Knowing God!

Knowing God!

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:5 KJV

There is no account of the person who wrote this psalm, but you will agree that the words of today's extract are appropriate for the times we are in. There is hunger in the land; men have become lovers of themselves and not God; we seem to seek pleasure rather than seek after God, and we have become skilled in evil. As technological advances are made, so also does it appear that man's propensity for evil has also increased. Yet, today's extract seeks to place God in the right frame, right at the centre of all that matters, and it starts by that evergreen statement: for the Lord is good. Now, it does not matter whether you believe it or not, but God is indeed good. It does not matter if I am under pressure, and it is easier to give up than press on, yet God is good. This statement is the starting point of all the lessons that today's extract holds.

As I take stock of my life, I ask myself: what could I have changed by anxiety, worry or fear? In fact, worry will lead to negative consequences. I cannot change the colour of my hair by worry, neither can I increase my height simply by focused anxiety. All that I am and have flow from who God is, not what I have been able to gather by myself by abour or strength. If God does not allow it, it will not happen. That must be my guiding principle all through life: I stand where I am, simply because God is good. 

Now, bad things happen. The consequences of man's fall in the garden of Eden means that the default setting for life is sin. With sin comes death, and with sin comes all other kinds of evil. Yet, I read again that eternal statement, and I know that even in spite of sin, God's goodness continues to operate. If not for his mercy, I would have paid the price for sin, which is death. Let no one deceive you into thinking that due to the advancement in modern science, death no longer follows sin. As long as the earth remains, in line with God's eternal word, there will always be a price to pay for sin that is not confessed and repented of. I cannot take God's mercy for granted, even though it is described here as everlasting. It is so because it is God's nature, and as long as I have breath, I will continue to have access to it, but once physical death or rapture happens, mercy ceases for man. God will still continue to have all his attributes, but at that time, man cannot access it. While I still have time and opportunity, I must make the best use of the everlasting mercy of God. 

It is God's truth that binds all of them together in one piece. Truth is also God's nature, so we have all three descriptions speaking about God: good, merciful and true. At the heart of who God is is a father who will not lie to you, who tells you what he expects from those who seek him, and what we stand to gain when we align with his instructions. He is not given to emotional outbursts and blackmail but he seeks men who will seek him for who he is. His truth also endures to all generations, because just as he dealt with Adam's sin, so does he still deal with man's sin today. The same standard of holiness he held Abraham to is the same standard he holds us to today. He does not have differing scales for different people; if he calls a thing sin, no level of education, intellect or intelligence can make it anything different. If he is in support of you, it does not matter what the quality and quantity of opposition against you is. If he is not in support of you, it also does not matter how many people come together to help you.

And everything that God is in today's extract are all referred to in the present tense, which means that God is not a one-trick pony or a one-season wonder. He is always good, he is always merciful and he is always true. This is a God who wants me to know him. He wants to show his power in me, and if I will only surrender to him, my life will become the place where his nature will be fully manifested. Am I surrendered to God? Is he all that matters to me? His time of favour is here.