Finding God

Recently, a question came up as to how a person can really get to know God. With more than 24,000 denominations around, where do you go to find truth? How do you know it is true? Usually, in the groups that I have been involved with through the years, I have found differences in doctrine and beliefs. The lack of unity among Christians can be quite discouraging. God, however, is far from discouraging.

It is not hard to see God's imprint on one's life. By imprint, I mean things like peace, joy and love that have completely bypassed understanding.  God is definitely a God of miracles and signs, things we can see, but He really inserts Himself much deeper in our hearts than we can see by our five senses.

I used to think finding truth was an insurmountable task. It is not really, but I think the culture around us might make it seem that way. The minute we start on a truth quest, God is quick to open his heart and we begin to start developing trust in who He is. When there is even a little bit of trust we can have patience as we are spurred on to learn more.

But where and how do we learn about Him?  For myself, I have look backed to the different teachers and groups that I have been involved in. In hind sight, I can see thankfully what some organizations contributed and also why at a certain point I got to a place in each where it was time, for a lot of different reasons, to  move on. 

For me there have been two constant companions in loving God: the Word and the gift of holy spirit. In these two entities lie the open door to truth. The Word is the story of God's heart and though we can't see God because He is spirit, the main topic of the Bible is the the revealing of His human son and what that means for a person who believes. Jesus Christ is the way to God. There is an Old Testament (before the birth of Jesus Christ) and a New Testament (after his birth and resurrection). God remains the same throughout the Bible. The birth of Jesus Christ brought a new dynamic to man's relationship to God. The gift of holy spirit (God is The Holy Spirit, holy spirit is His gift) unites all those who believe. Jesus Christ is the head of this group. He is Lord.  The words 'lord' and  'god' are titles indicating authority. He is the authority to the church. This means he has authority over his sphere of influence, the people who have responded to God and are connected through the spirit.

So where do you start? In order to understand anything about God, you have to take a look at His Words. You go directly to the source.  I think there are great people who teach the Bible, but our faith should not be based on an organization, or people. God will bring people across your path to help for the purpose of building up and equipping you with the skills to function in the church of Christ. We have a leader in Jesus Christ and we personally have God's word and communication through holy spirit. That's the New Testament! 

The Bible is not just printed pages. With a humble approach to its contents, it is a source of life! People I have talked with claim that there are too many versions and translations for it to be right. Actually, I read the King James Version and that probably the hardest one to read. I'm no genius but through trusting in God and staying at it, the spirit of God enlivens that book like no other. Having the King James Version incredibly inspire me is a testimony in and of itself!

It is obvious that God created the heavens and the earth.  We can see that everywhere we look! So why not start in Genesis chapter 1 and start reading. Ask God questions and be patient. If you don't understand it, don't worry about it, let Him work in your heart.  The Old Testament is chock full of men and women who stood for God and yet had many flaws and indiscretions. They did great things. So don't let guilt, shame and condemnation stop your search either.

There is a God of this universe that created the beautiful blue sky, sunsets, sunrises, trees, flowers, stars and the human body.  When you look at a tree you don't see all the magnificent things going on inside it until you start examining it closely and asking questions like: "why are the leaves flat like they are?" If you start looking at the Word in the same way, you will be amazed! It is the most important thing you'll ever do.

Drawn Because of Our Love For God

The fact that David is called 'a man after God's own heart' indicates that David's nature had a God-centered personality. This would draw people to him for different reasons. After the defeat of Goliath, David got a lot of attention, including the King of Israel, Saul:

58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. 18 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. I Samuel 17:58 - I Samuel 18:1

Jonathan, the son of Saul, was also drawn to David. A further read into the depth of these relationships shows different reasons. Jonathan and David's relationship is later describe as having a 'covenant of the Lord' (I Samuel 20:8).  Jonathan was drawn spiritually to David as a man who loved God. Saul's relationship moved in another direction toward viewing David as a competitor after seeing how people reacted to David:

9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God (it wasn't from God, but because Saul had waded into the spiritual mud so to speak and he was getting dirty)  came upon Saul, and he prophesied  in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. 11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.

Jonathan's recognition of who David was protected David from Saul.  The love of God was involved.
Saul had become senses orientated and was looking at what David was doing to his reputation. He allowed evil to dominate his thinking.

As people who love God, the same thing happens in our lives. Some people will like us and some people won't. We have been equipped with holy spirit to  recognize the difference so that we can still operate in love toward all and not let evil control our relationship with God.  Evil will always try to do this so sometimes we have to draw the line and be wise in the way we handle our relationships with the love of God.


Note:
This section  in John came to mind in regards to Jesus Christ's life in light of how some are drawn to Jesus Christ and not others:

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can (dunamis -stored power) come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father (with the revelation of the word and the gift of holy spirit). 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. John 6:61-66

Thankfulness IS Believing

A good yardstick for believing is one's degree of thankfulness. Being thankful to God means there is a good amount of believing going on. There is so much around us to remind us of God's goodness.  Just as no amount of darkness can ever cover light, God's love always outshines the evil that exists in this world.

As I read through chapter by chapter and book by book (I and II Samuel, Chronicles, Psalms and several more) of David's life and his heart for God, thankfulness pops up everywhere. David got it done for God. He was able to get through all the hard things and do big things, because he really acknowledged the goodness of God in his life. His worship was not a religious exercise, it was heart-felt devotion and true.

The world is in dire need of a good dose of thankful living. It is the greatest thing we can teach to our kids. The way we teach it not necessarily by telling them to be thankful, but by reminding them of the great things God has done, and teaching them to remember all the ways in which God has poured his heart out, and how God loves them and shows his love everyday. There are plenty of things to point out. God's handiwork is everywhere.  Sometimes I think we do too much for our kids and don't leave room for God to bless them himself.

I think we can do that to ourselves too. We go out roaring to take on the world's pressures sometimes, and all we really need to do is stand still and wait on God. The Israelites in the Old Testament faced off against many enemies. In one such battle God told them he was going to handle it:

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.2 Chronicles 20:17

When we see God step in like this it is mind blowing! It says in Romans that it is the goodness of God that leads a heart to God. We learn to love God not by being told we should love God, we love God in response to his love. I John puts it very simply:

We love God, because he first loved us! (I John 4:19)

I am so thankful to God for this very reason.  Even on bad days, he is even more lavish with his love if I let him. That is, of course, unless on that particular day I like being miserable. Usually when that happens I start wondering who turned out the lights because miserableness is just plain miserable. Many times when I'm having a rough day, he leads me into a giving situation and that fires me up and out of the mud.

God has got a lot of love up his sleeve to help out. We just have to get rid of the condemnation, guilt and shame and access righteousness, which he gave us long ago in Christ. That is what believing is all about! When we see the results of this powerful love over and over we build more and more thankfulness into our heart which insulates us against the next negative that comes along. Hey, if he raised Christ from the dead; how simple it must be to rescue us from the negative mind doldrums with the word!

After God's Own Heart - Offer Righteous Sacrifices-Psalm 4:5

In I Samuel 9-15 is the record of the rise and fall of Israel's first king, Saul.  Israel had demanded a king to rule them. God was not all too excited about the idea, but knowing where their heads and hearts were at, he had Samuel anoint Saul. Samuel reminded the people about what it was like when God was recognized as the king in chapter 12. He reminded them of all God had done to take care of them in the face of enemies and he pointed out the fallacy of appointed a king instead of having God as their ruler:

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. 14 If ye will fear (reverence) the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:. I Samuel 12:12-14

In chapter 13, the heart of Saul was exposed when he did not wait for Samuel to come to make offerings to God as Samuel had instructed him(I Samuel 10:8). Instead he made the offerings himself. His foolishness in doing this was not about him making the offerings instead of Samuel. Instead of trusting God in the escalation of pressure that was surrounding him, he decided to handle his anxiety through his own urgency instead of trusting God.

12 therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. 13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. I Samuel 13:12-14

The word 'forced' is indicative of his mindset that Saul had. God was looking for a man after his own heart. David has been called a man after God's own heart. Throughout the 70 Psalms that David wrote, there are wonderful examples of that kind of heart such as in Psalm 4:4-5.

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

Sometimes it is hard for us to stand still in the righteousness that God has given us, but that is where trust takes abode.  It is in righteousness we can effectually serve our God, not in dead, ineffectual  religious zealous works which we feel forced to do to be right.  Rightness is given by grace, it is ours for the trusting.

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons in life that we can learn is not to push too hard and learn to enter into the rest that God has provided us.