HowDo You See God?

J. I. Packer wrote, "Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God Himself better. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God's attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are."

This quote is the foundational primise of a new study I am beginning with our College/Careers Small Group called Common Grounds. We are studying seven attributes of God based on the Chip Ingram Series, "God: As He Longs For You To See Him." The Series starts with some very thought prevoking questions, such as:

1. When you think of God's existence, how do you perceive the culture is thinking about Him?

2. What do you think other people are thinking are thinki ng about when they ponder God?

3. If you were forced to describe God with one word, what would you use and why?

There is a huge difference between understanding God's attributes intellectually and letting them shape our lives.

A.W. Tozer states, "What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

I used to feel that God's love and delight was connected to my ability to successfully perform. Maybe that comes from my years growing up in a family where nothing was ever good enough. But, after being introduced to Christ, I found that He loved me dispite my successes or failures.

Checkout Zephaniah 3:17 and see if it does change your image of how you see God. I trust that you will ponder these soul serching questions, and I pray that you too might find freedom...the freedom that only comes from knowing God, for this is how He longs for us to see Him.