Thoughts on God, His Freedom, and Pleasure in What He Does

One of my all-time favorite books and most impactful on my life was a book that I read when I was a young Christian by JI Packer called simply Knowing God. One of my favorite sentences of the book that has stuck with me for over 40 years goes like this; "the people who know God think great thoughts about God". So today I wanted to write a simple blog just posting something thoughts about God, Why he does what he does, and the unconstrained freedom he has and what he does. 

One of the hardest things to comprehend and the greatest mystery of the universe is that from all eternity,before there was ever a creation, the one reality that has always existed is God. It is exceedingly difficult for us to think of God having absolutely no beginning and just being there for ever and ever and ever, without anything or anyone making him be there, just absolute reality that everyone of us has to reckon with whether we like it or not.

This is the only fountain of lasting joy, God. Without beginning and without ending, without source and without costs, without help or assistance, the spring is eternally self replenishing. From this unceasing fountain flows our being, our life, our existence,  and all the grace and joy and love in the universe.

All of us have an immense void inside us that craves satisfaction from people, pleasure, and powers outside of ourselves. Yearning, longing, hunger, thirst, and desire are the very essence of who we are. We are born deficient, needy, and perpetually dissatisfied, and truth be told these never go away do they?

Think about it we come into the world knowing almost nothing, and have to spend years upon years going to classes, or learning in the school of hard knocks, in order to in a very tiny way fill up a little of this deep void of ignorance inside of us. Parents and teachers tell us to things that we don't like to do because we need to do them to overcome some weakness in ourselves, to increase our knowledge, or strengthen our bodies, or refine our manners, or sharpen our intellect. 

But not God!

He has been complete and overflowing with satisfaction from all eternity. He needs no education. And no one can offer anything to him that doesn't already come from him. He is not constrained by any inner deficiency or unhappiness to do anything he does not want to do. If God wasn't happy, if he was in someway deficient, then he might indeed be constrained from outside in someway to do what he does not want to do, in order to make up his deficiency  and finally be happy. But, this what makes Him God! He is infinitely free, independent sovereign and happy.

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.(Psalm 115:3)

I am God and there is no either, I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my pleasure (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Psalm 135:6,“Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. ” 

In reading these precious verses I discover a God who always acts according to and for His own “good pleasure,” following the dictates of his own delights. He never becomes the victim of circumstance, or Satan or human decision. He is never forced into a situation where he must do something in which he cannot rejoice. Everything he does he takes pleasure in. He cannot and will not be get back from doing what he delights most to do, and he will never be forced to do what he does not delight to do. And this is true everywhere in the universe

"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.

Amen"

(Romans 11:34-36)

hoping that you will begin thinking great thoughts about God for your faith, trust, and exceeding joy,

Pastor Bill