How would you describe God? Angry? Forgiving? Judgmental? Uninvolved? Deists said he was the Cosmic Clock Maker, who set the universe in motion, but has kept his hands off since. What do you say? Is He involved? Does he consider little prayers, or only wars and pandemics? Is God personal, or is he just a mystical energy like the “force” in the STAR WARS films?
God IS personal, and though beyond human understanding, God explains Himself in human terms. The Bible says he is father, shepherd, warrior, law giver and judge, rescuing savior, and ultimate hero. Consider how he explains himself to Moses:
“The Lord, the Eternal One, is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation” Exodus 34:6-7.
What adjectives does God use to describe himself?
Compassionate, gracious, patient, filled with a loyal love and committed to truth, will loyally love us and our children for a thousand generations, forgiving but punishing the guilty to the third and fourth generations.
Which of these traits do you like best or least? Are any of them qualified or explained by other Bible passages? Yes. The most uncomfortable lines are qualified in Jeremiah 31. God says after the Messiah comes, children will no longer suffer for the sins of their fathers. “Instead, each will die for his own iniquity” Jer. 31:30.
We serve a God who LOVES US, who is DEEPLY PERSONAL. He is more interested in your heart than you are! He is patient, loyal, forgiving, and full of grace. Why do we run? Why do we let anything keep us from the One Person Who loves us the most?
God, thank you for your deeply personal love for each of us. Never let us stray from your side!
ΑΩ
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