Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
The past few weeks we have been looking at God’s character. When a person comes to know Jesus Christ as their Savior they begin to become more Christlike. But that doesn’t mean that all of God’s character qualities begin to fill the believer. For example, we cannot become infinite, self-sufficient, self-existent, omnipotent or omnipresent, to name a few. However, you can take on His moral attributes. As a believer, we have been promised that we will be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Last week we touched on God being holy and righteous. Let’s look at a few more of God’s moral attributes.
God is Just – Fair
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulnesss go before you.” Psalm 89:14
In 2 Thessalonians 1:6 it also mentions that God is just. Since He is just, I know that all His rules and judgments toward everyone, including me, are fair. Although, we seem to define fair in the respect that it should be painless and easy. Rules by themselves can border legalism. But God offers a relationship with rules to live by that ends in freedom when rightly adhered to.
God is Merciful – Compassionate
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” Psalm 116:5
I am so glad that God does not expect us to be infallible. I make mistakes. Since God is merciful, I know that He has compassion for me even when I fail. That is comforting to know.
God is Long-suffering – Patient
“The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion…” Numbers 14:18
God’s patience is very long when it comes to our spiritual progress. But I must not take for granted His patience by deliberately testing it with willful disobedience. I always refer back to my kids when they were toddlers. They would fall many times and I would try to be there to pick them up. I did not lecture them in how to walk when they were learning. I just would patiently pick them back up and help them to master the skill that would become natural in time. Then my precious little ones learned the word “No.” It was cute at first but then they grew older. The “No” came at the wrong time and they tested my patience. Deliberate disobedience has never scored points even to this day. It’s the same with the Lord.
Let me encourage you to allow the Lord to live these attributes out through you the rest of this week. Take the time to thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in the here and now.
This Sunday will conclude my messages on Restoring America. The election is less than two weeks away. Keep praying and asking the Lord to be right in the middle of each voting booth as we vote our Biblical values for the sake of Christ.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
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