“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15-16 NLT)
Paul continues his description of Jesus in the verses following those above in Colossians 1, but the point for us is, we’d better make sure we’re following the God of the Bible. The god of too many professing believers in Christ or a christ, is far too small.
Fruitfulness, as I understand it from Scripture, is, on some levels, a two-way street. What, for example, is the fruit, the evidence, of the god you and I serve? If I’m following a God that claims to be the Author of heaven and earth and promises me a home in heaven, doesn’t it make sense to “check His credentials?”
The God I serve, and I pray and trust you also serve, is the pre-eminent force of all existence. My God is pre-existent, which means He has no beginning and will have no end. He IS the reason behind everything that now exists. And be careful, I’m hearing some “murmurings!”
“Yep, see, I told you. God’s responsible for evil! He’s behind it all, just like the guy just wrote!” First, that’s NOT what the guy just wrote. Yes, of course, God created the earth and all it contains, but evil was man’s idea, not God’s. He gave us free will, knowing we’d mess up ourselves and our world, but even before He started the world spinning, He had a plan in place to free us from sin and from ourselves. His name is Jesus!
But, in all fairness, what we believe about God is all based on faith. We can choose to believe He is who He claims to be or not, but that’s for another post. For our purpose’s today, we’re looking at those who profess faith in God or a god but haven’t adequately researched the “god” they are following.
Because I’ve read about, thoroughly studied, and researched the God of the Bible, I’ve come to see Him as exactly who He claimed to be. But because I’ve come to see Him clearly it doesn’t necessarily mean that those who have been following another “god” or no god at all for many years, perhaps generations, will all of a sudden see the light and put their faith in Jesus. Imagine if you were the spouse in yesterday’s story, would you immediately open your arms and heart to this “stranger” that has knocked on your door?
Similarly, a person of faith in another explanation of God isn’t likely to immediately change their whole system of belief based on one conversation, and rightfully so. As I’ve written many times, don’t take my word or anyone else’s, research the Scriptures for yourself, on the basis of their own merit. Let the Lord reveal Himself to you, personally, giving you confidence He isn’t only what I say about Him, but what you, hopefully, will come to believe He is to you as well. But most importantly, He is what He says about Himself.
The ”fruit” of God’s life He has allowed to be revealed in and through my life is undeniable to me and, I pray, to others. He’s given me insight and understanding of things that have revolutionized the way I see and understand Him and many things about my own life. But He’s also revealed Himself in and through the “fruit” He’s bearing in my life. How so? Through His “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” and in many other ways.
Let’s wrap this up in tomorrow’s post.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 