God and His Relationship With Us
MY COMMENTARY
GOD: WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH US Part 1
Do I believe that God exists? Yes I do, without any reservations whatsoever. I cannot in any way fathom that He wouldn’t be. Everything around us indicates that there is a God who has created everything and that He sustains His creation. Scripture says, [Psa 19:1 NLT] The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. [Heb 1:3 NLT] . . . He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.
This same God has not left us in the dark concerning His will and purpose for us. He has always pursued us in spite of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Man’s only hope is in a God who demonstrates mercy and communicates with us. So I want to share with you some thoughts about how God is doing this.
MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD
- God is a Spirit.
[Jhn 4:24 NLT] For God is Spirit . . . The definition of spirit can be said in this way, it is the vital principle which gives life. Since God is the creator of all things this means that He is the supernatural force that gives life to every living thing in the seen and unseen world. And because God is a Spirit, He cannot be seen unless He decides to manifest Himself in some visible form.
2. Creation.
God manifests Himself through His creation. [Rom 1:20 NLT] For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. God has sovereignly put evidence of His existence in the very nature of man by reason and moral law. And by His invisible qualities or attributes, His eternal power and divine nature gives us revelation of His sustaining power and His person. Because of this God holds every person responsible for their refusal in acknowledging what He has shown through His creation.
3. His Word.
God has given His Word to us so that we might know and understand Him. His Word is forever final. The Psalmist declared [Psa 119:89 KJV] For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven. Jesus said, [Mat 4:4 KJV] But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. It’s been said and needs to be said again that God’s Word is a road map to life. Again the Psalmist said, [Psa 119:105 KJV] Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
4. Angels.
From the beginning of Scripture to the end God uses His angels to communicate with man the will of God. Prophets throughout scripture played a vital role in revealing God’s plan and also bringing correction into certain situations. But angels came directly from God with messages to show what God had in mind for the present and for the future. Angels are ministering spirits many times sent by God to minister to us. [Heb 1:14 NLT] Therefore, angels are only servants–spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
We have many examples throughout Scriptures where angels were actively involved in the lives of individuals. Angels came to Abraham to reveal the plan of God for Sodom and Gomorrah, an army of angels came to the aid of Elisha, the prophet, the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, the mother of Jesus, revealing God’s plan for her life and the important role she would play, and of course the night in which Jesus was born the angels came to the shepherds who were attending to their flock and made that incredible announcement that Jesus was born.
5. Jesus Christ
The Bible tells us that God used various means to speak and convey His message to humanity but one of the greatest ways He would manifest His message to us was through His Son. [Heb 1:1-4 NLT] 1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names.
Throughout the Old Testament we have many prophecies concerning the Messiah coming. And at the right time in history Jesus would come demonstrating His love for us by identifying Himself with us and then would go to the cross and die for us providing forgiveness and eternal life to all those who would believe. This is God’s final plan for man’s salvation. There is no other. [Act 4:12 KJV] Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
6. By His Spirit.
Even though we have talked about various ways that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, there is a problem. Spiritual matters are not discerned by natural means. Unless our eyes, ears and hearts are opened we cannot see, hear or be able to receive the truths that God has for us. It is only by His Spirit that we can understand and that is why it is important that we pray and ask for that to happen. Look at this passage of Scripture [1Co 2:9-10 NLT] 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.
JUST SAYING – Devotional
[Neh 8:10 NLT] 10 . . . This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”
True joy only comes to those who have devoted themselves to something bigger than their own happiness and personal interests. True joy always involves three things: (1) A conscious decision to focus each day on God’s goodness. (2) Reaching out to bless others every chance you and I get. (3) Understanding that joy produces strength, which explains one target. If you lose your joy you lose your strength, and he wins!
Dallas Willard wrote: “To cut off the joys and pleasures associated with our bodily lives and social existence as ‘unspiritual’ can have the effect of weakening us in our efforts to do right.” There are basically three kinds of people: The joy impaired – who believe we’re not supposed to be happy; we’re just supposed to be responsible. These people feel guilty about feeling good. The joy extinguishers – who’ve been hurt by life and whose anger simmers just beneath the surface. If you let them, they’ll rain on your parade because your joy really bothers them. The joy carriers – when you’re around them, they breathe life into you. If you’re joy-impaired, try spending a little time with the joy carriers. Explain to them that you’ve been trying to break out of your joy-impaired condition. Ask them to become your joy mentor, meeting with you and holding you accountable for your attitude. But look out! Joylessness is a sin most readily tolerated in the church, so it may take you a while to find one.
– Bob & Debby Gas