Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Feb 9, 2007 1:18:34 GMT -5
Today's Word
Some people unfortunately seem to think that God is a totally personal being, that He is simply who we think of Him as in our own minds, and that we can't have any clear idea of who He is or what He is like. This is completely false. Please make sure your idea of God isn't the most personally pleasing idea created in your mind. It is very easy to do this sometimes, for anyone, but God doesn't simply answer to us when we say the word "God" or when we make our claims of faith. In order to get into real conversation with God, we have to consciously address who He really is.
Hebrews 1:3 says, "(Speaking of Jesus) He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word."
So how can we know who God is? All we have to do is look at who Jesus is. I've heard a lot of people say before that you can be saved without having read the Bible, and while this is certainly true, don't jump to conclusions and say that you can truly love God without reading the Bible. In order to truly love someone, you have to know who they actually are, right? If you love someone for who you think or wish they are, rather than who they truly are on the inside, it is not them you love, but the idea of such a person in your mind. It is the same with God. While you can of course be saved without having read the Bible, in order to truly know and love God for who He is, you have to really get into His Word and learn it. It is mostly through His Word that we get to know who God truly is. Prayer is a big part of that as well, but you first have to know the one you are speaking to in order to develop that relationship in prayer.
Every one of us are actors in a way. We tend to hide the bad and put a spotlight on the good. If we have a belief, feeling, or thought that is obviously unattractive or looked down upon by others, we naturally hide it. We pretend. We are too afraid of the social and emotional consequences in our life if we are totally honest about who we are and what we think. And if you're reading this thinking, "this isn't true for me", I'd be willing to bet you're contradicting yourself with that very statement.
We long to have that true love in our lives that will accept us for exactly who we are. There is nothing that can humble and change the human heart more than to still be desired and wanted even when we look our absolute worst. In other words, if we are totally honest about how we are feeling and who we are, nothing melts us greater than a love that can not only still accept us and forgive us, but can actually desire and continue to enjoy us more and more. That is God's love, and that is why it is ok to be totally honest with Him. He wants us to be honest with Him.
We have to know God for who He really is though, this character of His, to understand that we really can talk to Him like this. He wants to be that love that we long for.
The best way to get to know Him is to read and meditate on His Word, following with prayer. I must admit that sometimes I really wonder how many people do this, or if again we just pretend, to cover up the bad. The reason I wonder is because as we read and meditate on God's Word, which by the way means to think about what you've read through your day and apply it to your life, we reflect Christ. And it is a lifelong journey. Yet I hear people every day make these claims, but their character does not always back it up. I am not judgemental, but as we grow closer to the real God of the Bible, we begin to know His Spirit, and when someone claims to have it in them but truthfully they do not, it shows through their character, and it is hard to just ignore.
You could keep going and going on with this, getting much more in depth, but the point is that we are pretenders by nature. We like to hide the bad and put on shows for each other because humans are driven by their fears of not being accepted by others. Let God be the love He wants to be for you, and be open with Him on a level that you may not even ever dare with other people. When you do this you will actually feel empowered to be more like this around others, because you will truly feel the Spirit move within you and you will become more like Christ.
Recognize who God really is in your minds, and compare those thoughts to His Word. To your suprise some may even realize that they could very well not yet truly be experiencing the Holy Spirit within them, but may be putting on a show for others so that they think otherwise. We must be honest with ourselves and with God about it, because it does show through our character.
So when praying, again try starting by being totally honest with God about how you are feeling at that moment, and what is on your mind. Then once you have done that you have humbled yourself before Him so that it becomes a two-way conversation rather than a one-way letter with a request on it. Next think about how you are imagining God in your mind, or at least be conscious of who it is you are actually talking to. Be honest with God about this too and let Him know how you are seeing Him. Then compare these thoughts to Jesus' character, as the Bible illustrates.
Also if you would like a more visual image of God in your mind, the book of Revelations is a very descriptive book about images of Jesus and the time of His return. Revelations 1 has a great visual description, which I'd like to analyze next.
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Written By: Scott Morgan
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