Diary
OF A FREEDOM FIGHTER
the picture of God in all 66 books of the Bible
diary of a freedom fighter the picture of God in all 66 books of the Bible
Written and designed by Kelley Lorencin (www.KelleyLorencin.com) for Genesis Road (www.GenesisRoad.com) Copyright © 2014 Kelley Lorencin All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Photo Credits (in order; photos from Shutterstock.com, unless otherwise noted) Cover © iStockphoto.com/Zirafek Inside Pages © NataliiaK, Garsya, JakubKrechowicz, Garsya, NotarYES, bluedogroom, ZastolskiyVictor, Brasiliao, VishnevskiyVasily, Tashatuvango, Mopic, Cattallina, iofoto, xtock, PetarPaunchev, WarrenGoldswain, Jaroma, Pressmaster, Sanit Fuangnakhon, Antonov Roman, EDHAR, sprinter81, AaronAmat, RichardPeterson, YanLev, elwynn, ArtFamily, RimDream, Cranach, bioraven, ElenaYakusheva, SergeyNivens, OlesiaBilkei, VladimirMelnikov, Ollyy, rangizzz, ErmolaevAlexander, PaulPaladin, TischenkoIrina, Mopic, simonalvinge, Anastasios71, altanaka, blojfo, patrice6000, JesusCervantes, iStock.com/ShawnRayHarris, VectorFrenzy, worradirek, SergeyNivens, JaromirChalabala, KseniaRagozina, Photographee.eu, SergeyNivens, DinaUretski, sergign, iStock.com/TriggerPhoto and Christopher Dodge, jcjgphotography, DigitalStorm, ndphoto, TatianaKatsai, AndreaDanti, petrmalinak, ULKASTUDIO, BortN66, GregEpperson, agsandrew, YuryZap, saiko3p, IgorKovalchuk, YuriyKulik
Special thanks to Chris Wilson for photo editing.
As a girl,
I remember the day I got my very first diary. It was a small,
hardcover book, clasped with a gold lock. I kept the tiny key hidden in my bedroom. I remember what it was like to write in that book—all my thoughts, dreams, and plans for the future. It was the book of my innermost feelings. The book of me. That’s what a diary is. The revelation of a person’s private thoughts and beliefs, a glimpse of the heart. Most diaries are never read by anyone other than the author. When they are, sometimes they change the world. When the diary of Holocaust victim Anne Frank was published, it revolutionized the way most people thought of World War II. Her diary put a very personal face on an unspeakable atrocity, helping millions of people all over the world to understand and identify with the suffering of others. Diaries can be extremely powerful.
INTRODUCTION
what this magazine is about You’ve probably heard of the most famous diary in the world. Maybe you’ve even read it. It’s the Bible. And just in case you hadn’t thought of this collection of books as a diary, you are about to discover that the same Author is behind each and every page, pouring out his thoughts, dreams, and plans for the future. Most people think of the Bible as a religious text or a history book. In fact, at first blush, it doesn’t seem like a diary at all, particularly because God hasn’t written his diary in the normal, first-person fashion. Instead of putting pen to paper himself, over the years, he communicated messages from his heart to friends who recorded them. And that’s why, as you delve underneath the surface of these writings from various authors, you’ll find that a
portrait of God and the kind of person he is begins to emerge from all the stories and words and songs. Though God did not write the words of the Bible himself, the narrative of his character is written on every page, related through the details of all he has said and done in the course of human history. The Bible is God’s diary, the record of his thoughts, dreams, and plans for the future. The book of his innermost feelings. All of it, every single story, is about him. And while most people prefer to keep their diaries private, God has laid his open for all the world to see. He wants us to read it. He wants us to get a glimpse into his heart, to understand who he really is. God’s diary is certainly unconventional. And it was not only written in an unconventional way, but at an unconventional time. It’s all been written under duress. You see, the Bible isn’t simply a daily journal of God’s divine activities; it’s a war diary, a brutally honest and graphically detailed account of God’s strategic actions in a war that has been raging in his universe since before the creation of our world. The
Bible,
then,
is
not
simply an interesting literary description of God. It’s a crucial piece of evidence in a war that has raised serious doubts over God’s character and government. Can God be trusted? That’s the question at the heart of this war. Is he arbitrary? Unforgiving? Severe? These accusations have been leveled at God by his enemies, and they have threatened to unravel the very fabric of freedom in God’s universe. In response, God set out to answer the charges, and it has taken thousands of years to do just that.
In order to be satisfied in our own minds as to the kind of person God is, we need look no further than the diary he has written. In its pages, we will be introduced to the Freedom Fighter, the One who has not held anything back—even his very life—in an effort to secure our freedom and win the war. In its pages, we will find an open door—not just to the historical evidence that answers the charges made by God’s enemies, but an open door to a personal meeting with God himself.
In this magazine,
you will read about the God I have
encountered in the pages of his diary. You will see what I have glimpsed in every book of the Bible, but the portrait I describe is by no means complete! This magazine isn’t intended to be the conclusion, but the catalyst to inspire you to experience the Bible as God’s personal diary and begin to paint your own portrait. The character of our infinite God is like a massive, sparkling diamond, and every person who reads his diary will see a different facet in a different way with each reading. To read his diary is to glimpse his heart, to glimpse his heart is to be drawn closer to him, and to be drawn closer to him is to discover that he calls us his friends. And that is the beginning of life. Diaries are extremely powerful. Some have changed the world. God’s diary—the Bible—is one of those. Open its pages and let it change your world. Open its pages and discover a God who has known you and loved you since before you were born. Open its pages and see it for the first time as
The Diary of a
Freedom Fighter
In the beginning, God . . . [Gn 1:1] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. There could be no other way to begin God’s story, because his story begins with him. In fact, everything—every person and every story—begins with those same words: In the beginning, God . . .
GENESIS
He is the beginning. There is
God is the beginning.
nothing and no one outside of him. Everything got its start in him, and even now, all things are held together in him. Before there was anything else at all, there was God. He had no beginning; he has always been. There’s never been a time when he didn’t
exist,
and
there will never be a time when he doesn’t exist. That’s why his most prominent name in the Bible is ”I Am.” He lives continuously in the present. He always has, and he always will. Everything we know has had its beginning in the middle of his story. He is the birth of every person, the dawn of every galaxy, the prelude to every relationship, the genesis of every promise, and the origin of every freedom. God is the Creator of everything. He engineers beginnings. And, fortunately for us, his beginnings are never “the end.” When things go wrong or get messed up (sometimes to the point where we think they’re unfixable), God is perfectly able and willing to give us another new beginning. With him, there’s never just one beginning. We can have as many as we need. Genesis records the Creation and fall of the world into sin. It also recounts the beginning of the Israelite nation through God’s relationship with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his twelve sons.
I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin and heal the land. [2 Chr 7:14] At the end of the special history God wrote for the Israelites who were returning from captivity, he revealed that he was the one who stirred the heart of King Cyrus of Persia to send the people home to rebuild the temple. The restoration of Jerusalem was in God’s heart all along. The city may have been destroyed, but God had a plan
2 CHRONICLES
God can restore everything.
to rebuild it. The city
may
have
been razed, but it wasn’t ruined. God has plans of restoration in his heart for you, too, so even in the darkest
of
dark
nights, don’t ever despair. Just when you think it’s all over, God can add a “but.” Just when it looks like a dead end, God can reveal a U-turn. Even the ugliest of histories doesn’t have to end ugly, because God is able to turn things around more quickly than you can imagine. He has the power to restore everything that has been ruined. Sometimes, you may feel like those returning Israelites. You may feel like you’ve lived through the end of everything you hold dear—that all you love has been burned to the ground and every blessing plundered. But even when it feels like the story is over, God can pen another paragraph at the end that will begin a restorative chapter in your life. You never have to believe that all is lost. Just determine that you’re always going to let God’s “but” be the last word! 2 Chronicles remembers the history of Judah, putting an emphasis on the faithful times in the nation’s history. It ends with the beginning of God’s restoration of his people.
Trust what I say about the future. It may take time, but it will happen! [Hb 2:3] Have you ever felt lost when you look out at the world? Like all you can see is violence, crime, injustice, cruelty, and suffering? If so, you might be like Habakkuk. That’s all he could see when he looked around, and he couldn’t stand it. In his desperation, he cried out to God, and God answered: Look at the world, he said. Watch what happens, and be amazed. For I’m going to do something you wouldn’t
HABAKKUK
believe, even if I told you what it was.
God is doing unimaginable things. As hard as it may be to remember sometimes, God is always doing much more than your
limited
perspective will allow you to see: things you can’t imagine,
things
he began long before you were even born. This means that what God is doing in your life is not disconnected from the lives of others. What he has done in human history has impacted you, and what he is doing during your lifetime will have a direct impact on future generations. The whole of human history has been moving toward something—a grand resolution to the war that has been raging in God’s universe. Even as the generations rise up and pass away, God endures, and his purposes endure. So no matter how bad things may get, remember that God is not only working in your life, but he is doing things in this world so unimaginably awesome that you wouldn’t believe him . . . even if he told you what they were! Habakkuk questions God over the suffering he sees in the world. God answers him, restoring his trust and reminding us that intimate communion with God can overcome our darkest seasons of doubt.
The disciples prayed, “Lord, you know what is in everybody’s heart.” [Acts 1:24] There is no greater example of God’s power to transform hearts, minds, and lives than the incredible story of how Saul became Paul. Saul was running around Israel, persecuting God’s people. He was on a self-appointed mission to round up anyone who was talking about Jesus and kill them. In fact, he was headed to Damascus to “clean house” when God broadsided him. And after meeting Jesus on the road, he was converted. Imagine what it was like for the Christians who had lived in fear of Saul to hear him suddenly preaching about Jesus in the temple! Naturally, they were quite skeptical of the transformation he claimed to have undergone, but they eventually came around, and afterward, Paul became God’s greatest New Testament
ACT S
God sees the heart.
ambassador. How often do you look at a serial killer and
see
a
world-famous evangelist? How often do you consider that
people
who do the worst, most vile things could become God’s closest friends? If there’s anything Acts should teach us, it’s to never give up on anyone. God sees the heart, and that means he sees others completely differently than you do. It also means he sees you completely differently than others do. No matter what you’ve done in the past, no matter where you’ve come from, and no matter what others see when they look at you, God knows the truth about you. When he looks at you, he sees your heart. Acts provides a history of the early Christian church and documents how Christianity transitioned from a nearly-Jewish-exclusive religion to a Gentile-inclusive international faith.
The Lord will carry me safely to his heavenly kingdom. [2 Tm 4:18] There was one group of people in history who lived as if they were at war, who expected suffering and even embraced it when it came: the disciples who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and realized that they had actually been with Almighty God. From that point forward, they didn’t work hard for better cars or larger homes. They didn’t care when they were insulted or abused. They were dedicated to one purpose—telling as many people as they could about what God was
2 TIMOTHY
like. And they suffered hardship, abuse, and awful deaths with joy,
God made you for the eternal.
knowing that they would
soon obtain what they had been created for: a life with God for the rest of eternity. In his last letter, Paul encouraged Timothy to live his life in the same way. To focus on the things that are permanent, not perishable. To keep his eyes on the prize, not on the pavement at his feet. To remember that he lived on a battlefield, not a playground. To expect trouble in this world, not sunshine and security. God made you for the eternal. So whatever
today
holds
for
you,
remember that it is only temporary. You are a soldier in a war, and you can trust that the God who longs for a future with you is well able to bring you to it. Stay focused on the things that are permanent, not perishable. Keep your eyes on the prize, not on the pavement at your feet! Paul’s second letter to Timothy, likely written shortly before his death, encourages believers to remain passionate for Christ, to flee from immorality, and to stand firm in their faith.
He who has declared these things says, “Yes! I am coming soon!” [Rv 22:20] One day soon, this war will end. God will be vindicated as righteous, his character will be clearly revealed to all, his righteous children will be restored, the suffering of his wicked children will end, and the universe will be at peace. Finally. After thousands of years of sin,
R E V E L AT I O N
God will win the war.
misery, and heartache. It will all be over. And when we all get to the end, God will be the only one left who was also there at the very beginning. Surely there can be no more comforting thought than this: that no matter what we encounter in our lives, it will not get the last word. It is not the end; God is the end. That’s why he gave John the Revelation. He wanted us to know, as the chaos and misery mounts, that he still stands at the beginning and end of time. He wanted us to know that evil will not triumph. He wanted us to know that he will win the war and set us free. If we are the last generation in this war, we will likely endure more suffering than we can imagine. But we can be sure it won’t affect the ultimate outcome, for we know how the war will end. It will end as it began—with the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Author and the Finisher, the Creator and the Redeemer. Our God. Our Heavenly Friend. Our Freedom Fighter. Revelation was written by John after a vision he had on the Isle of Patmos, describing for us the last days before Christ’s return and the ushering in of the new heaven and new earth.
I no longer call you
servants does not understand because the servant
what his master is doing. But I call you
friends told you everything because I have
my Father has told me.
John 15:15