HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?                    -- Your conception of God determines how you relate to Him

Most of the time, our conception of God has been shaped by our culture, our family, or by religion. Some see Him as being mysterious, controlling everything, bearing responsability for tragedies and sufferings, others as a loving and merciful God, and many people don’t really know.

If you see God as some far away person who sometimes gives good things and sometimes takes them away, as someone who is judgmental and can be angry and vengeful, if you are not sure who God is, how are you going to relate to Him ?

The key to know how God is is to look into His Word. In John 14.9, Philip asks the Lord :  «Lord, show us the Father.» He answered, « Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. » So whatever we see the Lord doing (healing, comforting, bringing back to life) or hear Him saying is a direct reflection of the Father.

So there the idea of God being mysterious evaporates, and a new concept comes in the picture : the concept of a Father, of a God who is personal and intimate with us, a kind and gentle God we can relate to, as a child relates to his father.

In Luke 9.56, we learn that… « The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. » The heart of the Father is to save.  And John 3.17 tells us : « For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. »

This should bring relief to some believers who think a part of God’s purpose is destruction, that He may make you sick or bring tragedies in your life to teach you something. This is a God difficult to relate to, isn’t it ?

Luke 19.10 adds another piece to the puzzle. « For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.» God’s heart is to seek those who are lost. The spirit of God is going through the earth, drawing those who want to be drawned. That’s a good God. (But not everyone wants to be drawn to Him!)

Moreover, Matthew 20.28 tells us that the Lord « did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life to redeem us from sin.”

Now we are deepening our conception of God. He is not here to condemn or to destroy, but to save, and not only to save but to seek those He would save. And He came to serve all men by giving His life to redeem us from sin. Here is a God who loves us and wants to bless us.

Just as a lot of parents and grandparents are looking forward to Christmas in order to bless their children and grandchildren with presents, that’s how God wants to bless us, but a lot more !!

However, a lot of people feel unworthy, unaccepted by God ; they think He is holding something against them and that they need to earn His acceptance. Therefore when they pray, they get into begging rather than fellowshiping. They spend time with God in a religious way, instead of a fellowship way.

How can you know if you have a good perception of God? Let’s take it down to a human level. Who do you enjoy being with ? People that are happy, sweet and positive, or people that are cranky, angry, mean and rude? People who make you feel good, right? You can apply this principle to your perception of God : you will seek to spend time with the Father if you realize how much He loves you and wants to bless you.

As we all meet challenges in this world, it is important to stand on that strong foundation : God, my Father, loves me more than any person on this earth ever will. He came to seek and save me, He is for me, He wants to help me and bless me. For sure, that takes our walk with God away from religious rites and formulas. Formulas can never replace fellowship. God wants you to know Him intimately.

Do you believe in your heart that God loves you and wants to bless you ?