Limited Consciousness12/30/2013 "We are limited by our consciousness"
-Phillip Brannan I've been thinking about that statement ever since the day I heard it spoken and it sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not. How does consciousness limit us? Our state of awareness depends on what we are conscious to. Everyone sees their own life through their own eyes and each of us is only aware of what we know about. These statements seem to state the obvious, but we really need to be made aware of the obvious because, consciously or not, we believe that life is about us. There is so much more happening across the globe that we know nothing about, much less across the street. Things that will not intersect our lives at all; things that we won't even hear about on our favorite news channel. Who would have thought that my wife and I would cross paths with a traveling U.S Navy Seaman and a toddler. We saw the firefighters extricating the body of the Seaman about an hour after his car crossed over the snow covered median on Interstate 64 right into the path of an oncoming SUV, killing himself as well as the toddler who was in the SUV. Seeing the wreckage at the crash scene really challenged my belief that God is in control of the entire universe. My wife reminded me that we have no idea what God's purposes are for allowing this tragedy. By the way, we do live in a fallen and sinful world. A friend who has terminal cancer asked the same question of God regarding cancer as I did that day of the accident: "why?". My friend's answer: "to bring glory to Himself". That is the only acceptable answer. Nothing else makes sense. As a believer in the sovereignty of God I believe the Bible... All of it. With that in mind, let's see what God says about His sovereignty. Job 1:20-21 "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then fell to the ground in worship and said: 'naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised'". Job says this just after literally loosing everything; all of his children, servants, livestock and real estate were killed, stolen or destroyed... and that's just chapter 1 of 42 of Job's struggles. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." God has good plans for us and knows everything about everything and He thinks on a much higher plane than we do. And Romans 11:33-34 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" He knows us intimately, He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. Luke 12:7 "Indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered." God has already determined that we will live on this earth a certain amount of time and no more. Job 14:5 "A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." There is so much going on that is beyond our consciousness. How can we really know it all? We know what we know because we are limited by time and space: God is not. He really does know everything. Yes, he even knew that those people would die that day as well as my friends, and I have two of them, who have cancer. As a believer in the One who has risen, Jesus Christ, I must also believe that He is and will be glorified by these circumstances. As a matter of fact, I have witnessed the beauty of glory being given to God through my two friends with cancer during this ugly process. Can God bring glory to Himself through death too? Silly question, He did that already on hill called Calvary. Remember, "God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called by His name" (Romans 8:28).
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