For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His external power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  Romans 1:20

One of the [most detrimental] misunderstandings of the Church today is the nature of God. Every individual—because of past experiences, personality, spiritual upbringing, and so forth—develops their own “idea” or "belief" of who God is. We piecemeal ideas about what God is like and how He operates based on our encounters. 

It all comes down to this: What do you know about the nature of God? Not what you’ve been told in Sunday school or church, not what your mom or dad taught you, not what you heard on the radio – what do you know about God’s personality, His characteristics, or how He operates? 

Several years ago I was at a youth retreat. The speaker asked a similar question: "Can you give me a name that describes who God is?"  The students began to spout off words which describe God. “My Provider.” “Prince of Peace.” “Savior.” All these descriptors were (and are) true. However, I’ll never forget what my good friend (who has since gone to be with the Lord), Kathy, said: faithful. 

It wasn’t simply the word she said that was powerful, it was how she said it. You could see in her eyes that God is Faithful. Her eyes were welled up with tears and those of us who knew God as Faithful couldn’t help but nod our heads and wipe away a few tears. He is Faithful. 

The bottom line of this story is that it’s easy to spout off words which describe the nature of God, but unless you spend time meditating on and searching out the ways in which God operates, you won’t understand.

This is one reason why it’s imperative to develop a heart of continual thanks to God. When we recognize His hand at work in our lives, it brings Him to the forefront and allows us to better understand His nature. When we walk through each day caught up in our own thoughts and tasks, we push aside the opportunity to meditate on God’s activities. When our hearts are focused on the love, favor, kindness, mercy, and sovereignty of God exercised through our own lives, we come to know and understand Him more intimately. 

Next week, we will step back into studying Hebrews again. You aren’t too far behind if you haven’t been following along, so check out the last several weeks of postings! Also, don’t forget to follow on Facebook and Instagram for ongoing encouragement, inspiration, and videos from me. ❤️