What you think about God matters most of all. Do you see Him as He really is?
A variety of things influence what we think about God. Our experience, for good or bad, with various authority figures- our parents, school teachers, the clergy, etc., influences what we think of Him. We are also influenced by what we experience in life. If we think God is responsible for the loss of a child, for example, this will shape our view of Him.
What do you currently think of Him? What is your first thought? Is it delight? Is it fear? Why do you think what you do about God? Is what you think about Him consistent with what is revealed to us in the Person of Jesus? Remember that Jesus taught His followers: “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9). Also, consider some of the things that Scripture teaches us about God.
There Are The Transcendent Truths
These are things that reveal, to some extent, God’s majesty. God is revealed as Someone who is eternal (Isaiah 43:13), all-knowing (Hebrews 4:13), all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:27) and everywhere-present (Psalm 139:7-12). We know that He is perfectly just (Luke 18:7) and He is perfectly merciful (Lamentations 3:22,23).
There Are The Immanent Truths
These reveal that God is near and is approachable. He dwells with the lowly (Isaiah 57:15), is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) and the humble (Psalm 138:6). He draws near to those who draw near to Him (James 4:8). His eye is upon us to guide us (Psalm 32:8). He has demonstrated that He is aware of the suffering of His people (e.g. Exodus 3:7). He forgives sin (1 John 1:9). He restores us (1 Peter 5:10). He loves to heal (just look at the ministry of Jesus in the Gospels). He is for you (Romans 8:31). He loves you as you are, not as you should be (Romans 5:8). He will never forsake or abandon you (Hebrews 13:5). He wants every person, even wicked people, to go to heaven (Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:4,5; 2 Peter 3:9). He is generous (James 1:5). He loves to answer our prayers (James 4:2; Matthew 7:7-9). Plus, He will use every painful thing in your life in a recipe to make things turn out for the better (Romans 8:28).
Is your image of God consistent with what Scripture teaches? Has an unfortunate experience in life shaped your view of Him so that you are unable to accept what Scripture and the Person of Jesus teach us about His goodness? We will discuss this further next week.