Wednesday, June 28, 2023 Some material taken from “Mistaken Identity,” by John Strappazon
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
What God Is Really Like
Moses was a man who knew what God was really like. He knew Him personally. He led the Children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years, and he was completely dependent on God for every twist and turn on their journey. God met Moses on the mountain face to face, and Moses witnessed God do many miraculous things. Some of the miraculous things Moses experienced God doing are the burning bush, challenging of Pharoah and the miracles involved, parting of the Red Sea, receiving the 10 Commandments from Him, meeting the needs of the Israelites while they were wandering in the wilderness. Through his relationship with God, Moses learned about His ways. And through the words Moses spoke and were recorded about God, David learned about God’s ways and expresses it in Psalm 103.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:8-12
In Hebrew “ways” means acts with reasons or designs behind them. God’s ways are not just who He is, but it is also about what He does for us. His ways are higher because He has the very best intentions and the greatest plan for our lives. We could never plan out our own lives as perfectly as He has. We learn to surrender our lives to Him and trust Him. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we will also learn His ways. David lays it out for us.
He has a long fuse – God is patient with us. He never flies off the handle or overreacts. He is not easily angered. He treats us with mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. This is not to say that God is not ever angered. He can be angered, but it does not come quickly. It is God’s great compassion that keeps Him from completely destroying us in our sin. It is this same compassion that allows us to begin a relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior. In His compassion, He offers us salvation when we don’t deserve it at all.
He has a Short Memory, but not a bad one – God does not hold a grudge against us. He remembers but does not hold it against us, instead offering us eternal life. As humans, would we be able to do this? Can you think of a person that has wronged you that you remember what they did but don’t hold it against them? We can only do this if we don’t dwell on what they did to us. We must ask God to take every thought captive.
He has a thick skin – God is not easily offended. He can handle it when we feel angry or hurt because of something that has happened. He wants us to bring it all to Him. He does not expect us to ever repay what we owe – because in His book we owe nothing. Jesus paid it all. Unlike God, we are not thick skinned. We can get easily offended in a hurry.
Tomorrow we will look at the rest of the characteristics of God’s nature.
