Love Him for who He is, not who you want Him to be

God is God, there is none like Him. He is who He is. When Moses enquired of Him, God’s response was “I Am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14 NIV). What a perfect answer! After all, God cannot be anything other than who He is and if you truly love God, with wide-eyed childlike abandonment, you will love Him just as He is. But, too often, we want God to conform to our image and likeness; we try to squeeze Him into a humanistic mold so that He fits into our lifestyle. 

This is the written Word,

“You were God before the mountains were born, before the earth and the world were made. You have always been and will always be God!…You remain the same…the One who is, the One who was, and the One who is coming…” – Psalm 90:2 (ERV); Psalm 102:27 (AMP); Revelation 1:8

God has been the same from time immemorial – “yesterday, today, and forever” is how the author of Hebrews put it (see Hebrews 13:8) – yet you dare to ascribe to such an awesome and incredible mere-words-cannot-adequately-describe God, the attributes of man. As great and as wonderful as you think you are (see Proverbs 3:7), you must recognize that God is greater (Job 33:12), and His ways far superior to your own (see Isaiah 55:8-9). He is your Creator. Can the created be greater than the creator?

If you do not even know or understand the least of these truths, then why should you feel that you have the ability, and the wisdom to transform and re-make, and re-fashion anyone, more so God Himself? Who are you to foist upon God, the Almighty, your own characteristics already mired in sin from the day you were born? Furthermore, in your futile attempts to re-create the One who was never created in the first place, you unwittingly lose sight of every pertinent aspect of God, and in so doing fall away from Truth and end up stumbling through life blinded by your self-righteousness. Yes, it is self-righteous…and the pitiful part is, you are utterly unaware of your folly.

Job thought he knew God but it was not until God opened Job’s understanding that he realized just how clueless he was. Through a series of questions concerning his knowledge of God, Job was forced to search himself and mercifully, God taught Job the Truth. In the same way, God, through His Spirit, can teach you, but you must be willing to step away from your self-absorption, get into a state of honest introspection, and really look at yourself, not in the dim light of your misconceptions but in the pure bright light of the Holy Spirit of God.

Paul says, “Who can see into a man’s heart and know his thoughts? Only the spirit that dwells within the man. In the same way, the thoughts of God are known only by His Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 2:11 (Voice)

Every Spirit-inspired word written in the Bible reveals the character of God. So to know Him you need to burrow deep into His Word, allowing Spirit to guide you into all truth, other than that you’re only guessing and making Him up to suit your needs. You must seek to understand, for if you do not know the truth of who God is, you can never love Him for who He is, and you’ll always be seeking to make Him into who you want Him to be rather than getting to know Him intimately. 

Beloved, true love demands deep intimacy. God wants you to search Him out that you may know Him properly (see Proverbs 25:2). He is passionate about you and His desire is for you to love Him “with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30). But, until the Holy Spirit renews your thinking, you will continue to have a warped perspective of who God is. You will continue to think of God only in natural terms, possessing a limited capacity to love and be loved, and not see Him as He is in all His magnificent glory. 

Right now, you’re depriving yourself of a God who is Love and easily capable to teach you how to love Him as He ought to be loved, and how you can genuinely receive love and give love. Doesn’t everyone yearn for such love? 

My friend, I want you to know that God is an awesome super-natural all-powerful all-loving God whose heart is yours, you just haven’t fully grasped that as yet, but when you do you will love Him for who He is, not who you want Him to be.

Amen† 

Love Him for who He is, not who you want Him to be

Shelley Johnson May 18, 2017