There are two assumptions I’ve seen many people make about God. Many assume God’s first goal is for us to be good, and next that God wants us to be happy. The Bible does offer a set of moral guidelines and a personal example of perfection for us to follow. And we all know that God is love. And if God is love, of course He wants us to be happy…right?
Those assumptions are easy to believe when live is moving along easily but I want to challenge them a bit today because…life isn’t easy. It is messy. We all make mistakes. And no matter how good or bad a person you are, you will experience pain and difficulties in your life.
So what happens with those assumptions when we experience pain and difficulty in life or when we make a mistake? We might begin to think, “A loving God wouldn’t allow this to happen to me, so He must not be a loving God” or “I’ll never be follow all the rules so why should I try?”
That kind of thinking happens in many people and it comes from incorrect assumptions about God. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV). If our view of God changes with our situation, then we have a distorted view of God because He never changes.
It’s in those times when life is messy that we need most to see God for who He is, a loving Father who walks with us through life’s messes. What assumptions do you have about God?Does your view of God matches what the Bible says about Him?
Be a witness,
Nate