Magnifying God's Slide Rule Of Scale

     Looking at the World biblically isn't something that can be forced--that is, it is not a legalistic endeavor that you do and finish for the day, it will truly only come when one is in a right relationship with the Lord. Nevertheless, if one is to be a Christian, let alone a Christian teacher, one must! So, of course that must first be my first aim. That said, it is a discipline as well, like prayer, fasting, etc. Placing a Biblical perspective before our eyes, ears, all our senses, minds and hearts, is a decision that starts with the deliberate submission of ourselves to the mind of God revealed in Scripture. When I am "in the Word" I do not find myself wondering about my perspective on the World as much, floundering without answers. That happens when I am not. I am like a man, cast off at sea, wandering among waves I cannot see over, yet I remember the direction of the land and long for it. It is no "discipline" for me to yearn for that security, rather a decision to not wander far in my dingy from the shore of God's Word. And so, I try to take the time when I am considering the World around me to check the state of my dingy and its security in relationship to the shore of Christ. Consider Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:14 and the state of Peter himself when he took his eyes from Christ in Matthew 14:22-32! No, I will admit the weakness of my faith and I like to stay in reach of Christ. It is more than just a discipline that I consider God and his Word in light of this World on a regular basis, it is a lifeline.

     A past "lifeline" was a blog flurry I ran into concerning an applet created over at Nikon called "Universcale." If you haven't seen it yet, don't run off to it yet because you may never come back to finish here. For all the science teachers out there it is also an interesting and useful tool.  Nikon's sight offers a "scale" they have created that illustrates graphically the infinite nature of measurement. I find it ironic that they stumble (even on some of their other offerings) to address such an impossibility in light of the concept of the infinite. On the scale one can begin with the Universe and move themselves down to a proton with impressive examples of scale in between.

     I am sure there are other things one may come to in consideration but every time I run into almost visceral examples of my immense "smallness" in relationship to Creation I almost lose my breath. Truly. I want to find someone nearby and try to illicit the same response in them too. Normally, I just end up entertaining them for a while and they pat me on the head and throw a ball and tell me "fetch!" It never seems to sink in though. When I see such scales and examples of my size in comparison to the largess of Creation I cannot help but consider the Word of God, even the Psalms alone, and the many places the Lord describes himself or the Psalmists exclaim things like, "Lord you are greater than the highest mountains, higher than the highest heavens," etc. These exclamations are a scale of holiness. That is to say, God is so much, "that much more" that the only way we can fully extol his greatness is in comparison to some other "big" thing in light to his bigger-ness. He is that big!

     Anselm, the great theologian, would have pointed out just this understanding of the infinite begs the question that there is the infinite and, rather than disprove what cannot be measured, actually proves its imperative! Such a conception of something mankind cannot relate to in any other fashion and therefore has no experience with only proves its impossibility of being "made up." It must be otherwise such an alien conception would never have crept into such small and debase things such as us, such as I. Of course, one's presuppositions and loyalties to the foolishness of the World may cause one to ignore such evidence but by God's grace I stand amazed at such simple little computer programs that may my stomach sink when I see myself being raced past in both directions (now go and see if you want-Universcale- but, be sure to come back) with items so great and complex, microcosmic and fantastic, things that literally litter all of Creation with their grandness and fill it so there is no spot that does not scream God's glory...and there I am somewhere in the middle, the very small middle. Whether you are measuring by seeming importance or actual size, mankind, you, me, can come across incredibly small. Even Job laments of this in the midst of his anguish: "What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him?" Consider the words of David in Psalms 8:1-9

     David's expression is one of scale, his vision of the God of the Universe is comparative. It cries out of the incomparably "small" that any man should feel in light of the vastness of the cosmos and its intricate design yet its conclusion in as equally overwhelming. It is not that David wonders if God considers us, so small. No it wonders that God cares for mankind and has set his attention upon him! And I must say with David, praise God! This condescension is one of magnanimity not of weakness. The great God of the Universe, whose scale is beyond compare has turned his eye to mankind, since his creation of Adam, has set out attention so great, so grand it would be perfectly and ultimately be exemplified in the greatest attention God could give, the pouring out of himself in Christ the Son. (Philippians 2:5-11) This condescension was not one of nature but scale, one in which Christ gave up of himself the independent attributes of his nature, submitted himself, out of love for God the Father and committed himself to the ultimate sacrifice, even death on a cross to satisfy His justice, redeem his image created in man and demonstrate his committed love of mankind. What blessing! What gratitude, I can not even begin to express to wonder I experience in light of this action. That, not if, God regarded one as small as I! It is so great to me! I am the eternal benefactor of this divine slide-rule , as I received the further attention, in the body of Christ, of God's favor and Christ received the curse I should have. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Looking at the comparison of man's relativity in relationship to scale of the Universe and the clarity that the Lord is more only causes me more shock. Shock, yes this is the right word, yet from it I cry out, as David: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Consider Job 15) Perhaps, the passage that leaped to my mind first; consider the words of David in Psalms 8. Truly, blessed be the name of the Lord! His scale is greater than all not only in nature but in work for which I am in shocking awe and thankfulness.