Getting To Know God

Are. You. Kidding. Me?

Seriously, I know squirrels will find seeds, and I know birdfeeders are a great place to find them; but this birdfeeder — I thought for sure this seed cage was out of reach! Honestly, look where it is hanging!

It’s twelve feet off the ground, up a concrete wall, and suspended from a post.

Not only is the feeder in an inauspicious place it is full of cheap seeds! What self-respecting squirrel is going to go to such lengths to fill his belly with scraps? Clearly, this one… and with this position there are few lengths to which it wouldn’t go.

This enterprising rodent knows that whenever he, or she, scales this wall it will descend with a full belly. I have to confess, there are times when I want to applaud the little critter for its perseverance; and there are times when I want to ping it in the butt with a BB for coming around where it is not wanted.

Nevertheless, the squirrel controls just how much seed the squirrel gets, because I keep the feeder filled for the birds. In the same way, you and I control just how much of the Word of God we get. And we don’t have to hang upside down or scale concrete walls to access it.

When this little squirrel started coming around, it probably got a taste of the seeds that had fallen to the ground. It was smart enough to look up, there had to be something up there from whence the seeds fell. And it was right!

You and I get a taste of the seeds of truth when we hear sermons, read books about the Bible, and even when we listen to Christian radio stations. However, how much time do we spend going to the source and truly studying the Bible?

I think the greatest trap we fall into is when we think the Bible is too big for us, too hard to understand, or too old. So, instead of climbing up to the source, we are content to settle for whatever seeds fall our way. We are content to be spoon fed what someone else has already ingested. (Ugh! Thinking through that is an appetite killer!)

When we choose not to open the Bible for ourselves and gain understanding of it, we also choose not to gain understanding of God. God reveals himself through the Bible and the result of not seeking to know God is to misunderstand who he is. It is to settle for a small God.

“Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.’” – Matthew 22:29 NIV

How many errors have we made because we don’t know the Scriptures? How many errors have we made because we do not know the power of God? How small is God because we have settled for someone else’s idea of God instead of seeking him for ourselves?

This little squirrel could limit its understanding of the amount of seed available by simply settling for what spills on the ground. We limit our understanding of God by not opening and reading our Bible daily. We live in fear and unease because our idea of God is in error.

When we are in error about who God is as the Bible reveals him, we live in slavery to our fears and anxieties. When we live in fear and anxiety – or stress as it is called today – we make poor decisions.

It is said that we make every decision of our lives based on our understanding of God. I think that is true. If it is, shouldn’t we do all that we can to know all that we can about who this God is who made us for his purpose?

Unlike the squirrel, who is not welcome at my birdfeeder, God always has a banquet ready for us and will feed us every time we open our Bibles.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” – Matthew 4:4 NIV

We have a choice, we can read our Bibles and get to know God, or we can settle for whatever crumbs happen to fall our way and continue to live in error and powerlessness. It is our responsibility to seek God and the place to find him is in his Word, the Scriptures, the Holy Bible.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” – Isaiah 55:6 NIV

God is not merely our Buddy in the Sky, is not simply a benevolent Grandpa, he is not an aged old man with a white beard and a cane, he is not Santa Claus or a magic genie. He is Almighty God who sits on his throne directing the affairs of the universe. He is all-powerful, all-knowing and is everywhere present all the time. He leads your way and he is your rear guard.

Do you know God? Or do you err because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? Are you ready for a change in the direction of your life? You will find it as you discover the source of life. Look up! Look in His Word! Eat up!

This summer (2016) I have chosen to highlight an attribute of God each week in the blog posts. For the entire catalog of attributes, please click on this link:

Attributes of God

 For individual blog posts click on one of the following links:
Knowable Creator Wisdom Father Good Just All Knowing Unchanging Eternal Spirit Truth Light Beautiful