WHAT GOD DO YOU KNOW?
JJ
Daniel, SW Washington
What “God” do you know?
Do you picture Him as a God of judgment and wrath?
Who is your God?
John, a friend of Jesus - said it clearly and simply… “God
is love.”
John 4:8 He
who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.
God is love,
and he who abides in love abides
in God, and God in him.
When I hear people say
things like… “There is no God” or “I won’t serve a God who allows children to
be hurt.” Or “If there is a God, why
is there so much evil!?” I can’t help but pray that they will come to know
my Heavenly-Father, God, Jehovah, The Creator of
mankind. He is a loving, caring, compassionate Father; He IS LOVE, and He
doesn’t act outside of that love. My heart’s desire is for people to know my
Jesus, the God of Love.
I don’t recall where I
heard this, but I’ve always remembered the story:
One day
a four-year-old child and his Dad stood on a street corner, watching the
fire-trucks and police cars zoom by. When the sirens were finally fading in the
distance, the child asked: “Daddy… why does
that big red truck go around starting fires?”
Can’t you just hear the
dad fighting back the laughter? J Of course the Dad
explained that the trucks were rushing to the scene of the fire to put the fire
out.
Because our
Heavenly-Father is always “on the scene” – it is possible to mistake Him as
“the cause”. Of course, once you know Him, you understand that He is there to
put the fire out; He didn’t cause the fire, or the sickness or the death or the
troubled-situation; He is there to bring life and healing and hope. J
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy
life,
and have it in
abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).
John 10:10 AMP
Selah.
I have walked with my
Heavenly-Father, Jehovah, the Creator of mankind -
since childhood. He has never once disappointed me, He has never beat-me-up or
caused harm to me or anyone I know. He has never once failed to be a good and
loving Father. He is GOOD, He is ALWAYS GOOD! He simply LOVES His creation. The Bible says
that He “Delights in doing GOOD…”. And “Every GOOD and perfect gift comes from..” Him.
I am not sure how it
happened, perhaps because of Old Testament teaching – I do know that many
people see God as a big old man in the sky… with a big stick in His hand, ready
to beat people up. John 10:10 tells us who it is that comes
to “…steal, kill and destroy” – it is
“the thief”, the devil… NOT my
Heavenly Father, God!! He is loving and caring and
compassionate. He does NOT “kill children” or other loved ones. He in fact sent
His only Son to earth to die for us, and to also carry sickness and disease
with Him to the Cross. He CONQUERED DEATH and does not use it against His
children.
.
Oh yes… He is a
Sovereign God, and He CAN destroy if He chooses to. But the God
who I know and love, is a God of endless Mercy, that is new every day.
But
God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Eph 2:4-5
Psalm 57:10
For Your mercy
reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the
clouds.
Let me ask you a
question: If He were going to destroy man because of sin… why would He be
waiting until now? Do you think that there
has never before been evil in the world? We’ve lived on the wings of His Mercy all the days of our
life.
Before Jesus came to
die, as the “final sacrifice”
– God destroyed nations of people, yes. And in the time of Noah, He wiped-out
mankind and started over! He destroyed
cities filled with un-godly lives, and He considered “starting over” - in the
time of Moses. However, things changed
when Jesus died for us. He not only covered the sin of man-kind, He paid the
price so we don’t have to; and when God looks at mankind, He sees us through the
Blood of Jesus; washed, forgiven, holy and LOVED!
The Bible says He is “moved with compassion”.
If God were to come and
destroy mankind now, wouldn’t it be making the Cross and the sacrifice of His
Son of non-effect?
My Heavenly Father is “love”.
He is filled with compassion and kindness and goodness. He exercises
long-suffering and patience toward His Creation. He is a God of love.
I pray that we will each
grow to know Him, and understand the fullness of His love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives
in them.
And as we live in God, our love grows more
perfect.
So we
will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can
face
Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this
world. 1 John 4:15-17
JJ Daniel – servant of The Most High God, Jehovah
