The #1 Thing You Have to Learn About God

If there is any place to start in thinking about God, it is that God loves each and everyone of us (John 3:16). We can readily observe his love everywhere around us in beautiful gifts he has given us through his creation. The bottom line is that God loves you and he loves me. God wants us to really believe it.  He wants us 'rooted and grounded'  (Ephesians 3:17-19) in that love.

Sometimes, however, we can get confused when we look at the giant storms of life that rise up and counter punch the original idyllic design of God.  Unfortunately, there was a 'sneaky snake' that crept into the garden and wanted worship, acceptance and most of all, power over man. To do that, he lied, questioned and introduced doubt to Eve.

Evil power works the same way today. The adversary wants to make us all the scapegoat loaded with blame, guilt, inadequacy, insecurity and doubt. God does the exact opposite. He wants each us to be his golden child and shower us all with all he has to give. He can and will give us assurance, security, adequacy and love. We just have to ask.

We should never underestimate what the resurrection and ascension of Jesus as the messiah means for our lives today. When he was here on earth, he became the scapegoat for us to stand up to the power of evil.  When God raised him, we were raised with him, up and out of darkness and into a loving relationship with God. The apostle Paul wrote some magnificent  explanations of this relationship in his church epistles:

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

This is not about setting up a religion; it is about full joy in real life living.  In books like Ephesians and Romans 8, we can read about the unlimited joys of God as a Father. Human fathers are wonderful or maybe not so wonderful depending on individual situations; but that does not have to limit your understanding of the ideal parent, God. God can help with that. God is the ultimate father to us all. He is the perfect father willing to show us how much he loves us in the details of life as well as in the big picture. We just have to climb into his lap and tell him what is on our heart.

6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

This is the only way to live in our day-to-day walk through this world.