It is A.W. Tozer who famously said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” This is true, not just because God created us, or even because God recreates us (and gives us new life in Christ). This is true because our response to God determines our destiny … and how we respond to God is influenced heavily by WHO WE UNDERSTAND GOD TO BE.
So, who is God? Who do YOU understand God to be?
Well, Jesus is fully God. As John 1:18 tells us, Jesus has made God known to us. As Hebrews 1:3 says, Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.” Therefore, if we want to know who God is, we need to come to Jesus and find out.
Rather than just sitting in our own thoughts and imagining what we think God must be like, it is far better to turn to the person of Jesus as recorded for us on the pages of the New Testament, and get to know God as He truly is.
If we imagine God is cold and uncaring, then we will never come to Him in our most vulnerable moments. However, if we know God to be compassionate and approachable, then there is no one we would rather turn to when the chips are down. What we think God is like greatly influences how we approach Him.
Over the next 3 Sundays at Wildwood, we will be in a little series about who Jesus really is. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus tells us what is at His core … what is in His heart. Jesus says that He is “gentle and lowly in heart.” Is that how you imagine the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords? Maybe not. Which is why we need to allow this passage to recalibrate our hearts. As author and Pastor Dane Ortlund describes, “This is why we need a Bible. Our natural intuition can only give us a God like us. The God revealed in the Scripture deconstructs our intuitive predilections and startles us with One whose infinitude of perfections is matched by His infinitude of gentleness. Indeed, His perfections include His perfect gentleness.”
So, make plans to be with us this Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship service as we worship our Savior whose heart is gentle and lowly. We will sing, pray, read God’s Word, and have communion together. Can’t wait to see you Sunday, and bring friends!
NOTE: Livestream of the service is available beginning at 9:45 at this link.