God in a Box

Several years ago, J. B. Phillips wrote “Your God Is Too Small”. The basis of this book is that many Christians do not understand who God is and therefore, live below what God wants to do in and for them. Getting to know and understand God is one of the most important parts of serving Him. When we understand the attributes, we appreciate His nature. We also realise how He has provided for us to help us grow in our relationship with Him and in our service for Him.

The trouble with many people today is that they have not found a God big enough for modern needs. While their experience of life has grown in a score of directions, and their mental horizons have been expanded to the point of bewilderment by world events and by scientific discoveries, their ideas of God have remained largely static.

Many men and women today are living, often with inner dissatisfaction, without any faith in God at all. This is not because they are particularly wicked or selfish or, as the old-fashioned would say, “godless,” but because they have not found with their adult minds a God big enough to “account for” life, big enough to “fit in with” the new scientific age, big enough to command their highest admiration and respect, and consequently their willing co-operation.

What is God like? The Bible tells us "God is Love" (1 John 4:8). However, how can we even begin to understand that truth? Many passages in the Bible give us God's definition of love. For instance, "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. In addition, this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God was not attracted to you and did not choose you because you were big and important--the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. The person who refuses to love does not know the first thing about God, because God is love--so you cannot know him if you do not love.

Can anyone really comprehend "unconditional" love? It seems the love that parents have for their children is as close to unconditional love as we can get without the help of God's love in our lives. We continue to love our children through good times and bad, and we do not stop loving them if they do not meet the expectations we may have for them. We make a choice to love our children even when we consider them unlovable; our love does not stop when we do not "feel" love for them. This is similar to God's love for us.

God loves us not because of what we have done or accomplished but because of his unfailing love. God incorporated mercy in his nature. Mercy is God’s grace in action; it involves a deeply felt concern for others, God’s tender-heartedness and loving compassion for His children. God's loyal love cannot run out, his merciful love cannot dried up. They are created new every morning. How great His faithfulness!

Many people today have a distorted view of God because they truly do not understand His character. The God we serve is loving, merciful and faithful. Knowing Him more can help us love Him more. The Bible is full of expressions of God’s nature. We must yield our hearts in order to receive the wonderful blessings He has for us. Communion with God is very important to our spiritual growth. The more we know about our great God, the more we should love and revere Him and become more like Him. When we pray and meditate on God’s word, we give Him opportunities to teach us.