Thursday, July 31, 2014

Have we made God too soft?


You likely know the story about Goldilocks and the three bears!! When Goldilocks had eaten her fill of the porridge and broken the chair, she was tired and looked for a bed to have a rest.  She headed for the bedroom and found that the first one was too hard,  the second one was too soft and when she came to the third one, it was "just right"!  

I wonder if we too often approach God like we do our porridge or chairs or our beds....in order for us to be in touch with Him, He has to be "just right"....comfortable....soft. 

To my understanding, that is not the God of the Bible.  The God of the Bible has chosen to reveal himself to us through creation, the prophets, through Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit.  We don't get to pick and choose what we want Him to be like...He Is!  He reveals to us who He is and how He conducts himself and in doing so, invites us to a life that is designed by Him for our good, our benefit, and our development. 

In our effort to have a God that is "just right"....could it be that we have taken a Lion and removed his teeth and asked Him to keep his claws in...and in doing so, have made Him out to be something that only gives us a portion of who He is?  I'm all for love and kindness and mercy, but if I wanted something warm and fuzzy, I'd go to Build-a-bear and make one in the color and design that I thought was "just right"!  I've realized in my life that I don't need a God that conforms to my understanding and operates in my ways, I need a God who is who He said he is....someone reliable, trustworthy, holy and powerful enough to provide exactly what I need for this life and the next!

Scripture that comes to mind is Isaiah 29:16 where it reads.

How foolish can you be?

                 He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!

Should the created thing say of the one who made it,

    “He didn’t make me”?

Does a jar ever say,

    “The potter who made me is stupid”? (New Living Translation)

The old testament prophets are not the easiest books of the Bible to read and the ones we call the "Minor Prophets" are a shortened version, similar to many of the longer prophetical books, but it seems to me, they carry a much more condensed punch, as it were, of God's communication. There is not a lot of soft and fuzzy in these books but they do provide us with insights into the character of God. We may have gotten soft on Sin but God hasn't.  It's still an offense to Him and can only be dealt with through confession, repentance and forgiveness.  

This week I've asked our church family to read the prophecy of Nahum which was delivered against the city of Nineveh.  This prophecy is not too soft....it's kind of hard actually.  It makes a reader sit up and take notice...notice of what might be in your life that doesn't please God?  Are there areas that are compromised in my life?  If God was to send Nahum to my home....what would his message be?

It makes me think.......maybe things aren't "just right" according to God.   Maybe there is a message of change that I need to hear...and maybe you as well.  Nahum 1:3 reads... "The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished." That got my attention and as I continued to read, I also read verse 7 where it reads..."The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes.  He is close to those who trust in him."

My prayer for you today is that you would not allow yourself to only see the soft side of God.  Yes He is loving and kind and compassionate and merciful, and He is also Just, Holy and Righteous.  It is because of all the aspects of His nature that He is worthy to be worshipped, trusted and loved.  I pray that you find for yourself that the Lord is good, and close to you as you trust in him.

Blessings, Pastor Brian

No comments: