Preacher on the Run…

Have you ever felt like you knew someone, only to experience something that helped you realize you didn’t know them as well as you thought? For me, this was the case in a conversation with my dad two years ago. He and my mom were visiting my family in the fall. We had just put the kids down to bed and were on the back porch chatting and catching up as a cool breeze blew through. While the wind rustled the leaves in the background, my dad began expressing some stories from his childhood.

It began as simple facts about the neighborhood he grew up in, the friends he had, and even some trouble he got into. But pretty soon, we were hearing more and more about how experiences in childhood had shaped him. I knew many of the facts but never knew how each had shaped him so deeply. While I don’t remember all the details, I do remember thinking that night and for weeks after…I have a better understanding of who my dad is. I wonder how often we do the same with God…

Sometimes familiarity can be our enemy when it comes to knowing God. As we understand his nature more and more this acquaintance can sometimes hinder us from seeing the nuance of His character. Jeremy Treat addresses one such reality in his article “Wrath is Not an Attribute of God“. Sometimes we hear or become so familiar with a statement that we think it is true. It is not until further inspection we realize we may have understood it quite incorrectly.

It is good to get to know God more deeply and fully. As we seek to be transformed more into His image, that comes through the renewal of our mind as we gaze upon His nature and beauty and see Him for who He is not, who we think Him to be. I realized that cool fall evening a couple of years ago, sometimes one dimension of someone when studied and examined well gives rise to another dimension that was yet unseen. That happened with my dad, and I hope it continues to happen as we seek God.

As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Until Next Time…