Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear
by Tom Goodman
July 2, 2014

"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!"

Most of us have made that astonished confession at least once. For Jacob, the realization came during a crisis.

Jacob was a young single adult who had never thought much about God. He heard the stories of how father Isaac and grandfather Abraham met the Lord, but God was irrelevant to his life. It wasn't that he had considered God and rejected him: he had never really considered God. He wasn't an atheist: he had simply never seen the relevance on his life of God's existence. But then he met the Lord that his father and grandfather had talked about, and he exclaimed, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!" (Genesis 28:16)

Maybe that needs to be your confession:

"The Lord is in my home, and I was not aware of it!"

"The Lord is in my diagnosis, and I was not aware of it!"

"The Lord is at work in Austin, and up to this point I've written it off as a place to suffer through and escape."

"The Lord is in my rebellion, and I was not aware of it!"

My car's side mirror warns, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." God really is closer than you think. In the mid-19th century Frederick Hosmer wrote:

O Thou, in all Thy might so far,
In all Thy love so near,
Beyond the range of sun and star,
And yet beside us here.

We all need a fresh reminder that God is active and involved in life. This Sunday we begin a study of four Old Testament characters who discovered this.

We'll start with Jacob, who met God in his daily routine when he wasn't looking for God.

Then we'll look at Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 6, who met God in a crisis when he really needed divine help.

Then there's the pagan king Belshazzar in Daniel 5, who met God when he didn't want to.

Finally, we'll study the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19, who met God in a time of burnout and disappointment.

Join us at 10, or listen to the sermons online at our website.

--Tom

Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here.

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Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear by Tom Goodman July 2, 2014 "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!" Most of us have made that astonished confession at least once. For Jacob, the realization came during a crisis. Jacob was a young single adult who had never thought much about God. He heard the stories of how father Isaac and grandfather Abraham met the Lord, but God was irrelevant to his life. It wasn't that he had considered God and rejected him: he had never really considered God. He wasn't an atheist: he had simply never seen the relevance on his life of God's existence. But then he met the Lord that his father and grandfather had talked about, and he exclaimed, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!" (Genesis 28:16) Maybe that needs to be your confession: "The Lord is in my home, and I was not aware of it!" "The Lord is in my diagnosis, and I was not aware of it!" "The Lord is at work in Austin, and up to this point I've written it off as a place to suffer through and escape." "The Lord is in my rebellion, and I was not aware of it!" My car's side mirror warns, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." God really is closer than you think. In the mid-19th century Frederick Hosmer wrote: O Thou, in all Thy might so far, In all Thy love so near, Beyond the range of sun and star, And yet beside us here. We all need a fresh reminder that God is active and involved in life. This Sunday we begin a study of four Old Testament characters who discovered this. We'll start with Jacob, who met God in his daily routine when he wasn't looking for God. Then we'll look at Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 6, who met God in a crisis when he really needed divine help. Then there's the pagan king Belshazzar in Daniel 5, who met God when he didn't want to. Finally, we'll study the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19, who met God in a time of burnout and disappointment. Join us at 10, or listen to the sermons online at our website. --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.