of time we have.