Over the next couple of weeks, this blog will feature a study of God. Each day you will be reminded of an attributes of God and how understanding that attribute can change your relationship with God.
Introduction to the attributes of God study:
If someone asked you to describe God, what would you say?
Can you describe God as well as you can describe your best friend?
God sent Jesus to live on earth the be the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that we could be in a relationship with God. God invites us to get to know Him in a deep and personal way.
What do you know about the President of the United States? Do you know his name? Do you know where he lives? Do you know his wife’s name? Do you know something about his personality?
You probably know something about the President, but you don’t know Him personally. He wouldn’t invite you to his house or call you on the phone and ask for you by name. You know about him, but you don’t have a relationship with him.
A relationship definitely involves getting to know stuff about a person, but it is more than that. It is not just having facts about someone, though that is a part of it. A relationship is deeper connection where you share your thoughts and struggles, and you depend on and trust the other person.
You get to know someone by asking them questions, spending time with them, watching what things they like to eat, drink, and do. You ask questions and listen to how the person talks. You want to know what is important to the other person and begin to understand how they think. Getting to know someone takes time and effort. It takes time to trust a new friend. It takes time to understand how they think and to get to know how they will respond in certain situations.
To get to know God, to have a relationship with Him, takes time. You need to spend time getting to know what God is like. You need to understand more about His character, what He likes and dislikes. As you spend time getting to know the attributes of God, you learn more of what He values and what is important to Him. You begin to see that He is very different from humans, but still invites us to be His friend. It takes time and energy to know God and to build a relationship with Him.
Have you ever had a friend that talked too much? You felt like you never got to speak and had to listen to them talk about themselves all the time? A good relationship is a conversation. You take turns talking and listening. You get to know each other, it is not just one sided. Both people get to know one another.
The same is true of our relationship with God. We can talk to God in prayer and tell Him about what we are dealing with (even though He already knows!) and ask for His help. But if our relationship with Him is one-sided, it’s not a healthy relationship. We equally need to listen to God and hear what He has to say. God speaks to us through His word, the Bible. He reveals all about who He is and what He likes and dislikes. God reveals His purpose for giving us life and how to live a life that pleases Him. As we get to know God more and more, our lives should be changing and becoming more and more like Christ. That’s the evidence of being in a relationship with God.
We can know a lot about God, like the President of the United States, but still not have a relationship with Him. We need to spend time hearing from God in His word, and talking to Him sharing our struggles and joys with Him. He calls us His friends if we have trusted in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
The following attributes of God are designed to help you get to know God better and to begin to build a relationship with Him. As you read about God, talk to Him about Him. Praise Him for how great He is and ask Him to help you live in a way that shows you trust that everything God says about Himself is true.
Written by Wendy Wood, CHCC counselor