I believed God existed as far back as I can remember. Did this make any difference to the way I lived? Not really. Sure I had a good upbringing but my fairly good behaviour was following what my parents had taught, what the world laid down as "the way a nice boy ought to live". Just like the Peter in the book.
But all this changed when I listened to a vicar preach things about God that I either never knew or didn't understand.
Here's a brilliant article written by Tammy Kennington on Christianity.com.
These are some of the points Tammy makes:
- The best source to seek understanding about God is from the Bible—the inspired word of God. While books, articles, and resources can be useful, there is no other source as revealing of God’s nature than Scripture.
- God is...
- Love
- Eternal
- Spirit
- Onimpotent
- Omnipresent
- Omniscient
- Compassionate
- Our father
- All-powerful
- Humble
- Personal
- Sacrificial
And why is knowing all this so important?
Tammy writes...
While some may be merely curious about God and His character, Ephesians 5:1 (NKJV) exhorts Christians to “be imitators of God as dear children.” If we want to grow into the likeness of God, we must continue to learn more about Him.
This is similar to an earthly parent-child relationship. My daughter, for example, is making decisions about what it means to be a woman based on time spent with me during the last s16 years. Her speech, clothing choices, and faith disciplines all reflect our relationship in some way.
If we are to display our heavenly Father’s character, we must grow in a relationship and this can only be done through spending time together. If you long to know God more deeply, there are a few simple disciplines or practices you can implement. These include studying scripture, memorizing and meditating on Bible verses, spending time with the Lord in prayer, and attending church.
Matthew 7:7-8 reassures, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” In keeping with His character, God is always ready to meet with us.