IS GOD SAFE? NO, BUT HE IS GOOD!

 
        Is God good?  Yes, but is He safe?  That is the question we must ask ourselves before we step out and serve the Creator of the universe - Jesus Christ Almighty.  In C. S. Lewis' masterpiece of literature, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, the character Aslan represents Jesus our Lord.  Upon finding out she was a bout to meet Aslan and he was a lion, Susan asks "Is he - quite safe...?" The reply she received: "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe.  But he's good.  He's the king I tell you."  If you are looking for safe, look elsewhere -  hell was made for wimps.  If you are looking for good, Jesus Himself said, "there is none good but God."

     God calls us to:  2 Samuel 10:12  Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him." The good God of Scripture does not want to use us in comfort zones or "safe spaces".  The God I serve calls me out of my comfort zone on a regular basis!  The God I serve requires courage.  In sharing my frustration with a friend this week, he reminded me, "You've gotten comfortable dude, God doesn't want you to be comfortable." 

     I think one of God's favorite question from His children is one borne of frustration: "What more can I do Lord...?"  God's response must be, "I thought you'd never ask!  Let me show you!  Come on, let's go do this together!"  This is where the fun begins.  Look at all the cool things God's servants got to do in scripture: Noah got to sail around the world, David got to slay a giant, Jonah got to see the inside of a fish and lived to tell about it, Daniel got to spend the night with a pride of lions, Peter got to walk on water, Elijah got to fly to heaven in a chariot of fire, and Ezekiel got to go for a ride with God in a... well I am not entirely sure what he is describing in Ezekiel chapter 1, but it seems awesome!  So awesome Ezekiel could not speak for the next seven days.  The point is, serving God is an adventure and it is not always easy and it is certainly not safe.

If you are looking for adventure and fulfillment check out the path Jesus marked out for you from foundations of the earth. Serving God will not be easy, safe nor comfortable but I promise - IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!

Related post - WHAT IS GOD'S DIRECTION FOR MY LIFE

WHAT IS GOD'S DIRECTION FOR MY LIFE? - FOLLOWING PILLARS OF CLOUD AND FIRE

   

Have you ever felt adrift? Have you ever felt as if your life was directionless or that maybe you were running ahead of God, or falling behind? How do you know if you are walking with God or off on some rabbit trail? Can we even know what direction God wants us to go?

During the Exodus the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, but there was purpose in their wanderings. God was accomplishing His work in them and in others through them. To the outsider looking in, it appeared the Israelites were meandering lost with no clear direction. This prompted Pharaoh and his army to attack and ultimately die in the Red Sea. The Israelites were not meandering aimlessly, they were following God's direction.

The Israelites had a physical manifestation of the presence of God, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Exodus 40:36-37 Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.

Exodus 13:21 The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.


Today, the church has a physical manifestation of God to guide us. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling. The key for us, as believers, is knowing God to the point we are able to sense His leadership in our lives. God is a personal being and to say He merely desires relationship with us would be a gross understatement. All we can know about God is found in scripture but to truly know God requires building a relationship. God initiated contact with us, He gave us a perfect world to live in - we messed it up. He gave us leaders to follow - we rebelled against them. He gave us His written Word - we allow it to collect dust on a shelf. He sent us His Son - we killed Him. He sent us His Holy Spirit - we disdain His influence.

As a society, we have worked hard to misunderstand and misrepresent God. We have attempted to re-create the creator in order to justify our own will and behavior. God has SO MUCH MORE for us than just knowing about Him. How can we expect to know what God wants from us if we do not know God. I cannot trust direction from someone I do not know, much less believe the direction is authentic. Take the time to know God, spend time with Him in prayer, worship, fellowship with other believers. Seek out discipleship. Only after you know God can you truly know His plan for your life.

WHY SHOULD GOD CARE WHAT I DO?

          

      

Why should God care what I do?  Is God some petty control freak who demands my obedience in order to placate His ego?  What am I to God that He should even be aware of my existence in the vastness of all creation?  What difference does what God thinks about me even matter... I mean, really, who cares!?

     God cares.  God cares because He craves fellowship with His creation.  God cares because He desires to bless me and provide my needs and to pour out His Spirit upon me and then use me to reveal His great love to others.  God cares because God is love.

     Recently, a couple who is very dear to me began fostering a young child who, by all indications, was most likely abused. The child seems a bit distrustful  of men.  The foster dad desires a relationship with the child and is excited when the child responds to his kindness. Slowly, he is building a relationship with the child and every positive response from the child absolutely lifts his heart.  I believe this is how it is with God.  Our desire for Him lifts His heart!  We are hurt by people because people are broken and we distrust God because He becomes one more person who has the opportunity to let us down or take advantage of us.  

    God is not human and not bound to human weakness and sin.  God is not selfish or self serving that He should harm us, not even inadvertently, for His own agenda.  Everything in all of creation screams of God's love for us. Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

     Know this, God not only loves you, He exults over you... this means, when the Creator of the universe thinks of you, He is jubilant!  Imagine, the Lord of all creation jubilantly singing over your very existence!!  

God became a man (Jesus Christ) and died in our place in order to restore fellowship with us, even though we were not interested in fellowship with Him.  God cares about our behavior because it is often harmful to ourselves and/or others and hinders our ability to receive all He has for us.  

Why should God care what I do?  Because He wants what is best for me, He wants to reveal His great love to me and He wants to reveal His great love through me. That's why God cares about what I do!