God Is _______ಮಾದರಿ

Who Is God?

God is _______.

What word did you think of immediately? Maybe you know God as your loving Father. Maybe you’ve experienced God as your Healer or Provider. Or maybe you think of God as distant, angry, or judgmental.

No matter how you answered it, your view of God carries incredible weight in your life. In fact, renowned pastor and author A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Our view of God influences the way we look at ourselves, others, and the world around us. That’s why it’s incredibly important to build our foundation of who God is based on the unchanging truth of His Word—not the temporary state of our feelings.

Maybe you’ve experienced grief, loss, or disappointment that left you feeling angry at or hurt by God. Maybe you’ve met other Christians who made you feel judged and condemned, so you think God is the same way. Perhaps you’ve tried to pray or connect with God, but you feel nothing, so you think He’s distant, cold, or uncaring.

Those experiences and emotions are valid, but they aren’t accurate representations of God’s character.

In fact, distorting our view of God has been one of the enemy’s tactics since the beginning. In the perfect Garden of Eden, God walked with Adam and Eve, giving them just one limit: Don’t eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. But the enemy swooped in, asking Eve whether God really said she couldn’t, and then convincing her that God was withholding something she actually needed.

As a result, she ate the fruit, and sin entered the world, severing our relationship with God.

Yet through all of this, God’s character never changed. He lovingly provided coverings for Adam and Eve, which foreshadowed His greatest act of sacrificial love: sending His perfect Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life and die in our place to restore our relationship with Him.

Sometimes it’s tempting to think that the God of the Old Testament is just judgmental, and that it’s only in the New Testament that we see mercy through Jesus. But in truth, God has always been in the business of pursuing sinful people with His kindness before we ever pursued Him. He has always been faithful to fulfill His promises. And He has always been both just and merciful, holy and loving, sovereign and unchanging.

The character of God is too deep, rich, and great to describe completely, but we see clues to it throughout the entire Bible.

So as you think about God, consider how you’re forming your view of Him. Is it based on the truth of His Word or the pain of your past experiences?

In the next few days, we’ll examine a few attributes about God from Scripture. As we discover them, ask God to reveal more of Himself to you. No matter what your experiences with God, Christians, or church have been like, know this: The God of the universe created you, loves you, and is actively pursuing you.

Pray: God, I realize my view of who You are is often based on incomplete information. Show me any lies I’m believing about You and replace them with truth. Reveal more of Yourself and Your character to me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge: Fill in this statement: God is _______. Write as many words as you think of, then find accompanying Bible verses to support them.