The God I know

Sitting in church yesterday, I felt very inspired as our Pastor, was speaking about life and the life that God offers. As he spoke I couldn't help to reflect on the nature of God and how a lot of misperceptions had stopped me in the past and not so distant past to actively pursue God.

Being truly honest, there was a time I saw God as a taker. He always seemed to be asking me to give up something that I thought I needed to be happy and to be filled with joy. The most difficult thing for me to give up most often than not were relationships that were not ordained by God. I struggled and I wrestled with God over those, wondering why He was so adamant on taking my joy away every time that He would reprimand me or even ask me to walk away. Isn't that the case with most of us when we don't understand God, it breeds misperceptions and we unknowingly hold back certain parts of our lives from God because we do not want Him to break down our efforts.

Sometimes what causes the common misperception about God is that we live in a world that is so accustomed to just taking at our expense. So the moment it seems God wants us to give up something or to give we see Him in the same light, a taker, a God that only wants to withhold what we want from us.

I have come to find however, that this misperception is so contrary to the God we serve. I am getting to know God and I think that He is not a taker, He is more of a giver than we realize. Studying the book of John, I came across this verse, the most common scripture in the bible that we seem to take for granted’ “For God so loved the world that he gave…”. The first thing that we see God doing in every instance is giving, starting with the very breath in our lungs to our purpose and our daily sustenance. This picture of God as a giving Father reflects on His loving nature and shows us that when he does need for us to give up certain things, it is never to hurt us or to withhold from us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

I am coming to see as I grow up, looking back at the situations that God kept from me or asked me to give up; that He is coming from the stance of a loving parent who sees the danger in every scenario before I could even perceive it. So you see, God is never the taker, He is always and forever will be a giver because His very nature is engrained in love and giving. When He does need us to give up certain things we can rest assured that it is always for our own good. His word says’ “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

My biggest heart’s desire is that we would all get to see that inasmuch as we might not understand the different processes that God takes us through, He will always love us and everything He does is for our good.

“31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” Romans 8:31-35

“37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”Romans 8:37-38