There are two assumptions I’ve seen many people (Christian or not) make about God. First, most of us assume that the primary goal of God is for us to be good; to behave within a certain set of moral guidelines. Next, people assume that God’s secondary goal is for us to be happy. Both of these assumptions seem harmless enough. After all, the Bible does offer a set of moral guidelines and even a personal example of perfection for us to follow. We all know that God is love and if God is love, then of course He wants us to be happy…right?Those assumptions are easy to believe when life is moving along easily but life isn’t often easy…it’s messy. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian or not or even how good or bad of a person you are, you will experience pain and difficulties in your life. And we all make mistakes. We all fall short of the example of Jesus.
So what happens in those difficult and painful times in our lives when it seems like everything is falling apart? What happens when we’ve messed up and we know we simply can’t make the cut? If we believed these things about God, how do we begin to see Him during those times? That’s right, “A loving God wouldn’t allow this to happen to me, so He must NOT be a loving God” or “I’ll never be able to be good enough as the Bible says so I guess I’ll just forget about trying.”
That kind of thinking happens so often in so many people and it’s because they are operating with incorrect assumptions about God. James 1:17 is one of a number of passages that tell us God never changes; “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” If our view of God is altered when our situation changes, then we have a distorted view of who God is because He never changes.
I know I have a tendency to forget that. It’s easy to start looking for someone to blame when things aren’t going the way I think they should. But it’s in those times we most need to see God for who He is, a loving Father who will walk with us through the inevitable pain and hurt of this world. I don’t know what your view of God is like. Maybe it includes one or both of these assumptions or maybe it doesn’t. Either way, take some time right now and evaluate if your view of God matches what the Bible tells us about Him. You might be surprised at the adjustment that is needed!
Be a witness,
Nate