Not on the First Date: Understanding God (Part 1) (Matthew 12:33-35; 1 John 5:14-15; 13:21-23)

BEHAVIOR

Eventually, you learn, that when dealing with people, even though you give them the benefit of the doubt, you understand their true character, by their behavior. It doesn't really matter how emphatic someone may assert that they are a certain way, it is their actions that reveal their true nature. Jesus said, either make the tree good, and it's fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and it's fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by it's fruit. For out of the abundance [the overflow], of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good person, out of the good treasure of the heart, brings forth good things, and an evil person, out of the evil treasure of the heart, brings forth evil things (Matt. 12:33-35).

TRUE NATURE

It is easy to get caught up in the deception, and parents are subject to this all the time, because there are often strong emotional ties with their children, to succumb to the delusion, that the bad behavior and immoral acts of their children, are an exception to reality. Parents will say something like, "...he/she is really a good kid, they are just hanging around with the wrong crowd". No, the reason that they are doing the things that they are doing, and hanging with the people that they are with, is because they have chosen those destructive behaviors, revealing their true nature. It is, as the saying goes, "birds of a feather, flock together". That is not to say that you give up on your children, quite the contrary; you believe for their salvation and deliverance, interceding in prayer and action, but you do not enable; support ; condone; or in any way justify the wickedness that they have joined themselves to.

DEFINING GOD?

In dealing with God, He too is known by His behavior, however, He is not subject to our experience. Often, in our relationship with Him, we define Him according to our experience, instead of according to His nature. We pray a prayer, which may be totally selfish; self-serving; and, of course, unscriptural, and when we don't receive the outcome that we want, we tag God with a label totally undeserving of His character. The scripture clearly states that we can have total confidence, that if we ask anything, that He wants us to have, [His will], then He hears us, and if we know that He hears us, then we know that whatever we ask, He will give us what we desire (1 John 5:14-15). It is also extremely clear, that He has given us His will, the scriptures, to define what His desires and intentions are for us, so that we have a road map to guide our requests within His travel plan for our life.

GOD IS...

God is a God of financial prosperity, whether we experience the abundance of wealth, or not; He is the Lord, our Healer, whether healing is manifested in our bodies, or not; He is the Savior of the world, whether everyone receives that salvation and deliverance, or not. Though not a perfect illustration, even in the natural, our friends and family behave a certain way, and we have certain expectations of behavior, based on past performance, and our level of intimacy with them.

LEVEL of INTIMACY

If a man and woman first meet, there is one level of intimacy. If there is a continuous interaction, that leads to a more friendly association, the relationship begins to develop to a deeper level, beyond mere acquaintances. Over time, this friendship can strengthen, and eventually lead to marriage, and sexual intercourse, which is a higher level of intimacy; expectation; and responsibility, in a relationship. In a normal, healthy interaction, it would not be expected, that two people, after just meeting, for the first time, could enjoy the level of intimacy reserved for the sanctity of marriage. [Unfortunately, society has, through social media and the corruption of morality, attempted to justify sin, and present the illusion that sexual intimacy can be entered into with little or no consequences or expectations of commitment in a relationship].

DEVELOP THE RELATIONSHIP

God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; Rm.2:11; Gal.2:6;1 Pet.1:17), yet it would seem that He plays favorites, among His own children, where some people receive healing, and some do not; some seem to enjoy financial, or career success, and others do not; some seem fulfilled and happy in life, and others are not; some seem to regularly receive answers to their prayers, while others do not. The truth is, as with His will for all to receive the salvation, bought and paid for by the shed blood; death; and resurrection of His son, (2 Pet.3:9), not everyone enjoys the benefits of salvation. We, as Believers, must develop an intimate relationship with Him, to know how He responds, and what He will and will not do, based on His nature. Again, though He has no favorite children, some have chosen to develop a deeper level of intimacy with Him then others, and as a result, receive the benefits of that intimate relationship, in answers to prayer; deliverance; success in ministry; etc., because they know Him, and how He responds, based on the revelation of the word that they walk in.

WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

In John 13:21ff, the account is related of Jesus' announcement of His betrayal by one of His own. All the disciples were wondering who Jesus was talking about. Peter motioned to John, who was lying on Jesus' breast, to ask Jesus who it was that He was referring to. There are two startling and penetrating facts in this narrative, that are revealed in the questions:

1) Why didn't Peter just ask Jesus the question? Did the God who is no respecter of persons, love Peter less than John? Would Jesus not have answered Peter?

2) Why does John refer to himself as the disciple "whom Jesus loved"(13:23)?

KNOW YOU'RE LOVED

The reality is, that John knew he was loved, and took the privilege that all the disciples could have enjoyed, of leaning on Jesus' breast. Peter didn't know he was loved, to the same extent John did, and so never ventured to experience what truly belonged to him, and all the disciples, (i.e., a deeper level of intimacy), and obviously, Peter didn't have the confidence to ask Jesus himself. Though it is available to all of us, their are some levels of intimacy that we don't venture into, and so some things, that could happen, don't, because of our lack of intimacy; our not knowing God; or our not knowing that the possibility and potential is even there, and so, as a result, there are some things God doesn't do, even though He could, on the first date.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours.