Wed Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

I am convinced that the single most important part of your life and mine is how we see God. Two sociologists from Baylor University surveyed almost 4000 adults in America and asked them about their views on God. They discovered that 9-out-of-10 Americans believe in God, but the way they picture God determines their attitudes on everything from economics to justice, social morality, war, natural disasters, science, politics and love.

Which raises a question, “How do you view God?” When I talk to people and I listen to people I find out there are all kinds of god’s out there that we believe in. Here are just a few. There is the “mean old man ” who is angry, not only hates sin, but doesn’t care for sinners and he is always trying to catch us doing something wrong so he can whip us or beat us and if he ever invites you to a barbeque be careful because you are the one that will be on the grill!

Then there is the “good ole boy.” He is my buddy. He is my homeboy. He is always cool and loves to just chill out and hang out. He is the “I hang out with” god.

Then some believe in the “bellhop.” God has only one job and only one concern and that is to give me what I want, when I want it and the way I want it. I am not here to serve Him; He is here to serve me. When things are right we are tight, but when things are not we are not.

Then there is the “indifferent hippie.” He sits in the cosmos somewhere lounging on a sofa of stars shrugging his shoulders not really caring what happens down here. He has made us all the way we are. So there is really no such thing as right or wrong. If it feels good to you do it. In fact, He is not just all that concerned about what is going on down here. He just looks at this world and says “Whatever.”

What is your picture of God? An elementary school teacher was giving a drawing class to her first graders and at the back of the classroom a little girl, who normally doesn’t pay a lot of attention was drawing like mad. For more than 20 minutes she sat with her arms curled around her paper totally absorbed in this picture she was drawing. The teacher found this fascinating. She walked over to the girl and said, “What are you drawing?” Without even looking up the girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” The teacher said, “Nobody knows what God looks like.” The girl said, “They will when I am finished.”

In truth, there is only one picture of God that really matters and that is His picture. What you and I think of God should really be based on what God thinks of God. This message is based on the most amazing thought about God I believe you can ever have and that thought is this: The God who created the universe wants to have a personal, eternal relationship with you. There is one thing true about our relationship with God that is true about our relationship with each other and that is this – relationship is based on reality.