JEREMIAH 9:23–24 – Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

THEME OF THE DAY. IS THIS OUR GOD? Allow me to start today’s nugget with a couple of really good quotes One is from C.S. Lewis that has become a prayer of mine, and may well be one you want to consider. He said, “Lord, let me know You as You really are and not as I think You are.” And now from A. W. Tozer, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

In both quotes, we have healthy challenges to think hard on our understanding of the Person of our God. They point us to test our theology and doctrinal understanding of God. And remember theology and doctrine matter – a lot – to God and His people. Theology is the study of God and doctrine is the teaching of God. So, if we are in places that applaud and promote resistance to the importance of sound theology and doctrine, run away fast. Jesus taught doctrine. The New Testament is a theological book giving the Christian the knowledge of God (theology and doctrine), how to know God (theology and doctrine embraced), and how to live pleasing to Him (theology and doctrine applied). And in the times we live, churches and Christians that downplay doctrine and theology as reflected in pulpits directed to motivation, feeling good, application, relevance, and entertaining, there is nothing there to sustain us in these difficult times. Such approach will not feed God’s people or stabilize them spiritually in an unstable world.

So, based on today’s theme, who is the God we proclaim to know? What is He like? What has Jesus revealed to us about the identity of the One True and Living God? Is our understanding and thus our walk with the Triune God based on Biblical truths? Or is our grasp of who God is based on what a pastor, teacher, or author has said, and we simply accept it as truth without Biblical verification? Something else may happen in our understanding of our God. We may create Him in the image we want Him to be. Let me give a personal illustration. I was meeting regularly with a young man I met through our basketball outreach in our church. He was seeking. Though not a Christian, he was involved in a cult that advertised themselves as Christian, even using the Bible. The topic of God’s holiness, unbending moral law (Ten Commandments), our rebellion against both, God’s grace in the Gospel of Christ, and the consequences of rejecting Him – eternal damnation in hell came into our conversation. It was not difficult to get him to agree God is holy, righteous, and His moral law binding to us. It wasn’t even hard to find agreement of us being sinners and Christ the only Savior. But then, the conversation went south. He could not or would not believe in a God of love punishing His created people in eternal hell. It was too harsh. Too unloving, but then he said something proving my point; “Pastor Jim, I don’t want to believe in hell.” He believed in a God who does not exist as taught by false teachers and his own preference.

Friends, we must build our understanding of who God is based on His self-revelation through His Word – living in Christ and written in His Word. And that means a God of holiness who is not tolerant of sin, even angered over sin. Yes, He is the God of love, mercy, and grace, but all of His attributes start with the word “holy” – holy love, holy mercy, holy grace – and the greatest need believers need today is the recovery in their understanding of the holiness of God. Without this being the starting point, we cannot know the One True God despite what we proclaim, and even believe.

PRAYER: “Lord, help me to see and know You as You really are and not based on my own understanding or perceptions.”

QUOTE: “We must be students of God’s Word to rightly define, encounter, and worship God as He has revealed Himself.”