God is.
And God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
These two truths are foundational to Christian faith and a victorious Christian life.
It’s simple. The first step is to believe that God is. He exists. He is real. He is, and He is who He claims to be.
He is not some capricious hyper-human being as the gods of Athens and Rome and other mythologies. He is eternal, and was not created. He created everything. He is not like any deity invented by man. He does not exhibit their weaknesses, frailties, failures, or foibles. He is holy, righteous, pure, and loving. He seeks relationship with man, his creation, as a Father and friend. And for those who seek Him, He rewards their search with the greatest gift of all – Himself.
He created man to love Him and to be holy, like Him. At the same time, He knew there could be no love unless it was freely given and received. He also knew the risk – that there would be those who would reject Him. Some would settle for the world around them. They would stubbornly embrace it’s experiential, physical, tactile, temporary pleasures over Him. The alternatives were to force love, which would not be love, or to not create at all.
As a result, man separates himself from God.
The second step is to believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
God moves to restore man to relationship with Himself. He did this through the person of Jesus. He took on flesh and laid aside the advantages of deity. He lived without sin, totally depending on the Father. He died for sin, and defeated death and sin through His resurrection. He became the living Mercy Seat – a way for us to stand holy and redeemed before God. He lavishes grace on us to the extreme (Ephesians 1:7-8).
This blog basically starts with the premise, “He is and He is a Rewarder,” and delves into the implications of faith in those truths. It deals with the foundation of faith. It considers our need and God’s provision. It looks at spiritual growth. It considers what faith is and what it means to “faith” God. On the basis of faith it looks at the importance and power of learning to give thanks to God for all things. Ultimately, I hope it challenges all of us to take gratitude and giving thanks to a whole new level – extreme thankfulness in response to extreme grace. Along the way there will be posts on various aspects of the Christian life – prayer, the Word, fellowship of the saints, evangelism, discipleship. But always, the underlying principle is faith in a God who really is, and really does reward.
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