Skip to main content

Do you know This God?



            At the start of the school year, my girls and their friends were discussing their schedules and their conversations went something like this: “Who do you have for English?”  “What is he like?”  “Is he nice?”  “What about math?”  “Does she give a lot of homework?” 

           I listened for a while and then asked, “Who cares what your friends think of them?  Why don’t you just go and find out for yourselves whether you like your teachers or not?” 

            Their response was, “We are not asking whether we should like them or not.  We are asking what sort of people they are and how they react to things.  It is always good to know a little about someone’s character before you have to deal with them”. 

            I couldn’t argue with that. 

            When it comes to spiritual things, many people ask “Should I like God or not?”  A much better question would be, “What is God like?”   If I knew God’s attitude, his nature, his character and how he sees me, then I could make up my own mind about whether I like God or not.

            So, what is God like?  If someone asked you that question, what would you say?  How would you describe him?   If you wanted some help, the book of Psalms is a great place to start.    

            For example, here is one description: “Praise the Lord because he is good.… (he) builds up… God heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.… the Lord helps the poor… he provides… the Lord delights in those who honour him and who put their hope in his unfailing love… he blesses… he grants peace… he proclaims his word… Praise the Lord” (Psalm 147).

            The Psalms, and other Biblical books, describe a God who is good, kind, merciful, loving and forgiving.  He is a God who is near us and cares about everything that we are going through.  Not only that, he will provide us strength to get through those tough times and he can even turn them into something good (See Romans 8:28).  Our God hears and answers prayers.  He is great enough to have created every star and he knows them all by name (Psalm 147:4), yet he also knows you so well that he could number every hair on your head (Luke 12:7).  God loves us so much that he even sent his son to pay for our sins so that we could have a new start (2 Corinthians 5:21).

            Is that the God that you know? 

            If not, maybe it is time to stop listening to what others say and meet him yourself.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don’t Be a Tourist

                  From the moment that God told Abraham to leave his home and follow him (Genesis 12:1-3), God’s people have understood that they are on a journey.                 That being true, the essential question becomes, “How are you making that journey?”   T here are two options: You can be a tourist or you can be a pilgrim.                   Tourists leave their real life behind for a little while so that they can visit another place.   Generally, they travel in groups and do not mix much with the local people.   They hit the highlights of various regions, but they do not really experience what it is like to live in that part of t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Darkness to Light (Colossians 1:9-14)

 Our transition from lost to found is a gift of God. It is because of God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice.  However, our growth in that new life is at least partially our responsibility. So, what needs evaluation?  Where should this growth begin? What does it look like to walk in the light? Colossians 1 highlights three starting spots.  https://youtu.be/1nWWWj4awh8  
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Spiritual Apgar Score

                  As recently as the 1950s, having a baby was a risky proposition.   One in thirty births ended badly until an anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar developed a system to rate how newborns were doing.   She focused on five key areas (appearance, pulse, the reflex action or grimace, activity or muscle tone and respiration).   She encouraged doctors and nurses to rate each child on a scale of zero to three for each quality.   A score of 10 or more meant that the baby was healthy; 4 or lower indicated that the baby needed immediate intervention.                While numerous other medical advances have occurred over the years, all agree that Apgar’s rating system had a huge impact. ...
Post a Comment
Read more