BIBLE PASSAGE:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
(1 John 4:8)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about
the kind of relationship you have with God?
Some people view God as the Judge and themselves as the judged.
That is true, but unfortunately they are overlooking
the relationship God wants with those in His family.
When we view God as ‘only’ a Judge, then we can develop the idea
that He is simply watching us to see when we ‘mess up’ so that He
can punish us for our failures.
That doesn’t sound like an amiable relationship, does it?
Some people view God as a Boss and themselves as an employee.
That is also true in a sense (we were saved by Him to serve),
but again they are overlooking the relationship He wants with us.
There are at least a couple of flaws with that line of thinking.
Some people have a tendency to be impressed with those
who have succeeded and risen to a position of prominence,
but they are not enamored with them, because they are not God.
So what do they do?
They make an effort to view them at an eye to eye level,
which in essence brings them down to their level.
This line of thinking can cause people to lower God to their level,
and we should never view God as anything less than who He is.
Some people view God as a friend.
The truth is, He wants to be our friend,
but not by lowering Himself from His omnipotence.
When we view God incorrectly, we can lessen (in our mind)
the position He has as the Creator of everything.
If we view Him this way,
then we overlook His position as King of Kings.
So, what kind of relationship should we have with God?
To answer that question, we need to think about
the relationship we have with our parents.
When we were small,
they provided for our needs (food, clothing, health, etc.).
But they gave us much more, didn’t they?
When we were sad, they comforted us;
when we needed encouragement, they were there;
when we needed to make decisions, they helped us;
when we needed to know our strengths and weaknesses,
they were honest with us (encouraging us in our strengths
and giving us ideas of how to improve our weaknesses);
when we experienced social issues, they were there to assure us
of our worth and how we are always special in their eyes;
when we were older and wondering about our purpose and goals,
they provided us with the valuable advice we needed.
Look at these three passages in Matthew:
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
(Matthew 7:9-11)
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or
store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
(Matthew 6:26)
For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. (Matthew 6:32)
Look at what Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every
spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
In the book of James, we are reminded of God’s graciousness:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like
shifting shadows. (James 1:17)
We have seen how God blesses us but we need to remember
that He has some expectations of those who belong to Him:
We should strive to be more like Him:
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Matthew 5:48)
We should develop an attitude and habit of forgiveness.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14)
We need to develop a merciful attitude toward others, and if
we do not, then we cannot expect God to be merciful to us.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you
unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
(Matthew 18:35)
We need to “weed” ourselves of the things that are not from God:
He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father
has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. (Matthew 15:13)
And, lastly, we need to expect God to discipline us
(just as our parents disciplined us out of a heart of love).
God’s Spirit in us changes us, and one of the greater changes
we can expect is the ability to better discipline ourselves.
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,
but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is
good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
(Titus 1:8)
Look at the following passages about God’s discipline:
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement
that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son,
do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart
when he rebukes you, (Hebrews 12:5)
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” (Hebrews 12:6)
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.
For what children are not disciplined by their father? (Hebrews 12:7)
If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline)
then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
(Hebrews 12:8)
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us
and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit
to the Father of spirits and live!
(Hebrews 12:9)
They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best;
but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may
share in his holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)
No discipline seems pleasant at the time,
but painful. Later on, however, it produces
a harvest of righteousness and peace for those
who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:19)
ACTON:
If we want a healthy relationship with God then we need to
respect and honor His position (as higher than ours),
appreciate His discipline (as an act of love),
embrace His love for us (knowing that it is genuine),
practice self-discipline (with the help of the Holy Spirit),
obey His commands (including the difficult ones),
look for ways to use our spiritual gifts (from God) to serve Him,
strive to develop and nurture the characteristics of His Son (Jesus),
and express our love and thankfulness for Him and His activity in our lives.
In summary, God loves us unconditionally
and wants what is best for us (including our salvation).
In fact, He loves us so much that He will discipline
us as part of His effort to help us overcome the influences
of the world, and the temptations ‘thrown at us’ by Satan.
In order to have a closer relationship with God, we need
to be willing to give up our independence and self-sufficiency
and become dependent on Him (He wants our dependency).
When we “depend” on God, we will go to Him…
for comforting when we are sad,
for encouragement when we are discouraged,
for guidance and wisdom when we need to make decisions,
for increasing our strengths and overcoming our weaknesses,
for assurance when we feel insecure,
for finding our purpose in life and discovering His goals for us,
for providing the necessities of life,
for healing when we are ill,
for protection from the evils of the world,
and from the attacks of Satan.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unmistakable love
for me and Your desire for me to be the best I can be. You
know all my strengths (and how to help me increase them),
and you know all my weaknesses (and how to help me
overcome them). Remind me that nothing I can do will make
You love me any more, or any less. You are the God of the
universe with an impartial and unconditional love for me.
I am, and will always be, thankful for You and Your love for
me. Guide me as I strive to become more like Your son, Jesus.
Thank You for Your discipline, which reminds me of Your love
for me. I pray that I will always accept it as Your expression
of love to encourage me, and not as punishment to discourage me.”
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
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