Many people have wondered what God is like. They've looked at flowers, snowflakes, hummingbirds and rainbows and realized that God must be very smart and very powerful. The things He's made are amazing! And when people eat a crisp apple, sit by a warm fire on a cold day, or listen to musical instruments, they realize that all those wonderful things are made possible by God, and so He must also be very kind.
But knowing God through what He's made is somewhat like knowing an artist only through his paintings. How much more could you learn about that artist if you could actually meet him in person and be friends for a few years?
God wants us to know Him personally, and not just through what He has created. That is one reason that God sent Jesus to the earth. We read today, "No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him" (John 1:18). Nobody knew God the Father better than Jesus. They had lived together forever! In the original language in which John wrote, he said something like, "Jesus and God the Father were bosom buddies!"
Not only did Jesus know more than anyone else about God the Father, He also acted more like God the Father than anyone else. Have you ever heard the expression, "Like father, like son"? That was certainly true concerning Jesus and His Father. Jesus once said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!" (John 14:9). If we want to learn what God the Father is like, all we have to do is learn about Jesus. We read today, "Everything about [Jesus] represents God exactly" (Heb. 1:3). If God the Father had become a human being instead of Jesus, He would have said and done the same things.
Before Jesus came, there were only two ways to learn about God: through looking at His creation, and through studying the words of the people who wrote the Old Testament. Some of those people had experiences with God from which we can learn, and some of them (the prophets) actually spoke God's words. But ever since Jesus came, we now have three ways to learn about God! As we study the life and ministry of Jesus in the weeks ahead, we'll be learning about God, the creator of everything, a person with whom we'll be friends forever. What could be more exciting than that?
Q. Perhaps your parents are like most parents: one is a little more strict than the other. If you have to get a spanking, you probably would prefer to get it from your mother, because she doesn't spank quite as hard as your father! Do you think God the Father is more strict than Jesus is since He's the Father?
A. No. Both the Father and Son are equally loving and equally strict. They become equally angry over the same things and care about you the same.
Application: Since God has put forth so much effort to help us to get to know Him, we should study His creation, His Word, and the life of Jesus so that He will become our closest friend.
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David Servant ( - )
David Servant is the Founder of Heavens Family, helping the least of these world-wide. David Servant has been serving in ministry since 1979 as a church-planter, pastor, teacher and missionary. When David Servant read the results of his high-school vocational aptitude test, he laughed. The results told him that he was best suited for a career in ministry or in entertainment. At the time, David's future goal was to live in a log cabin in the wilderness and live off the land for the rest of his life. The Lord, however, had different plans for David Servant. God didn't intend for him to run away from the world, but rather to play a part in changing the world by building God's kingdom. David received his call to ministry during his (reluctant) freshman year at Penn State, and one year later was enrolled in Bible School.David Servant is the author of eight books, including Forever Rich, and the The Disciple-Making Minister, a 500-page equipping manual that has been translated into more than 20 languages and is being distributed to tens of thousands of pastors.