Knowing the TOTAL GOD

Jeremiah 44: ¹⁵ Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, ¹⁶ “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!

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“GOD will forgive me” are probably the truest yet most dangerous words I can say. Yes HE forgave me in the middle of my sins, but HE never said, “I like your sin” to me. In fact, GOD says something very different.

• GOD says to me “Your righteousness is like filthy rags.”
• GOD says to me “You and every human has sinned and fall short of MY glory.”
• GOD says to me “All sin is detestable to ME.”

Quite honestly I gravitate towards certain parts of the Bible. I hover around the promises that say I will be healthy, wealthy and wise. But when it comes to the parts that say, “But if you disobey you will fall down drastically” I want to skip that part and not share it with too many people. GOD wants me to grow up and act differently.

• GOD wants me to accept HIS word totally and follow HIM through difficult situations.
• GOD wants me to stop blaming HIM and start seeing HIS righteousness as supreme.
• GOD wants me to accept HIS way in lieu of my way.

Skipping over or tearing out parts of the Bible means I am saying to GOD “YOU are wrong.”  It almost means I think I can sin as much as I’d like to without consequences, but alas this is not true. GOD sends tough messages to me and it is up to me to listen to them. I must take the sweet promises along with the tough messages in order to see the TOTAL GOD. HE is gentle, compassionate and forgiving meanwhile full of wrath, judgment and chastisement. 

HE is not a contradiction, rather concrete in HIS convictions. When HE says “Believe in MY SON” my sins are forgiven. When I make up another god and not believe in HIS SON, my sins are not only remembered, I stand chance of being eternally punished. In order for me to accept following GOD I must accept HIS supremacy and know the TOTAL GOD.

• Do you accept GOD’s supremacy or are you complaining to HIM about HIS ways?
• Do you only speak about the gentle GOD or can you see HE also has wrath?
• Will you fear the LORD in a healthy way by following HIS word and stop following your own assumptions?