God's Big thinkers

'Tis certain with me that the world exists anew every moment, that the existence of things every moment ceases and is every moment renewed. For instance, in the existence of bodies, for there to be resistance, or tendency to some place; 'tis not numerically the same resistance that exists the next moment, 'tis evident, because this existence may be in different places. But yet this existence is continued so far, that there is respect had to it in all the future existences; 'tis evident in all things continually. Now past existence can't be continued so that respect should be had to it, otherwise than mentally. If the world this moment should be annihilated, so that nothing should really and actually exist any more; the existence of the world could not be continued so that, if another world after a time should be created, that world should exist after this or that manner from respect to the manner of the existence of this, or should be so only because this had been thus or thus. Indeed, we every moment see the same proof of a God as we should have seen, if we had seen [him] create the world at first. Revelation 4:11, "For thy pleasure they are and were created." ~Jonathan Edwards, Miscellanies No. 125

I believe Edwards was contemplating the eternality of God as immanent in creation. He describes this in relation to time and space in the way we talk about “never stepping into the same river twice”. A river body remains and is identifiable “in different places” but it isn’t the same physically or molecularly or in “resistance” in time. Then I think Edwards is talking about the passage of time. “But yet this existence is continued so far, that there is respect had to it in all the future existences; 'tis evident in all things continually.” Here perhaps it’s helpful to think of how we look at one river and think of it’s origin in the mountains (the past) and how we know we where this same river is going (in the future) to a delta or another river. But then Edwards changes the paradigm for the reason to contemplate time and space—creation or a river. “Now past existence can't be continued so that respect should be had to it, otherwise than mentally.” He’s saying the past (origins) can’t exist simply to reflect on. The river isn’t just a river. Why is it there? Then he conjectures about the reason for the world’s existence. Why should some prior existence or time be the template for a future? Or why should a future time and world exist in the manner of a former? There is NO reason other than God has pleased to order the creation as we perceive it in time, with our senses, as it is displayed. We know the world won’t go forever. It draws us to wonder into His eternity, which beats in the present moment. He makes all things hold together because He is immanent in creation. This reminds me of two things A.W. Tozer said. "The value of the cleansed imagination in the sphere of religion lies in its power to perceive in natural things shadows of things spiritual. It enables the reverent man to "See the World in a grain of sand, and eternity in an hour." And, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ...Thought and speech are God's gifts to creatures made in His image; these are intimately associated with Him and impossible apart from Him.” (Born After Midnight. Knowledge of the Holy.)

"Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we." ~Chesterton

When I grow up, I want to be like A.W. Tozer

"The value of the cleansed imagination in the sphere of religion lies in its power to perceive in natural things shadows of things spiritual. It enables the reverent man to "See the World in a grain of sand, and eternity in an hour." The weakness of the Pharisee in days of old was his lack of imagination, or what amounted to the same thing, his refusal to let it enter the field of religion. He saw the text with its carefully guarded theological definition and he saw nothing beyond. ...I long to see the imagination released from its prison and given to its proper place among the sons of the new creation. What I am trying to describe here is the sacred gift of seeing, the ability to peer beyond the veil and gaze with astonished wonder upon the beauties and mysteries of things holy and eternal. The stodgy pedestrian mind does no credit to Christianity."
(from Born after Midnight)

today's choice " "

"Let a man become convinced that nothin can harm him and instantly for him all fear goes out of the universe. The nervous reflex, the natural revulsion to physical pain may be felt sometimes, but the deep torment of fear is gone forever. God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it. Nothing can hurt a good man." ~A.W. Tozer

from a book i'm reading

A.W. Tozer Knowledge of the Holy
the Why:
"Thou, O Christ, who wert tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin, makes us strong to overcome the desire to be wise and to be reputed wise by others as ignorant as ourselves. We turn from our wisdom as well as from our folly and flee to Thee, the wisdom of God and the power of God. Amen."

Because:
"God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and ever mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, ever plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell."

you and me:
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ...Thought and speech are God's gifts to creatures made in His image; these are intimately associated wit Him and impossible apart from Him. It is highly significant that the first word was the Word: 'And the Word was with God and the Word was God.' We may speak because God spoke. In Him word and idea are indivisible."

It's expansive

"In Christ and by Christ, God effects complete self-disclosure, although He shows Himself not to reason but to faith and love. Faith is an organ of knowledge, and love an organ of experience. God came to us in the incarnation; in atonement He reconciled us to Himself, and by faith and love we enter and lay hold on Him." ~Tozer

I'm digesting A.W. Tozer.

I recommend it. Who God is and what He does is the highest endeavor we can attain to understand, in knowledge and faith and love, from cradle to grave. This the kind of book that's quotable on every page and rereadable as soon as you've put it down.
"The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God." ~Tozer
2 Peter 1:5-7 "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, persevereance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
Have you ever thought about the order of these attributes? As in, in a way, they follow each other. One and then two form the next, and those attributes in development lead to brotherly kindness or godliness, etc.