Saturday, February 04, 2006

A View of God

Psalm 50:21 states, "These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes."

This is God talking. "You thought I was just like you." How many people think this way? I'm sure there are many. Or another view is they think of Him as silent. At times He does seem silent. But by His silence He is not condoning sin, nor is he indifferent to it. Instead, He is withholding deserved punishment, giving people time to repent. "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentence" (2 Peter 3:9). God isn't slow, He just isn't on our timetable!

So if a person was seeking to find correct answers to what God is like where should they turn? Since He has given us His Word so we may know Him, let's look at a few Scriptures and see what they tell us. "Psalm 19:1, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." The heavens give dramatic evidence of His existence, His power, His love, His care. To say that the universe happened by chance is absurd. Its design, intricacy and orderliness point to a personally involved Creator.

Another verse is John 5:39 which tells us, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me." Please, don't be someone who 'misses' Jesus.

Christ is the visible, tangible image of what God is like. This is attested to by Christ to Peter in John 14:9, "...Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" Colossians 1:15 is one of the strongest statements about the divine nature of Christ to be found anywhere in the Bible. Jesus isn't only equal to God (Philppians 2:6) but He is God (John 10:30, 38; 12:45; 14:1-11). "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1:15). I use this verse alot when discussing God the Father where I live. The religion here professes God the Father has a body just like us.

Finally, I'll leave you with this verse, "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). The most important message of salvation has been entrusted to fragile, frail and fallible humans. Hopefully, as we share what He has done for us, you won't see the person speaking but you will see Christ, shining through them. Just don't focus on the perishable container the message comes by but on its priceless contents.

1 comment:

Dave. said...

I don't always comment when I drop by, but I'm always blessed. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!