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By Rev Don Rivers
Welcome back to the Winter Bible Study, a time in the offseason to reflect and spend in God’s Word. The passage we are using this year is short but contains so much for us to reflect on. We are looking at three areas; Be still, Know, and God. Let’s tackle the big subject, I Am God. What does it mean to be God? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
Psalm 46:10a; NLT; Be still, and know that I am God.
As we challenge ourselves to learn how to be still and know God, what do we need to know about God? My friend Steve Brown says there are only two things you need to know. “There is a God and You’re not Him.”
What are the things that matter? To know God requires us to spend time with Him. The challenge comes moving beyond the superficial and digging deep into God’s word and wanting to know God. The question remains; do I actually know Him? Or do I just think I do.
The concept of God is hard to grasp, but for a racer you can begin to understand the challenge when we think about a sanctioning body. Someone who creates the playing field, defines the rules and enforces the rules. What they say goes, they decide and their word is final. One characteristic that doesn’t apply, Sanctioning Bodies are not perfect, God is.
When we begin a discussion of knowing God our first step has to be acknowledging without God we would not exist. The fact that we exist is proof that there is a creator. Why? Any racer knows that a racecar doesn’t build itself. No motor comes together without someone putting it together. We also understand that it takes some expertise to put them together in such a way as to be successful.
All motor and car builders have the same parts available, but some just know the right way to assemble them. They know which parts need special attention. They understand what they will be used for and build according to their purpose.
Let’s see how that comes together when we talk about the complexity of human life. Man has not been able to create life apart from God. God is the designer, creator and sustainer. Apart from God life does not exist. There are many passages in Scripture about creation, and we cannot cover them all here. Allow me to suggest some. As always, if you’d like to go deeper in this study, let us know and we can talk further.
Genesis 1:1a; In the beginning God created…
Genesis 1:26; Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
John 1:1-4; In the beginning the Word (Jesus) already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
God created, as is written in the Psalms, He created each one of us, personally and individually. We are known by God intimately. Psalm 139 explains how much God knows about His creation. He knows our thoughts, our actions, our plans and our words. Take some time this week and read it.
Psalm 139:13; For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
God knows us, but that is not the challenge, we need to know God. The point is that if God created us it stands to reason that His characteristics are in us. Hidden in us are the qualities of a loving God. His expectation is such that we would reflect His character.
Think back to the motor and car builder. Each one leaves their mark, their signature on their work. Sometimes you can see it, but there are hidden signatures that no one sees without some close inspection. I have heard the comment; “I recognize that, I know who built this.
As we acknowledge our creator we will see His fingerprints on us. He has created in us the capacity to reflect His character. He has put His signature on us, He created us in His image. What does His signature look like? Galatians gives us some indication;
Galatians 522-23a; But the Holy Spirit, (God), produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Imprinted on His creation is the capacity to reflect His character. We have the potential to be like God, Christlike, Christians. We also have the capacity to be the exact opposite. One of the complex things God gave His creation is free will, the choice to choose how we live; our thoughts, our words and our actions. That is what distinguishes God from humans, He doesn’t require conformance, he allows us to decide.
I wonder, if the creator of life knows how to live the best life, why is it we think we know better? Why do we fight against the very nature of God, hidden in each one of us? I think it is just like many things we face in life; our pride and ego tell us we can live the way we want. We can say and do what we want. Selfish ambition is in direct contrast with the way we were created and leads to all kinds of trouble.
The first thing we need to know about God is what he created us to be. He created us to be like Him and reflect His image. He created us to be able to identify with Him and have a relationship with Him.
We live our best life when that is the desire of our heart. We belong to God, we are His creation and He knows us each personally and intimately. We honor Him when we live in a way that acknowledges that.
Proverbs 16:1-2; We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.
People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.
Run the race in such a way as to win, throw off everything that hinders and focus on Jesus. Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
