Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Hueytown
Many people in this postmodern age embrace a view of spirituality characterizing the divine as impersonal and abstract. For them, God is a concept or principle like “love” or “peace.” By redefining the terms of spiritual conversation, they dismiss any claims that do not fit nicely into their presuppositions. Statements such as “I can’t believe in a God who would allow a child to get hit by a drunk driver” or “I can’t believe in a God who would not condone the lifestyle I have chosen” reveal that many people actually are worshiping their own idea of God rather than God Himself.
It is not a stretch to say such people are trying to create a God in their image rather than humbly admitting that, in fact, they have been created in His. If God were merely a concept, then perhaps He could be known by deep theological and philosophical contemplation, a process of soul-searching and navel-gazing. Because God is personal, however, you will not find Him within you until by faith, you invite Him to save your soul.
Because God is personal, if you want to know Him, then you follow the same process you would use to get to know any other person. Talk to Him — we call this prayer. Read His letters — we find them in the Bible. Develop some mutual friends — we call this fellowship. Decide to meet with them on a regular basis — we get together at church. Give Him gifts to express your appreciation — we call these offerings. Do things for Him simply to please Him — we call this service. As your relationship grows, you will find yourself unable to stop talking about Him in the company of others — we call this witnessing.
The journey of knowing God is an exciting adventure that begins when you embrace a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, asking Him to forgive you of your sins and inviting Him into your life. Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried and rose again, making possible forgiveness of your sins and giving you the blessed assurance of eternal life in heaven. If you’ve tried other approaches to finding God, then you must have failed. This time, make it personal.
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