Character of God

To effectively please God we need to understand the character of God. Jesus was God in the flesh, and I’m so happy that the account of his time here was recorded in the first four books of the New Testament. Within Matthew, Mark, Luke and John we are able to read the actual words of Jesus. This provides a powerful way for us to connect with the heart and mind of God. But there are 62 other books in the Bible. Within them, we are also able to hear the words of God through the prophets, and we are able to understand the character of God by how he treated his people and by how he was spoken of by them. In Deuteronomy, chapter 10, verses 17 and 18, we find these words: 

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.” 

God has a soft spot for those who are marginalized, ignored, weak, innocent and those who are considered “less than”. It says that God “defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing”. This is God’s heart. It helps us to know his heart so that we can please him by reflecting his heart in our words and actions. Knowing that God defends the orphans, the widows, and cares for the foreigner should encourage us to do the same. Because in many cases, he uses people like you and me to act on his behalf. So I encourage you to read the Bible, not only to know the commands of God, but also to understand the character of God. Because understanding his character allows the Holy Spirit to give us a clear roadmap for how to please him.

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When was the last time you’ve given serious thought to the mind and the character of God? Have you ever considered ways to help the orphan and the widow? Do you take into consideration God’s heart when discerning your thoughts about foreigners and strangers? If not, I encourage you to start. Deuteronomy isn’t the only place where we can see this facet of God’s heart. His thoughts about he orphan, widow and foreigner are peppered throughout the Bible. And there are many other facets of God’s character to explore as well. So, if you want to be like Christ and if you want to please God, it helps to know his heart. And to know his heart means we need to know his word. So I encourage you, as I encourage myself, to take note of when God’s heart is displayed in scripture. Because we can’t be like him if we don’t really know him.

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Do Not Forget

Are you in a dark place right now? Are you calling out to God for some form of deliverance with great hope that your situation will change? If you are, and God delivers you, I encourage you to praise God and to use that experience to become more dedicated and more obedient to him. It is human nature to beg for something we need, and when we get it, to focus on the provision and forget about the one who gave it. Joseph experienced that when he interpreted the vision of the chief cupbearer. Once the chief cupbearer got what he wanted, he forgot Joseph. Jesus experienced it when he healed the 10 lepers. Only one came back to praise him. And Moses warned the Israelites, in Deuteronomy chapter 8, verses 10 through 14, not to fall into that trap. It says:

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

We need to heed this warning as well. When God blesses us, or delivers us, it should encourage us to be more dedicated to him. It should encourage us to praise him, to love him more, and to become more dependent on him. We shouldn’t become proud and forget who saved us from our despair. So I challenge you to remember God when he delivers you or blesses you. Heed the warning Moses gave to the Israelites, because it is human nature to forget the one who delivers us.

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When God blesses you, or delivers you, praise him and use that experience to become more dedicated to him. Never forget what he did for you. It is human nature to beg for something in our despair, and when we get it, to forget about the one who saved us. With believers, it should never be that way; not with our fellow man, and especially not with God.

God Is Near

When you pray, do you envision God as being way up in heaven looking down from his throne hearing your request from afar? I used to. And when I’m not focused, I still might. But when my heart is in step with the Spirit, and when my walk is strong with the Lord, I understand that when I pray to God he isn’t far, but very near. You may have experienced the presence of the Lord yourself when you’ve prayed; the feeling that God is physically with you right then and there. But even when you don’t feel him, have faith to believe that he is close. He was close to the Israelites when they prayed, and he is close to us as well. Moses said in Deuteronomy 4 verse 7:

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?”

I believe that God wants to be close to us. The Bible tells us that the Lord wanted to be close to the Israelites. That is why the tabernacle and the temple were built, so that he could be physically close to them. In Genesis, God was close to his creation, speaking directly to Adam. And even now, God wants to be close to us. Moses says that God is near us whenever we pray to him. Do you believe that? In the midst of your pain and sorrow, when you cry out to him, I encourage you to know that God is not far off, but he is very near. And even when you pray to him casually, I believe that God is still very near. So when you talk to God, don’t think of him as being on a phone listening to you from somewhere else. Think of it as if you are visiting him; that when you pray to him, he is in the same room with you. Because as Moses shares in Deuteronomy, God is near us whenever we pray to him.

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The Bible reminds us that where two or three are gathered together in his name, God is right there in the midst of them. And Moses encourages us that when we pray to God, he is near to us. He could’ve been referring to the tabernacle, where the ark of the covenant and the physical presence of the Lord resided; that when the Israelites prayed, the ark of the covenant was close by. But I think he was explaining that any of us; past, present and future; no matter where you are, or what time of day it is, that God is near you when you pray. Whether God is near or far may not matter to some. But I find it very comforting to know that God is near, and so did Moses.

Pass it Down

In Bible times, the Israelites didn’t have smartphones, tablet computers and laptops to take video, pictures or to write down important things that they would save for their children and grandchildren. Instead, they would usually pass knowledge and sentiments down through songs that they would teach their children. Other times, stories would be told and passed down through the generations. They might’ve also decorated their houses by writing important information and posting it on their doors or, even literally, wearing scripture on their wrists and foreheads as if it were a form of jewelry. Whatever the case, if something were important enough for one generation, it would be passed down to those who would be born after them. That is the way it was with the commandments that God gave them, so that future generations would continue to follow them. In Deuteronomy 6:6-9 the Bible says:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Like the Israelites, God wants us to pass down our faith to our children. We need to talk about it when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up, as the Bible says. It should be so important to us, that we should make it a part of our daily conversation. Our children shouldn’t have to wait for Sunday school to learn about God. And we shouldn’t have to attend a Bible study to get our weekly dose of Bible knowledge. Families should talk about God on a daily basis. Do you? If not, I’d encourage you to find ways to make your faith a greater part of who you are. Just as important, we need to pass our faith down to our children so that they can pass it down to theirs and so on. We’re not just talking about a neat tradition here, we’re talking about generations of souls that need to be taught the truth.

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It is our responsibility to pass what we know about God to the next generation. It could be our kids, nephews, nieces, grandkids, or even our brothers and sisters. In a world where the gospel is being silenced and treated as irrelevant, those of us who know that eternity hangs in the balance should treat it as the most precious thing we can pass down to another. It is literally more important than anything you could ever give someone. And when God is talked about consistently, the truth can be planted so deep that when they grow old, they will not depart from it. God’s command to the Israelites is his command to us as well. God should be a daily conversation within our families, because if they don’t see us valuing the gospel, they may not either.

God Carries you

Remember the story in the Old Testament where God brings the Israelites to the promise land, but when they scout it out in preparation of taking possession of it, they lose heart because of the large people and the fortified cities? Because they lacked faith in believing that God would fight for them, they were sent to wander in the desert until the faithless generation died out. When they finally made it back, Moses recounted what happened the first time around. Deuteronomy 1:28-31 says this:

“Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’”

The Israelites feared the occupants of the promised land because they were behaving as if their own strength would win or lose the fight. But Moses reminded them that God carried them through all of the hard times from Egypt to the promised land. So in reality it had never been about their strength, it was about God’s faithfulness. We have to remember that as well. When we are going through difficult times, it is God who carries us as a father carries his son the Bible says. If we put our faith and trust in him, he will carry us. Like the Israelites, we need to remember how he has carried us in the past and know that he can also carry us through whatever situation we are facing, or will face, in the future.

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God miraculously ordered 10 plagues in Egypt before delivering his chosen people. Then, he split the Red Sea to rescue them from Pharaoh. He appeared as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day to lead them. When they were hungry, he made manna appear for them in the morning. When they were thirsty, he made water gush from a rock. Time and time again, God carried the Israelites to the promised land. It was never by their own strength, but by the strength and deliverance of God. We serve the same God who did all of the things we read about in the Bible. And as the Israelites are called his children, if we believe in Jesus, we are called his children as well. If God carried the Israelites, don’t you think he can, and will, carry you as well? He will. And maybe if you consider your life up until now, you’ll realize that he has been carrying you all along.