IOW quote March 31, 2008
Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. ~~A.W. Tozer~~
It’s sad to think that anyone, let alone Christians, are taking God not as He is but as we want to see Him. Molding Him into our own image instead of the other way around. We think that if we can fit Him into our own pocket then it’s better for us in the long run. As much as we want to believe that, it is not better for us in the short term or long term.
We definitely should be in Christianity for the long run and starting out on the wrong foot will only cause us to eventually fall flat on our faces. A position that Satan would like to see us in frequently but not one we need to choose for ourselves by the choices we make. Such as seeing God as we want to see Him not as He truly is.
Also tainting our window view of God is our image of man himself. Women who have been sexually abused by their fathers, grandfathers or other men find it hard to picture this loving, caring man who is willing to listen instead of condemn, hurt, and destroy.
The best way to wipe the window clear and get the best picture of God that we possibly can is to get into God’s word to read and study the God of the Bible. No reading between the lines, skipping pieces here and there, pulling out what we want and leaving behind what we didn’t want to hear. Before long you can begin to see God in the light He needs to be seen in.
Changing how the Bible reads will not clear the true mold we are responsible for using. There will be no excuses. “But God, that’s the way grandma told me. That’s what they said on TV. I didn’t read it like that in the Bible, God.” Excuses that may have worked in traffic court or with our parents but they won’t work with God.
Don’t let the world or yourself cheat you out of the true picture of God. Don’t be afraid if you can’t seem to grasp all there is to know about Him. After all that gives us something to look forward to when we meet Him face to face. Pieces we failed to see in a puzzle that will eventually come together in an image we don’t want to miss, the TRUE image of God.
CLOSING THOUGHT: Even with our window or image cleared of tinting, drawings, and smudge it will always have its scratches, flaws, and chips. Definitely not the mold we need to be using to achieve that perfect image in ourselves using God’s mold. Our assignment is in. The mold is available to all. We all need to bring ourselves closer to God’s image not the other way around. Accepting the things we cannot change but doing something about the things we can. God is too awesome to miss out on who He truly is just because we don’t want to work on ourselves. None of this…..ooopppsss….wrong mold! Get the best window seat in the house, the one nearest God and who He is and what you can be IN Him.
Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. ~~A.W. Tozer~~
It’s sad to think that anyone, let alone Christians, are taking God not as He is but as we want to see Him. Molding Him into our own image instead of the other way around. We think that if we can fit Him into our own pocket then it’s better for us in the long run. As much as we want to believe that, it is not better for us in the short term or long term.
We definitely should be in Christianity for the long run and starting out on the wrong foot will only cause us to eventually fall flat on our faces. A position that Satan would like to see us in frequently but not one we need to choose for ourselves by the choices we make. Such as seeing God as we want to see Him not as He truly is.
Also tainting our window view of God is our image of man himself. Women who have been sexually abused by their fathers, grandfathers or other men find it hard to picture this loving, caring man who is willing to listen instead of condemn, hurt, and destroy.
The best way to wipe the window clear and get the best picture of God that we possibly can is to get into God’s word to read and study the God of the Bible. No reading between the lines, skipping pieces here and there, pulling out what we want and leaving behind what we didn’t want to hear. Before long you can begin to see God in the light He needs to be seen in.
Changing how the Bible reads will not clear the true mold we are responsible for using. There will be no excuses. “But God, that’s the way grandma told me. That’s what they said on TV. I didn’t read it like that in the Bible, God.” Excuses that may have worked in traffic court or with our parents but they won’t work with God.
Don’t let the world or yourself cheat you out of the true picture of God. Don’t be afraid if you can’t seem to grasp all there is to know about Him. After all that gives us something to look forward to when we meet Him face to face. Pieces we failed to see in a puzzle that will eventually come together in an image we don’t want to miss, the TRUE image of God.
CLOSING THOUGHT: Even with our window or image cleared of tinting, drawings, and smudge it will always have its scratches, flaws, and chips. Definitely not the mold we need to be using to achieve that perfect image in ourselves using God’s mold. Our assignment is in. The mold is available to all. We all need to bring ourselves closer to God’s image not the other way around. Accepting the things we cannot change but doing something about the things we can. God is too awesome to miss out on who He truly is just because we don’t want to work on ourselves. None of this…..ooopppsss….wrong mold! Get the best window seat in the house, the one nearest God and who He is and what you can be IN Him.
Our host today is Debbie over at her site, Chocolate and Coffee . Wander on over there and read and share with others.
4 comments:
Fantastic post and it's so so true...God is not like our earthly fathers and God isn't what we can put in a mold and there He is...how limited a worship and praise of Our Heavenly Father that becomes then!
This is a great encouragement to get into the Word. I can't believe the strange theology that is popular with a lot of Christians - none of it proven to be true in the Bible. Christians have a responsibility to go to the Bible for the Truth.
Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome post sweetie.
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