At Gateway Church in Austin, we began a new series called “How Big Is Your God?”
John Burke shared some of the following thoughts:
“I’ve come to believe that the most important thoughts you think are your thoughts about God. How we view God affects how we view others and how we view ourselves. Skeptics and even Christians have inaccurate views of who God is. Some see God as powerful, holy, yet distant and removed and angry. Some see God as boring, lifeless, and secretly hating it that we somehow get away with pleasure and fun.
Honestly, I sometimes hear Christians talk about God as they perceive him and I think—I wouldn’t want to follow Your God—no wonder you don’t really trust or follow Him either. These misconceptions about God aren’t accurate or true.
When we seek to discover who God really is, we find that He is everything we’ve ever wanted and needed. He is the Source of all beauty, pleasure, and love.
‘The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.’ – Psalm 19:1-4
God wants to enter into every moment of life with you to begin to fill your heart with wonder and awe.
‘I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.’ – Psalm 73:23-25
The Bible claims that God wrote himself as a character into his own story and revealed himself personally through Jesus. Jesus was 100% human, and He revealed to us God’s humble heart and merciful, loving character. Jesus made the unimaginable, unseen character of God, visible. (See the most recent Deepen webisode on Colossians 1:15-17 here). Jesus fills the universe with His presence—apart from Him, nothing holds together, nothing works.
Every time you see something beautiful, or experience something good—it’s meant to be a finger pointing us back to how beautiful and good the Source is.
‘Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.’ – James 1:16-17
‘Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.’ – Romans 1:20-21
The simple moments, when acknowledged with gratitude, become a sort of worship moment that connects me from the black and white beauty of this world to vivid colors of seeing the glory of God in it all. We need to start cultivating the habit of letting the good and the beautiful reflect back to God. Thank him, and watch how it changes you.
God is the Creator of a massive Universe, yet He still cares for you and me.
The Anthropic Principle is a fairly recent discovery of physicists and astronomers which points out that the universe appears to be created for the purpose of human life. There are all these constants of nature: the gravitational force which forms stars and keeps the earth orbiting the sun, the nuclear force, which holds atoms together, the speed of light, and scientists have discovered that these forces and constants seem to coincidentally be fine tuned so that human life can exist. If any one of about 122 of these fine tuned constants were slightly varied, human life could not exist.
God’s greatest attribute is not how expansive or powerful or all knowing He is. His greatest attribute is love. God is like a Father who wants children—children who choose to love and trust him. God’s still in control, even if we feel out of control. God can make beautiful things, even out of the ashes of our mistakes, our hurts, and our suffering. (see Romans 8:28, 38)”
To watch or listen to this message, go to www.gatewaychurch.com/podcast.
