Why The GOD Of Israel?

        

     All Christians have one thing in common: the belief in Jesus Christ. We believe that He is the one and only Son of GOD, and by virtue of accepting Him as LORD and saviour we have been adopted into sonship alongside Him [He came into the very world He created, but the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of GOD. John 1:10‭-‬12.] We are now, of GOD's kingdom, fellow heirs with Christ, only because of His profuse grace and mercy. 

     Obedience is proof of respect and loyalty. A parent will only know if their child is respectful if they OBEY them—genuine obedience, not one motivated by fear of punishment but by the understanding that the parent in actual sense deserves it. There is no greater joy for a parent than having an obedient and respectful child, I reckon. Indeed, an ungrateful, disobedient, arrogant child must be a parent's worst nightmare.  

      GOD made man in His own image, gave us life and authority over all creation in the earth [Genesis 1:28]. Would man be grateful? Would he be loyal? Would he give back good for good? 

      Now, the tree at the middle of the garden: a test. A test of respect and gratitude; a test of loyalty. GOD's greatest gift to man after giving him life was (and still is) free will—the ability to make conscious, self-approved decisions without coercion by anyone, not even by The Maker Himself. What a GOD. He made everything good, but in order to exercise his free will, man had to have options. There is no free will if there is no choice, so GOD gave him all trees and the tree. Obey Me and do not eat of it, or disobey Me and eat of it, he said. 

 Then The LORD GOD took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD GOD commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” Genesis 2:15-17.

     Simple test no?

     Man failed miserably. He disobeyed GOD, choosing to eat the fruit of the tree. Disrespect. Mockery. Disloyalty. The LORD had explicitly warned against, even going further to state the punishment that disobedience would carry [“... for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:17.]

     Disobedience is sin, and where sin is GOD will by no means dwell. The special fellowship He had with man was effectively terminated. 

      This GOD, though, abounds in love incomparable to any other—love unfailing, love unending, love unrelenting, love unmerited. He had a plan by which He would bring back to Himself all who, products of the great fall, would be willing to repent and accept Him back, submitting to Him and substituting their will (which had proved their worst enemy) for His will. He chose a people from among men, of whom He would showcase the hopelessness of man without Him, and the completeness of man with Him. He chose the man Abraham [Genesis 12], father of the present day nation Israel. The mighty works that The LORD accomplished in him and his people are recorded down in the holy scriptures by inspiration of GOD Himself [2 Timothy 3:16], for the sake of all men, with the intent that all might know of His power and (above all) His grace, so that we may in wisdom choose the path of OBEDIENCE this time around. 

    His grand plan of saving us from eternal condemnation exclusively involved sending His only and beloved Son Jesus, who came in the flesh and dwelt among us [John 1:1-18], triumphing over all weakness of men owing to disobedience. His earthly genealogy is recorded in Matthew 1, all the way from Abraham to Joseph his earthly father—42 generations. His conception was supernatural, being born of a virgin by the power of The Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the promise of a Saviour which He had made to His people from generations past [Isaiah 53.] His life (birth, ministry, death and resurrection) is recorded in the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John—and continues to astound many. Jesus Christ is the radiance of GOD's glory, and the exact representation of His person [Hebrews 1:3], in whom all the goodness of GOD was pleased to dwell in a human body [Colossians 2:9]. 

Now If, by the trespass of the one man [Adam] death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive GOD’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Romans 5:17. 

     Oh hallelujah! Who is like unto The LORD GOD of Israel, in the heavens above and in the earth beneath?

Why God?

     

Questions about the existence of GOD have been ever present, and this is unlikely to change as long as man has the capacity of reason.

      Man is curious, and this is justified. From of old, he found himself in existence in this world, not knowing his origin, neither that of what was around him. He could not tell how the sun, moon and stars came to be, or what 'force' held them in place. It goes without saying that he knew he was not the maker of himself or them, and so he attributed creation to a power greater than himself, one or a number of supernatural beings, who must have set it all up in place. The rising and setting of the sun by day, it's substitution by the moon by night, the stretches of the sea, the harmonious interchange of seasons, the blooming of flowers of every kind, the welcome chirping of birds in the morning— let alone the existence of innumerable beasts on the face of the earth, only affirmed what he already thought, "There is one more supreme than I." 

     And so these men made sacrifices to the 'god of the sun', 'god of the moon', 'god of the sea', 'god of thunder', 'god of fertility', 'god of war', 'god of death', et cetera. From them they sought help when in distress, and even atonement for what they considered 'sin or offensive' to these gods. And for good reason: they feared wrath, that they or he who had put it all in place could, provoked, take it all down in the snap of a finger. 

     Goods of many different kind from China have flooded our market, such that even something not made in China might be harmlessly considered Chinese. Why is this? There is a trait to these goods, one that makes them unique. They come cheap, and are widely considered f..e, yea. In the same light, products by Apple cannot be confused with those by Tecno, because each product bears at least one distinctive feature synonymous with its manufacturer. 

     So is man. 

     The very question of if indeed there is GOD is in itself the answer. Why would we ask ourselves if GOD exists if indeed he does not? Where did the  thought come from. I mean man, from the beginning, having found himself alive, could have just gone about his business without a care in the world of why was what what. He couldn't, however— because his Maker put the very awareness of Himself in him! 

     [For the wrath of GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about GOD is plain to them, because GOD has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:18‭-‬20.] 

     What an amazing portion of Scripture right there. 

     We all fundamentally know that He is. This is irrefutable. I have come to realise, and is wholly convinced, that the denial of GOD's existence has no legitimate grounds whatsoever. Come to think of it: a nebula cloud, really? And in any case: whence did the gas and dust come?

     But what really drives this perennial denial of GOD? 

[For although they knew GOD they did not honor Him as GOD or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened, and exchanged the glory of the immortal GOD for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. Therefore GOD gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about GOD for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. Romans 1:21‭, ‬23‭-‬25.]

      There, you have it— ego. The refusal to accept that one was created. The unrelenting zeal to explain everything using something. And most of all— the desire to not be held to account, because of the unwelcome knowledge that consenting to the truth of His sovereign existence will make one subject to His decrees— decrees of purity. Isn't it easier to live in freedom, without the nagging laws of some unseen being demanding separation from most of what the world considers 'normal' for a person [Hey, I do this because that is how I am?] 

    The rejection of GOD is the genesis of what we now see. [And since they did not see fit to acknowledge GOD, GOD gave them up to a debased mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of GOD, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, Though they know GOD's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:28‭-‬30.] 

      But be ye not deceived. The very same conscience that makes men aware of GOD's existence is the very same that will be used against them in judgement for their ignorance, arrogance, disobedience and unbelief. [For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before GOD, but the doers of the law who will be justified. When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, GOD judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:13‭-‬16.]

     We invent machines to serve us, tame animals to obey us, make children of whom we demand respect. There is one thing that underlines the maker and the made: loyalty. And so folks, our Maker expects nothing but loyalty from His creation. Loyalty is only proved by obedience, and so ever drawing near is the day when each and everyone of us will give account before The LORD of how we, having the free but time-barred gift of life, walked on the face of the earth, either in obedience or otherwise. 

     Romans 6:15-23.

     Great is The LORD, and most worthy of praise. The earth is full of His glory. 

“Let Me Taste”

     This is my first post, and I shall gladly write of His grace and goodness. This is who He is: gracious and good. 

     I never knew GOD intimately, at least not until my fourth year at university, 22. Born into a Christian family, it should not have taken me that long. My mother accepted Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour in high school, going on to become a Pastor. My father was saved soon after joining military service, twenty-eight years ago. I was born to them three years into their marriage, a second child.

     I attended Sunday school from very early, crammed and recited Bible verses, joined the children choir, got baptized soon after primary school.  I remember taking the prayer of salvation several times as well. Later on in high school and university, I attended Christian Union fellowships and all-night revivals. This is the routine of most children brought up in Christian households. I did it all, not because I enjoyed it, but because it always felt like the right thing to do, the godly act. I was expected to, anyway, background considered. It would please God, so I thought, and I would gain right standing with Him. I knew there were two 'forces' — God and the devil. My parents, and even the world around, said God was the good one. I was on His side based solely on this knowledge. But there did not exist a personal relationship with Him. 

     This is the case with most youth: we have knowledge of God, but NO RELATIONSHIP. 

     I had had numerous moving encounters with Him over the years notwithstanding— when reading The Bible, hearing some preaching, witnessing miracles, seeing a great act of kindness by a fellow Christian, my parents attributing every success we had to Him, and many more. Such moments would initiate a conversation within myself— that this God is indeed good; that it is good to be identified with Him; that I would like to know Him more, be blessed of Him, loved by Him. Yet, I never captured these moments to use them to establish a personal, intimate relationship with God, because, growing up with believers for parents, I had a grip of what committing to Him would mean: a total flip-over in the very substance of my life— mannerisms, beliefs, reasoning, environment.  

     I stalled. 

   

     Life after high school, and University, brings with it a drastic life change for the young man, ever so for the 'encaged' one who has, for as long as they can remember, painstakingly dwelt under the watchful eye of a parent, or anyone they are accountable to. For as long as they remember, their actions have been weighed against an intricate set of rules. They feel controlled, angry, trapped, the magma of youthful energy in them looking for a line of weakness to break through free. They crave freedom, grabbing it with both hands on the few instances when they find, however short-lived. They scamper through this stage, given hope by the welcome knowledge that after turning eighteen they  will own some ID. 

     Free at last, free at last. 

     You are now here, ushered into a world of freedom and immense opportunities. You got no one on your back, no one smothering the life out of you, no one watching and scolding, no check-points on your way. Your young mind and body ache for fun. Whenever will meets opportunity, you do what you want to do. Chances at pleasure come thick and fast, served on a silver platter, to detrimental effect, and most times you do not realise it. As for me, life became meaningless. My spiritual life, especially, was as good as dead. Any existing link with God was effectively cut. I remember one day back home, during a break in the semester, standing up to my father when he questioned my commitment to (his) God. “God? What about Him? I serve no one! I am not that stupid kid anymore. I can think for myself and choose what I want concerning my life.” He looked at me, shocked, and shaking his head remarked, “I never imagined there would come a day when any of my children would turn their backs on God.”

     Blessed be The LORD Most High, most merciful, most gracious, most loving— The LORD slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness— who at this point could (justifiably) have let loose of my soul and cast me off as outlaw for ever, effectively condemning and sealing my eternity to hell (hell is real.) Had I not just plainly renounced Him? And for what reason? Was He not the One who had given me life (His very breath), and sustained me all along? Was not every success I had wrought so far possible because of His mercies and goodness? Had He not held out for me on the countless occasions when I had given the enemy window to destroy my life because of my sinful actions, done in persistent violation and disregard of my conscience? He surely had, and unbeknownst to me, this very same God had a purpose for my life (as is with all mankind.) He was not done with me: He would linger, fervently, waiting for me to have a real TASTE OF HIS GOODNESS first: [Oh, taste and see that The Lord  is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalms 34:8.] The moment indeed came, when frustation, anger and despair ignited the need to find something or somebody that could not only pull me back together, but also define the purpose for which I was in existence. 

     My Maker. 

     Yet it does not have to take pain, misfortune, disappointment, loss or misery to draw near to Him, for HIS GRACE THAT LEADS TO SALVATION IS HERE, now, yet for a time. 

     For the grace of GOD that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Titus 2:11‭-‬14. 

 Taste and see that He is good, The LORD Jesus Christ. Discount Him not before you do. Get personal today. He eagerly awaits.