WHO IS GOD AND HOW DOES HE AFFECT MY LIFE?

SCRIPTURE:
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits 
on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall 
down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever 
and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, 
our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created 
all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
(Revelation 4:9-11)

MEDITATION:
In our culture, 
God’s name is oftentimes mentioned with very little reverence. 
In fact, many people actually include His name when using profanity. 
Even among those who love Him, it is far too common to use His name casually, 
without taking time to consider who He is, and how His position of power, 
righteousness and goodness is degraded by the flippant use of His name. 

For example, 
we hear phrases like, “Oh, my God!” whenever someone is surprised. 
Do they realize they are talking to the 
almighty Creator who rules over all things?

Our view of the Lord impacts three areas of life.

First, it affects our prayers. 
As we come to know Him better, 
our desires will start to look like His goals for us, 
and our petitions will align more closely with His purpose for our lives. 
In addition, as we recognize His greatness and power, 
we will become more confident that He can accomplish mighty things, 
and we will learn to “pray big.”

Second, our understanding of His righteousness and goodness 
influences our behavior. 
If God has these attributes (understanding, righteousness, goodness), 
then surely it is in our best interest 
to modify our lives to include them as well.
When we do, we will start to look at things more from His perspective
and we will be quick to repent of sin.
No longer will we be driven by our own selfish interests.

Third, our faith is impacted. 
Grasping that Jesus is holy, good, and powerful increases our trust in Him. 
Knowing our awesome God better and remembering His great works, causes us 
to have more confidence in Him and His ability to respond to our prayers.
Our faith increases 
whenever we see results that are a direct answer to our prayer.

ACTION:
Do you personally know our loving and holy Heavenly Father? 
He invites you into an intimate relationship with Him. 
But, as with any good friendship, time and intentional communications 
are necessary if you are to understand Him and learn His ways. 
The more you do that, the more your prayers, behavior, 
and faith will be impacted.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me to know You better; to praise You for 
who You are; to thank You for all my blessings; and to acknowledge 
and worship You. I want to get so close to You that I can feel Your 
presence all around me throughout the day, every day. Help me to 
clearly see Your plans for me and to pursue them as an expression 
of my love for You.”