Do You Know Your God?

Sometimes when I hear young pastors and students talking about God, I become kinda disturbed. Sometimes when I read the lyrics to our newer Praise & Worship songs, I become kinda disturbed. Sometimes I hear television preachers talk about God and become kinda disturbed. I hear so much and read so much these days about our Abba Father, our Daddy, our loving and caring Father who only wants the best for us and leads us along our paths during good times and in bad times. We talk to God in our prayers in the most familiar terms as if our Dad were standing right there and we are just chatting about our lives, our desires, our needs and our love for Him.

Why could this possibly disturb me? I believe in God as our loving Father who wants the best for us and wants us to love Him and follow His way for our lives. I have a personal and (usually) very close relationship with God and feel His arms around me when I need comfort and gently nudging me when I need direction. Well, friends, it disturbs me because I wonder what has become of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God of Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets? The God who destroyed nations who stood in the way of His people and even punished His own chosen people when they were disobedient. Where is the God who demanded answers from Job in the last section of that book when Job was beginning to question Him? We sing "I am a friend of God, and He is a friend to me." Does the God of all creation really need 'friends'? This seems to personalize and humanize God a bit too much, and last I checked the scriptures, God was not to be humanized but praised, glorified and bowed down to in majesty.

Have we lost the God who deserves our Awe, our Respect and our Reverence? Have we tried too hard to win the lost by making God sounds like a cool Dad who loves us and never mention the God of wrath and judgement for those who deny and disobey Him? Folks, I cannot sell the God I serve short if I do not believe and share the majesty and awe that He should inspire in all of us. If He would not allow Moses to see His face because it would kill him, how can we make God as familiar as someone who sits at the dinner table with us each night and tucks us into bed with a good story.

One of the most powerful verses to me is found in Jude 24, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His Glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be Glory, Majesty, Dominion, and Authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Now THAT is a God of power! THAT is a God who demands, yes, demands respect and awe. THAT is a God before whom we should lay prostrate before and give praise and honor and seek forgiveness for our shortcomings.

I Love God with all my heart, soul, mind and body. I love the fact that He is my Heavenly Creator Father and that he nurtures me as an earthly father does. I love the fact that He is concerned with every single tiny thing that worries me. However, I also believe in the God who created this universe with only a word spoken with authority. The God who destroyed entire nations who stood in the way of His people and His plans. This is the God I feel the need to serve and share, the God who will be judging me in the end times and has the authority to, at the proper time, bind Satan and his angels forever. Let's make sure we don't lose sight of the full being of God and only teach one aspect.

As the children's song goes: "Our God is so good, so strong and so mighty, there's NOTHING that He cannot do." (whoo-hoo)

And for now folks, this has been the gospel according to Jimmy. Discuss.