Who is God and How Do You Relate to Him?

Who is God? and Who are You?

Barbara Henderson

Who is God?

Almost everyone believes in a higher power.  Problems arise when people have different ideas of who or what god/God is.  The God of the Bible has characteristics and abilities that set Him apart from all other gods. 

God is existing without beginning or end.

God is present. He is with us now.  He has been with us since the beginning.

He was present at creation.  Through creation we can see that God is powerful.  In creation God created the material of which things are made as well as the things of creation.  If anyone today wishes to create something whether great or small, they collect the raw materials and then make whatever it is they want to make.  God alone can create out of nothing. 

God exists in three persons sometimes referred to as the Trinity.  God is also referred to as the ‘Tri-unity’ – one God with three equal parts.

God is present in the conscience of every individual.  Here are 3 verses from the first chapter of Romans, but you really need to read the entire chapter. 

Romans 1:20-22 says:

20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
God is perpetual – without beginning or end – no one escapes the presence of God – not even for a second
God is personal. He is not willing that any should perish – but that all should come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9) 
God is determined and tenacious. He takes the initiative to make Himself known to the individual.  Jesus personally went to see the woman at the well.  Read about her in John chapter 4. 

God makes Himself known to individuals.  Remember 2 Peter 3:9.  Also consider Luke 19:10 which says, ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’  In addition to conscience, God makes Himself known to individuals through His followers today.

People become like the God/god they worship.  This absolutely does not mean anyone becomes a ‘god’.  It means they conform to the image of their god/God.  It is a process that continues throughout life.  Those who worship a god of rituals become ritualistic.  Those who worship a god of materialism become materialists.  Those who worship a god who murders become murderers.  Christians ought to take seriously Romans 12:2 which instructs us, ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’

          
God is beyond what a person can imagine.  He cannot be contained in an image – the work of man’s hands.

God, although He is mighty above our capacity to understand, is our helper! 

Psalm 46:1 tells us, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’

Psalm 72:12 says, ‘For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that.hath no helper.’  

Hebrews 13:6 says, ‘So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.’

God is worthy.

 2 Samuel 22:4 instructs us, ‘I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’

False gods demand worship, but they are not worthy of it.  They have no power to help.

God is a jealous God.  He requires first allegiance – which means He wants His followers to take His commandments seriously and obey them. 

Matthew 6:24 tells us, ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’

Exodus 20:1-3

1.  And God spake all these words, saying,

2. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

What does God require from you?  Deuteronomy 10:12 tells us, ‘And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,’. 

Who are You? 

What makes you you?

God made you unique, complex, and for a purpose.  Your purpose is both general and specific.

You are unique.  God only made one of you.  You are the only one who can get specific tasks done in a specific way.

You are complex.  You are multifaceted!  You are intricate!  You are so complicated that you may not even know yourself!

God made you personally with a purpose. Your general purpose is to love God and to obey Him.  Every believer is required to live within the boundaries for living set down in the Bible.  Within the boundaries for Godly living, the individual will find specific and unique things he or she will be called on to do.  God equips the individual to do specific tasks by giving gifts!

You are a spiritual being.  You have spiritual gifts!

This is not an in depth study of spiritual gifts.  It is just a reminder that you have them.  Gifts may include preaching, teaching, organization, giving, encouragement, and a tender heart.  Some say there are 7 gifts, others say there are 9 gifts.  Christ displayed all the gifts.  The more like Him you become, the more your life will show all the gifts.  Ultimately, you have them all, but some are more obvious in some people than in others.  A mature Christian will show all the gifts.  Look for your personal inclinations to see your strong areas.  It isn’t important which gift or gifts you seem to have right now.  It is important that you figure out what they are and use them. Also take into consideration that the goal is to become strong in all the gifts.  For instance, someone who has strong organizational skills may not be as tender hearted as someone else.  That person would need to work on the tender heartedness aspect of his/her life.  Look at your inclinations.  Do you want to teach?  Do you love to give?  These are part of your spiritual being. Look for opportunities to use you gifts.  Make them part of how you spend each day.

Another thing to consider is that sometimes a need will arise that requires a gift you don’t seem to have.  If a task is set in front of you that you must do, then God will enable you to do it. 

You are a physical being.

Each individual has abilities and limitations related to their physical body.  This is very obvious in sports.  The 120 pound short guy is not going to be the star on a basketball team. 

You are an emotional being.  You like and dislike certain things.  Actually, you are probably passionate about some things. Be sure to keep you passions confined within the boundaries of Godly living set down for us in the Bible.  Within those boundaries, you are free to follow your heart! Do the things you love to do.  Are you inclined mechanically?  Are you inclined artistically?  Are you a born organizer?  Are you a healer? 

Within your areas of things you like, you will probably have more ability than in other areas.  It is highly doubtful that someone who really wants to care for the sick and injured is going to have much ability when it comes to rebuilding the transmission on an automobile.  Both require training in order to gain the necessary skills.  However, to a born healer medical training is a joy.  If they accidentally enrolled in an automotive repair school how far do you think they would go?

You have a unique personality!  You are extroverted or introverted.  You like being around people or you prefer solitude.  You may be somewhere in the middle.  You may be lighthearted, or serious minded.  You may be a combination of both.  You may be the take charge person in any situation.  You may be the one who is happy following a leader.  You may be the one who does your own thing.  You don’t even notice if you are following someone or if someone is following you. You may take charge in some situations and happily follow along in other situations.  It doesn’t really matter as long as you are doing the things required by God and necessary for your family and work.  It is all part of what makes you you.

You have experience!

Some of it is good and some of it is probably bad.  Your experiences all add to who you are.  Without a doubt, your experiences will make you a better or worse person.  I have observed that the same type of experience can have an opposite effect on people.  For instance, the loss of a child can make a person more tender hearted or bitter.  Financial prosperity or lack of prosperity can make a person humble and generous or haughty and stingy.  The outcome of experience is determined by reliance on the Lord while you are going through that experience.   

You are a sinner!  That’s right.  ‘You ain’t perfect!’  Or we could put it like this, ‘

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Thankfully we also have 1 John 1:9 which promises, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

We must never forget that we have a sin nature.  It is like the song says, ‘Prone to wander Lord I feel it’. (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/o/m/e/comethou.htm  ) 

Even identical twins have experiences that make them unique individuals. Whoever you are, like anything that is ‘one of a kind’ you are valuable!  When God made you, He had a place in heaven in mind for just you.   

Acts 2:21

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

  

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Christmas is Coming - Time to Prepare Mentally

Making Room for Christmas

Barbara Henderson

Here it comes again!  That most blessed and cursed holiday of them all is just around the corner.  How are you doing on preparations for the big event?  Are you even sure what the big event is anymore?  Let’s take a look at Christmas as a joy and as a burden.

Christmas as a joy

There was a blessed and supernatural event in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.  Christ the Savior was born.  He was born in a humble place.  I mean what can be more humble than being born in a barn and having a cow’s food dish for your bed?  We hear a lot about this lowly birth, and how there was no room for Him at the inn.  I always think about two things when I consider this. 

First, the barn may have been a bit draftier than the inn itself.  However, neither the inn nor the barn had running water, indoor plumbing, or electricity.  Neither had memory foam mattresses or a guest laundry.  So, from that point of view it appears that main difference was animals in the stable.  But wait, there may have been animals in the inn!  Sometimes animals were put inside for their safety. 

Second, Jesus Christ left the splendor, glory, wonder, and perfection of heaven to come to earth.  So, what difference did it make if He was born in a golden earthly palace or a simple stable?  The Bible tells us, ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’ 1 Corinthians 2:9.  Even Herod’s palace was so far below the splendor of heaven that it really didn’t matter.  No matter where Jesus chose to be born it was a big comedown from heaven.

Third, Jesus didn’t come to find room in a physical structure.  He came to find room in the hearts of individuals.  The shepherds came to see Jesus.  The magi came to see Jesus.  They worshiped him.  So in that sense Jesus got exactly what He wanted from some people.  He got room in their hearts.

Fourth, if you are a Christian Jesus has room in your heart.  You made a place for Him, but how much room are you giving Him?  After all, He is the King of all kings.  He is the Lord over all lords.  His names are Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, and Prince of Peace to name a few.  He deserves to be ruler over all your heart.

Fifth, the image of a helpless baby in a manger dominates the life of Christ for many people.  However, that is just the first chapter in an amazing story.  People love to obsess about that tiny baby, but they don’t care to pay a lot of attention to the rest of the story.  Jesus grew into a man who changed the world.  He suffered.  He died.  He rose up from the grave.  He went back to heaven.  He is coming back to get those who have made room in their hearts for Him.  He told us these things so we could have joy.  Truly, Christmas began with the first promise of a Savior given to Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis.  The joy of Christ’s coming is for every day of your life.  Don’t limit it to a stressful shopping season!  And speaking of shopping, let’s move along to the ‘burden of Christmas’

The Burden of Christmas

People can be difficult and specific people can be a burden any day of the year.  Then comes Christmas time.  People feel some sort of obligation to get together with family and friends they don’t spend much time with throughout the year.  They love the idea of getting together, but they come with their feelings hanging on their sleeve.  They may be around for a get-to-gather or reunion, but they don’t arrive planning on how to get along and make the day better.  They are planning how to rule the day, throw verbal darts at people who may have offended them in the past, outshine all the real or imagined competition, and simply make the day about them instead of about Christmas or family.  This is a burden.

Then there is gift giving.  Don’t you just love that part of Christmas?  Oh wait, unless you are a bazillionaire then that part of Christmas probably isn’t that much fun anymore.  After all, you are obligated to give gifts to ten percent of the population in your city.  That isn’t counting putting money in that little bucket by the door of most stores, contributing to various organizations that provide toys for the underprivileged, send money to third world countries, and at least 100 other expenses that will burden your budget without giving you much in return.  Yes you may get a few return gifts, but they probably won’t be what you want; they won’t be returnable; they won’t be useful; and they will be mostly a waste of money.  That really drains the joy out of Christmas.  Then when Christmas is over ‘stress let down’ hits between the day after Christmas and January 2^nd.  Sometimes it is honestly a case of post-traumatic-stress disorder!  You realize you missed some great opportunities to enjoy the season and you get hit with buyer’s remorse when you consider all the bills you have now that you didn’t have before Christmas.  You also realize another Christmas came and went without any overall improvement in your life, the life of your family, or the world in general.

Then there is meal planning.  You have to cook a lot of traditional stuff that may or may not be welcome by half the people you cook for.  Let’s face it.  Probably half the people eating a Christmas feast would have preferred a hamburger and fries with a milkshake for dessert.  And the money it costs to put on a fancy meal is more and more and more.

Then there is the worst of all.  That is the expectation that Christmas is going to be some magical time where peace on earth and peace in your family, and peace in your life.  This is a burden that cannot be lifted by any earthly event.  The best Christmas of your will just be one day.  Unless something outside of Christmas itself happens it will not change your life for even one day, much less permanently.  And, if you have Christmas in the proper perspective, you still have to deal with people who think it is a day of magic.  Basically, from an earthly viewpoint, Christmas is shot down before it even gets started.  Maybe you personally knew well in advance that the day wasn’t going to be life changing, but you still had to deal with adults who have some fantasy idea of how the day was going to turn out.  By three in the afternoon they were beginning to realize the day wasn’t going to change the world, they had eaten way to much sugar so their diabetes/hypoglycemia was kicking in making them immeasurably grumpy, and you were praying really hard ‘Thy kingdom come – and now would be a great time.’  A day of celebration had turned into a burden, and you knew it was going to be a burden next year as well.

Coming out on top

There is a rumor out that an idea is more powerful than circumstances.  If that is the case, then you can get a few ideas about how you would like to spend this Christmas season that can change unpleasant circumstances to something more to your advantage.

First put God in His place.  God’s place is King over everything.  Christmas is about Jesus Christ, but it is only part of the story.  You could call it the middle scene of a three scene play.  Scene one – Jesus promised to come.  Scene two – the manger scene where Jesus fulfilled His promise to come.  Scene three – the ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Bonus Scene – yet to be played out – Jesus comes again.  Don’t limit the scope of the story of Jesus to one night in Bethlehem.  Praise God that Jesus came.  Praise Him for all His wonderful goodness.  I think people are fascinated with the idea of God as a helpless baby in some ways because it sort of puts them above God.  After all, Jesus was God, but He had to be cared for like any other baby.  That is a more pleasant idea to some people than the idea of Christ dying for their sins.

Second, remember that the burden of the future is not on your shoulders.  There are probably things you need to do to be ready for future events, but the ultimate outcome is not up to you.  Buy the groceries you can afford and need for events.  Buy the gifts you want to buy as long as you can afford them.  Cook meals.  Show up where you are expected to be.  Be cheerful.  Don’t be needy.  Ignore obnoxious behavior.  Act like the Christian you claim to be. You can do these things, but you can’t make anything turn out perfect or even the way you would like.  Your job is to do what is right.  When you do the things that please the King of your Heart then you can count the day a success.  The actual outcome is not in your hands.  Your attitude is yours.  That’s all.  Face it.  If you are trying to pull of the perfect Christmas lay that burden down right now.

Third, give Jesus all the room in your heart.  He deserves it.  He will do what is best for you as ruler of your heart. 

Don’t let the world rob you of the true joy of Christmas.  Set your mind and heart to please God with all He asks of you.  It can begin as simply as grasping the idea of what Christmas should be like.  It should be a time of overwhelming thankfulness to God for His wonderful goodness to the children of men.

That is basically the end of the article but I would like to take a minute to encourage those who are facing Christmas under a greater burden than usual due to bereavement, illness, financial difficulties, or other tragedies.  I am very sorry for your difficulties.  God bless you and help you. 

1 Peter 5:7  ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’

Barbara

‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ is not considered a Christmas song, but it does seem to be a song that reminds us of that the scope of Christ’s life is far more than one day in a manger.

Holy Holy Holy

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/o/l/holyholy.htm

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

 Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

 Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

 God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,

 Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

 Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

 Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,

 Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

 Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,

 Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

 All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

 Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!

 God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Thanksgiving Requires Courage

Thanksgiving Requires Courage

By Barbara Henderson

The spirit of thankfulness is a tremendous gift from God.  It is the beginning of change for the better.  It is the beginning of a new and better way of living.  But, thanksgiving is also hard work.  It leads the thankful heart into an unknown future.  To be truly thankful, requires that one launch out into the wilderness without really knowing where they are going, or what they will actually be doing.  I think that is why people hang on to grief.  Grief is a known element.  Everyone knows how to grieve and mourn.  You just bawl your eyes out, or keep a pained look on your face while you go about your daily life.  You focus on the past, another known element, and shield your eyes from an unknown future.

Thanksgiving, on the other hand, requires courage.  Here’s why.

First, thanksgiving acknowledges your own inability to achieve or gain anything without help from God.  Thanksgiving tells you that the things you have were not gained by your own hard work and perseverance.  If you had gotten things on your own then why the need to give thanks in the first place?   Thanksgiving is a tool by which a believer may rid his or her self of pride.  Thanksgiving leads to humility.

Somewhere in between thanksgiving and humility is repentance.  As you begin to give God the credit for all your blessings, you become aware of more blessings that you have taken for granite in your life.  You have a glimmer of understanding of how blessed and favored you are with God.  Humility begins to grow in your life.  From the extreme advantage point of a humble heart, you begin to see how pride has crept into your life.  You begin to feel the weight of burdens you are carrying that you don’t have to carry.  At some point, you begin to repent of thought patterns and a life style that thanks yourself for all your hard work and success.  You become sorry for your sins.  You come to an understanding that the measure of success or failure is not what is visible to the eye.  It is not in the measure of what you have or don’t have.  This requires a paradigm shift in one’s thinking. 

This attitude adjustment, this change in your way of thinking, is not easy.  In fact, it is so hard that many and even most people turn back.  They set their shoulder to the plow and start out with their eye on the prize at the end of the row.  But then, all the changes that thanksgiving brings become frightening.  They would rather go back to the known elements of an unthankful life. 

For those who persevere in developing an attitude of thanksgiving and praise, there is a tremendous reward.  That reward is meekness of spirit.   Meekness is the most powerful tool a Christian can have. 

‘Meekness - Meekness is reliance on God instead of yourself.

A mighty man of God was Moses; yet Moses was meekest of all men. Now how can that be? Simple. Moses, a former prince of Egypt, came to understand that through God working in him, he could accomplish more than all the mighty armies of Egypt. That is the meekness that we should seek. It leads us to understand that 'I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me'. (Philippians 4:13)
So, meekness does not mean 'I am a door mat. Come stomp on me!' It means that you have begun to understand that your success in any endeavor is not based on YOUR own abilities. Remember that Moses had plenty of natural abilities and talents. Yet, he set those aside in favor of reliance on the Lord.
Moses did spend 40 years in the wilderness caring for sheep between the time he rejected the power of Egypt and chose instead to be counted with the people of God. Like Moses, we may grasp the concept of meekness, but be slow to be able to fully implement meekness as a way of life. That means we should all get started working on fully relying on God instead of ourselves right away.
Right now, are you on the path to meekness; or, are you still trying to do all things through your own ability, wealth, or authority? Or have you set these things aside and chosen to rely on the ability, wealth, and authority of God Almighty?
No matter how great your personal talents and power, the arm of flesh will eventually fail you. If you were even greater than Alexander the Great, you would still eventually meet his fate. You would die, and your kingdom and possessions would be given to another mortal.
The inheritance God has for the meek is eternal.  Reliance on God instead of your self is the path to success.’  (end quoted article)

This is just a simple explanation of the benefits of thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a process, not a holiday.  Thanksgiving in your heart and daily life brings changes.  Some of the changes will be hard.  You can bet that some of the changes will be very hard.  They will be so hard, than many will turn back from thanksgiving, and go back to living on their own.  These people may be saved, but the joy of their salvation will be overshadowed with the cares of the world.  Meekness will elude them all their lives.  No matter what their earthly success may be, it will pale in comparison to what it could have been through meekness. 

Perseverance in thanksgiving is somewhat like Peter walking on water.  When he kept his focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, he stayed above the water.  When he looked at the water, he began to sink into the sea.  If a Christian gazes on the things of earth such as material wealth, hurt feelings, genuine grief, or bitter disappointments, they are going to be overwhelmed by these things and fall back into grief and things of the past.  Their only option for help in their distress is to keep their eyes fixed on the Lord.  And, I will be the first to admit that it really ‘ain’t that easy’.  In fact, it feels impossible sometimes.  Thankfully, nothing is impossible with God.     (Matthew 19:26, Mark 9:23, mark 10:27,  Mark 14:26, Luke 18:27 )

So, there you have it.  The question is, are you one of the few who will be willing to set a course of thankfulness in your daily life?  Or, will you be one who finds the road of thanksgiving to hard and difficult?

Barbara Henderson

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