Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Do You Know Him?

God is closer than a brother, a husband, a wife, a parent, a friend. 
He is higher than a skyscraper, a tree, a mountain, the stars, and the sun. 
He is more powerful than a thunderstorm, a tornado, an earthquake, or a hurricane and more rare and beautiful than a perfect diamond.

He is more - so much more,
than we could ever imagine.
He is loving.  He is kind. 
He is Father.  He is God - The God - The one and only God.  
Do you know Him?  

There is so much to know about God.  Do you remember hearing the story of the blind men who were able to touch and feel parts of an elephant and then asked to tell what it looked like?  They all came up with different ideas.  The one who touched the tail thought the elephant must be something like a rope.  The one who touched the ear, thought a fan.  The one who touched the leg, thought a stout pillar, the trunk, a snake and so on.  They were all right to some degree, but not being able to touch and feel the entire elephant, they had a very limited view of its physical attributes.

Sometimes we’re like that with God.  Some people see only judgment – when we read the Old Testament, there is a good deal of that on the nations that refused to believe in Him.   “Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?  Job 21:21-23

Sometimes when we look at our world, we see His power and might.  And when we look into the scriptures we see many instances where God displays His power and His people praise His power.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  Heb 1:3

The Bible tells us that He is our Father.   It talks about God – the Father of all.   But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Gal 4:4-5

Sometimes God's comfort shines through and we feel comforted with His word and the knowledge that He cares for us.   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, 2 Cor 1:3 

Or He is our teacher, His Spirit teaches us, through the Word, our conscience, and God’s people.  These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God 1 Cor 2:10 

Do we see Him as our savior?  When Easter time rolls around, we get a clear view of the price He paid for our sins.  We see Him on the cross and risen from the tomb.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

Do you feel His love, His judgment, His fatherly discipline, His Help, His might and power?  If we see Him in all of those facets, we get a clearer picture of the God we serve.

When I hear that word, facets, I always think of diamonds. 

There’s a saying - Diamonds are forever.  It’s partly true because they are the hardest natural material ever known to man.  Even though they are beautiful and expensive and mean a lot to people because of that beauty, they are also useful.  In some cases they’re used for cutting or polishing extremely hard materials.

Diamonds are known as a symbol of love. The word “diamond” came from the ancient Greeks – adamas – which is roughly translated as untamed or invincible.  Before diamonds began to be cut and polished, they were left uncut and mounted into their settings.  This gave each one a dark, deep mysterious look, unlike the polished look we see today.  I like that picture, deep and mysterious, it fits more closely the original Greek word “untamed.”  Would you want a tame God – I don’t think I would.

Since they’re so rare, they are also the most expensive gemstones in existence.  And isn’t our God the costliest and rarest gemstone to ever exist.  Just as the diamond, He personifies endurance and strength. He is dark and deep and mysterious, yet He shines brilliantly.   He is the diamond, the symbol of love.

Diamond facets are the smooth surface areas of a diamond which have been cut, polished and placed at different angles to allow light to enter and reflect back from the stone. The cut of these facets enable you to see the sparkle.

When we look at the different facets of God, His majesty, his love, his judgment, his fatherhood, his role as our savior, as spirit as comforter, we can see his brilliance and beauty.  We must see the whole picture of Him to really appreciate Him for who he is.  Diamonds come in all grades and clarity, from industrial to perfect.  Their colors range from totally clear to more cloudy and brown.  Some diamonds look wonderful when  mounted in a beautiful setting, but under a microscope you can see flaws. 

That’s not so with our Diamond of a God.  He has no flaws and there will be none found.  His facets: