There is no 'ordinary' with God

Sometimes life seems just fairly ‘ordinary’.

I was reminded of that, when I sat in the garden for a few minutes today, with my camera, hoping to maybe see a new butterfly.

I saw loads of butterflies and as one point as I walked from one part of the garden to another it felt like I was walking through butterflies, there were so many.

But though there were many, the variety today was unusually very limited.

Out of 50 species spotted in our garden last year, today almost every butterfly was a one of just a few types and mostly just black and white. The ones that weren’t black and white only, were mostly black and white except for one.

No vibrant colours today, no interesting designs, no new species to spot.

It felt very ordinary.

It is so easy to get disappointed. I had great expectations, but they weren’t fulfilled.

I realised that my butterfly world, had something to teach me, about life in our modern world.

We have access to so much, both materially, and informationally via media.  We can so easily move from appreciating the joy of exploring and discovering God’s amazing world, to our discoveries and learning feeding a lack of contentment.

These butterflies taught me today to remember that we hold those two things - discovery and contentment - in tension. While its good to seek, and seek more and never stop seeking to know God more and appreciate Him more, we must simultaneously learn to be content no matter what situation we are in - whether in plenty or not.

In all situations, we have to learn, I need to keep learning…to be thankful in all circumstances - lots of new butterflies or just a few plain black and white ones - all are special, all are God’s handiwork, all are part of his sovereignty, and thus his plans and purposes for my day.

We might think about not coveting what belongs to someone else, but I was challenged that I can even covet what was given to me yesterday. God is not obligated to give me today, exactly the same way as he gave to me yesterday. Today he has something different for me, that is no less important and needed for my growth in knowing what it means to give all glory to him in everything.  Not being satisfied in him inhibits him being glorified in me! Not being satisfied in him, is saying he doesn’t know how to bless me or know what is good for me, and that’s not even close to a righteous attitude!

My disappointment, I realised, hindered me from stopping to enjoy the fact that God can do so many different variations of just black and white butterflies. My moment of disappointment robbed me of joy and robbed God of the glory due to him….and in the process robbed me of realising a new facet of the awe of God’s creativity!

Do you have ordinary days? 

 ...Days you are disappointed when you really have no need to be?

…days like me when you are reminded you still need to learn more about contentment, and not miss a new perspective on God’s greatness?  

If we believe God is in control, then when we feel disappointed in some aspect of our lot in life, we are really saying we are disappointed in God, that he let us down…that he failed…which is something he cannot and does not do. When we feel that pang of disappointment, it is a sure signal that it’s not God who has disappointed us, but at that moment we are disappointing God by not seeing what he wants us to see, know and understand in that moment in order to honour him as we should.

There is no ordinary with God…it may feel ‘ordinary’ to us….but we need to remind ourselves that every moment from him is valuable, and every response of ours should be to honour him in thankfulness and worship (Romans 1:21).

A New Season of Butterflies...featuring 'underside', 'topside' and on the 'small side'!

It’s the time of year when the daytime is glorious, with clear blue skies, gentle warm sun, (and away from the blanket of dust hanging over the city) …. and lots of butterflies!

One day this past week, I sat out at the table and chairs on our grass and counted at least 13 different species of butterflies flying by within about half an hour. 

But in amongst these was a NEW butterfly for me….a really tiny one (about 18mm wingspan) called the:

 Gaika Blue

Sorry I didn’t get an ‘inside-wing’ photograph, as it never seems to open its wings when its still, so you only see the full beautiful blue on the inside when its flying. 

But I did get one photo of its wings just the tiniest bit apart so you can see that I speak the truth when I say the inside is a pretty blue!

And to give you both the full proof and a size comparison to show just how small this butterfly is, here is a snapshot of a page in my butterfly book that shows it next to the swallowtail.

To put the size into further perspective, this is the swallowtail  (about 100mm wingspan) at a bougainvillea flower and a ‘busy lizzy’ flower in our garden a while back:

As I’ve mentioned before sometimes butterflies can be a very boring plain colour on the underside (what you see when wings are closed) and very beautiful on the topside (what you see when the wings are open), just like this Yellow Pansy:

But this one, called the ‘Painted Lady’ is quite ornate on both sides. I have seen this one before, but only in a ‘broken’ and battered state, this time I got to see it with full wings!

(and for size referencing, the Painted Lady and Yellow Pansy are about the same 'mid-size’ (about 45-50mm wingspan) as the Neita Brown in the comparison picture above)

So you see a garden adventure in butterfly watching is always an adventure because you never know what that day of viewing will bring!  

But one thing it always brings, is fresh awe and wonder at the amazing creation…and thus an amazing Creator…and thus what a privilege we have to be his children!  If he cares so much as to how to make butterflies of multitudes of colours and sizes just for the joy of it, then how much more can we trust him to take care of us and to want the best for us according to his wisdom and design!

Pentecost and the Honour of His Presence

When the electricity fails, and you light a candle, have you ever lit just one candle and then taken that one flame to light many candles and create multiple light sources around a room?  It is certainly a common occurrence at our house. 

In the Old Testament, the symbol of God's presence with his people Israel as they were led out of Egypt and through the wilderness was the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.(Ex 13:21-22, Ex 40:38, Num 9:15) Every day, that cloud/fire was a reminder that the Israelites were God's chosen people/family, with whom he chose to dwell.

When God met Moses at the burning bush, he spoke out of the fire that kept burning but didn't consume the bush.

God is described as a 'consuming fire' reflecting his almighty power and supremecy (Ex 24:17, Deut 4:24, Hebrews 12:29)

The Honour of His Presence Individually as well as Collectively

But God's presence as a fire over the tabernacle, was a corporate and collective presence for his people. His individual people only enjoyed his presence because they were part of the greater group of chosen people with whom God decided to dwell in a very special and unique way.  They knew his honour on them as 'chosen' primarily in a collective sense.

Today on this Pentecost Sunday, I am reminded that God brought the fire of his presence from the collective presence to involve an individual presence. 

We are told that God's presence in the form of the Holy Spirit, was symbolised in the coming of a fire that 'divided up' - 'separated' - into multiple flames, one flame for each individual person. No longer was God's presence a collective presence only. Not only was He with them as a group, but he was going to be in each of them individually, to guide, direct and empower (Ezekiel 36:27).

Prior to Pentecost God's people were still individually accountable, but as far as God's presence was experienced it was primarily by being part of the collective group. 

After Pentecost, God's presence was able to be experienced individually by everyone who belonged to God through Christ. 

Prior: God chose to presence Himself with the collective group in which individuals were a part, thus the individual's access to God was via the collective group. God's presence was something they looked to outside of themselves.

After: God chose to dwell directly in the individuals who then together formed the collective presence of God in Christ by the Spirit. Not only does the Christian enjoy the privilege of the honour of God's presence collectively as part of the body of Christ, but individually and directly as His beloved child. The temple where God dwelt was no longer only external to them, but internally within them as an individual.

In explaining Acts 2:3,  Scholar and Theologian Bill Mounce said:

Just as the Spirit of God rested on the nation of Israel corporately, after Pentecost the Spirit divides and rests on every individual of the new covenantal community.

But in this new reality, Christians can be assured that we don't each have 'part' of the Spirit, but like a flame when it lights many candles, we each fully experience the fulness of the power of God in our lives. 

This is also why, Jesus could say 'I am the light of the world', but also tell his disciples that 'you are the light of the world'.  His presence with us and in us collectively and individually as the many members of his body, is not diminished in any way by God moving from 'dwelling' in one huge cloud/fire and the one room of the Holy of Holies to dwelling within every Christian all over the world. He is not like a soup that you water down to make it go further, but a burning flame given from himself to empower each one of us.

The Honour of the Presence of His Power

In Acts 1:8 we are told that when the Holy Spirit came, Jesus' disciples would receive power. Not just a power to perform miracles but the power of his presence with them, that would enable them to be his witnesses, his ambassadors wherever they went. 

Israel looked outward to the cloud/fire and to be assured of God's presence with them and they had to wait day by day to see where and when the cloud/fire would move to know  if they would move here or there or wherever... and they would then follow the cloud/fire.

But when Jesus' ascended, he gave the command to 'go' into all the world and 'lo I am with you always'. He said when the Holy Spirit came he would enable that 'going' into the 'all the world' that they were instructed to go to.

Habakkuk 2:14 says

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

As we go into all the world, we go with the honour of His presence in us.  The wider and more extensively we go in fulfilling our great commission, the more the knowledge and presence of God's glory and honour fills the earth.

In the book of Genesis, the first family of Adam and Eve was meant to 'fill the earth' and cover it with God's image bearers. God's glory and honour in the human beings he created and had breathed his life into, were meant to wrap and fill the earth with His glory and honour.

But as we know, all we as fallen human beings managed to do was fill the earth with failure, sin and shame.

But through the Spirit and in his power, God gives a fresh opportunity for us as the New Family in Christ, spread the good news of restored honour in salvation. 

Right across the globe, the glory and honour of God's presence more and more fills the earth,  to end one day in the new heaven and earth which will be filled with the glory and honour of his presence forever.

Pentecost was both the culmination of God's plan to restore his presence in the life of human beings whom he created to be in his image…and the beginning of the working out of that plan - a plan that he calls us to be a part of, as we bring the good news of reconciliation to those who are alienated from the life of Christ across all nations, so that they too can come to know the reality of God's presence with, in and through them.

We have a great message to share with the world!