The below Bible illustrations relate to the biblical truth about “God is…“. They provide wonderful examples, analogies, anecdotes, and metaphors that help explain, clarify, or justify the biblical truth about who God is. These illustrations not only make this biblical truth easier to understand, but also makes the learning process more enjoyable. Each illustration also includes an amazing creative drawing that further captures the biblical concept graphically.
Like The Air We Breathe
The air we breathe is essential for our minute-by-minute survival. It surrounds us, though it is invisible. We take from it every few seconds, yet it costs us nothing. It is one of the most important components to sustain our life, yet we usually don’t give it a second thought (unless it is suddenly taken away).
God is like the air we breathe – He surrounds us constantly, though He is invisible. Whether we acknowledge Him or not, we need God to sustain and uphold all universal laws to keep us alive every moment of every day. (Job 36:22-33)
We take from God continuously and yet it costs us nothing. And sadly, we don’t give Him a second thought – unless we are in desperate need.
Each lungful of oxygen demonstrates God’s ‘amazing grace’ that sustains us. What is more, is the greater grace of salvation in which all humanity is in desperate need. God humbled himself and became a man (Jesus Christ) to wipe clean the debt of the sins of the world. (Phil 2:5-11). Without God’s daily grace and gift of salvation, we would all be in very deep water.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life – John 3:16.
The Whisper-Still Voice
There are many sounds we hear constantly, but when they become familiar we cease to heed them.
Many people say, ‘If God exists, why doesn’t He reveal Himself with a big, booming voice from Heaven?’
God purposely created us with volition. He is a Gentleman and will not coerce our free-will. While it’s true His voice can topple mountains (1 Kings 19:11-13), a big booming voice from Heaven would scare us all into submission.
God does not want us to worship Him because of fear but because of love. That is not to say He is always silent. He actually talks to us all the time in a whisper-still voice so as not to intrude on our free-will. We often call the ‘Voice of God’ our conscience. He speaks to us constantly, but we either tell Him to be quiet or, sadly, we have ceased to listen to Him altogether.
God speaks to us in so many ways: through Creation, through our conscience, through the Godly actions and words of others, and through the Bible. All of these means are non-evasive and require the use of our free-will to listen.
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32
Our Invisible Friend
We live in a ‘physical’ age. If something cannot be physically examined it is quickly dismissed as nonsense. Many believe humans don’t have souls. To them, those invisible spiritual traits of personality, self-awareness, dreams and love are simply a precise balance of chemicals, ions and memory association cells – nothing more.
As for God, though science sees a complex design behind everything in creation, many dismiss Him as nonsense because the Infinity Creator of the universe doesn’t fit conveniently on an examination table. If something can’t stand up to the scrutiny of examination – it probably doesn’t exist.
As Christians, we proclaim to the world that we have an Invisible Friend. To a world that has become deaf to God’s call and blind to His presence, it is easy to understand that many may think we are crazy. All they see is a bunch of nutty people talking (praying) and responding (Christian Service) to the demands of their Invisible Friend.
This is where many Christians may be tested to deny God. Even when we hear His whisper-quiet voice and feel His presence, we ignore our Invisible Friend because we don’t want the world to consider us insane. But we must remember, the day is coming when we all will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and our once Invisible Friend will be visible to all, (Rev 1:7). How will we respond when Christ questions: ‘I have always been a Good Friend to you and faithfully stood by your side – but what sort of a friend were you to Me? Did you stand by Me?’
Our reply will seem quite feeble if we say, ‘Sorry Lord – I was embarrassed. I didn’t want people thinking me silly for acknowledging You!’
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
The Wind
Wind is defined as air set in motion by natural causes. Since wind is an invisible current, how can we be sure it exists? We can deduce wind’s existence and presence by how it influences surrounding objects. We see trees swaying, flags fluttering, clouds moving and so on. We can also feel its force on our skin and hear it when it blows through certain instruments.
We cannot see God, but just because He is not seen doesn’t mean He is not there. To us, God is an invisible force. In revealing Himself, He is unpredictable like the wind. Most of the time, God is like the still air that invisibly surrounds and sustains us. At other times, He is a gentle breeze that relieves us on a hot day. Yet, on occasion, He can be a hurricane ripping the roofs off those who shelter in their ignorance and refuse to acknowledge His existence.
God is everywhere (omnipresent) and, like the invisible wind, we can deduce His presence by the way He affects things around Him. We can witness God’s wonderful design in Creation. We can see the changes in those people’s lives who have trusted in Him. We can hear God’s whisper-quiet voice as it blows through our conscience. Furthermore, just as wind makes a distinct sound when blown through an instrument, God works through the lives of many Christians so His message is clearly heard around the world.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8a
The Perfect Sculptor
Sculpture is defined as the art of cutting, carving or otherwise rendering solid material into an ornamental or aesthetically pleasing form. A gifted sculptor can see a work of art within a solid object and has the ability to reveal it.
God is a Perfect Sculptor and, no matter how hard the world has made us, He can see a spiritual artwork within each of us waiting to be revealed. Like any good sculptor, God doesn’t go to work with a sledgehammer; He knows that too much pressure applied too quickly will only cause us to break. Instead, God patiently chips away at the edges to slowly reveal the spiritual artwork within.
Attainment of spiritual maturity usually comes through numerous small steps of rehabilitation. We shouldn’t be discouraged when our spiritual growth seems slow. God is patient – and we should also be patient. He intends us all to be masterpieces of grace and this takes time.
Many circumstances that happen in our life may seem to have no reason, but it is through these circumstances that God shapes us. If we allow God to have His way, bit by bit, the person He wants us to be will be revealed. Our jealousy, our bitterness, our hatred, our arrogance will slowly be chipped away to reveal a sculpture of Grace – a living artwork of humanity that many people will come to appreciate.
The best way to interest people in the Gospel and our Lord Jesus Christ is to be sculptured in His image.
Romans 12:2 states: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.
The Missing Key
A man who had lost his car-keys sat down in his house upset and depressed. Many hours later his wife returned home and asked him what was wrong.
‘I’ve lost my keys and can’t go anywhere without them,’ he roared.
‘OK, calm down – where have you searched?’ she asked, trying to be helpful.
The man looked dumfounded and replied: ‘Well, I haven’t actually looked anywhere!’
In life, we all sense something very important is missing – a gap that needs to be filled. We may try to fill this gap with accomplishments, social life, self-improvement classes or expensive toys, but these things will never satisfy and will only emphasize our emptiness. Until we seriously start searching we can’t expect to find the ‘missing key’. When finally we get off our mental-backside and look in the right place, we quickly discover that God was never hiding – we were just ignoring Him. God does not force Himself on anyone; yet He always reveals Himself to those who seek Him. Since God created us with free-will, He must respect it. He patiently waits for any who desire an eternal relationship with Him and, for those who seek, God is honour-bound to reveal. Only through Him will we be complete and fulfill the purpose for which we are created.
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29.
A Responsible Giver
It would be extremely irresponsible to hand car-keys to a small child to go for a joy-ride, as it would be foolish to let an infant play with a circular saw or a nail gun. These items were not designed for children who do not have the ability, strength, or understanding to handle these things safely. Sadly, it would only be a matter of time before they injured themselves or those around them.
Our Heavenly Father is not an irresponsible giver. He withholds many blessings until we (His children) have the capacity to handle them without causing injury to ourselves and those around us.
Sometimes the things we greatly desire elude us because God is patiently waiting for us to grow up. How often do we witness the tragic downfall of celebrities who have quickly attained success and wealth?
God desires to bless His children greatly, but He also knows if we were given certain blessings without the capacity or maturity to handle them, it would only be a matter of time before the thing we greatly desired would be a source of misery for ourselves and those around us. Remember: happiness is something that is built within, not something attained from without.
To build our capacity to handle great blessings we must first seek the kingdom of God, (Read Matthew 6:25-34). Then, like the Apostle Paul, we will be able to say: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am (prosperity or adversity) to be content… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13.
Not a Crime-lord
Crime-lords, godfathers and kingpins who shake-down local businesses for a percentage of their takings have sadly been a recurrent theme throughout history. The victims usually pay through fear of attracting the local crime-lord’s personal attention – knowing that if they don’t voluntarily ‘cough-up’ the money, bad things will invariably happen to them and their business.
Sadly, too many Christians unconsciously view God as a Godfather, our Lord as a Crime-lord and the King of Kings as a Kingpin. They fear God will cause misfortune and maladies to happen in their lives if they don’t voluntarily ‘cough-up’ a percentage of their earnings. Ironically, if people believe God is trying to shake-them-down, they actually believe God is a criminal. No wonder many are trying to pay Him off to leave them alone; who wants a personal relationship with a thug!
But God is not a gangster, He is our loving Father and paying Him off is one of the greatest insults we can unintentionally do. God doesn’t need our meager money; He has the riches of the universe at His disposal – He cannot be bought, bullied or blackmailed. What He desires is for us to freely begin a personal relationship with Him so He can bless, protect and guide us.
Stop and think; if we treat God like a thug by coughing-up money and enduring church once a week so as to be left alone, God must respect our free-will and leave us to fend for ourselves in the Devil’s Kingdom.
The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 18:32.
Staying on Track
A train is a powerful locomotive, yet it cannot move freely about in all directions. A train can only move where the tracks are laid. And when a moving train derails, the result is always catastrophic.
God is the engine powering all of Existence. He has been described as the Unmovable-Mover. God is absolute perfection – He is all-powerful, all-knowing and is simultaneously in the present, past and future. Even so, like a train God is very restricted in which direction He can go. He must always remain perfect. This means He can never make a mistake, can never lie or be wrong – God must always maintain His perfect standard of righteousness, justice, fairness and love.
God can never compromise His perfect character (no matter how we pray He would concede to our own personal circumstances). God must always stay perfectly on track – if He ever derailed even once (compromised, erred, sinned or failed), He would cease to be perfect – and that would cause the biggest disaster in the universe. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
The Perfect Potter
A potter can be simply defined as a maker of earthenware vessels.
As Christians, we are lumps of clay ready for moulding, but the question is: By whom? We have a choice, we either let the world shape us or trust ourselves to God. If the world shapes us, we usually end up as broken vessels without true purpose and meaning. We live life to gratify ourselves and everything we gain and achieve will be taken from us and quickly forgotten.
So what does God offer if we place ourselves in His hands? He offers times of suffering and blessing; of heartbreak and of happiness; of gain and loss. God’s way is a rollercoaster ride, but everything that happens has an eternal purpose. God desires to shape us into Christ-like vessels of grace with inner peace and a relaxed mental attitude that overcomes all circumstances in life.
God is a Perfect Potter. He starts His miraculous work the moment we choose to put ourselves in His capable hands. God usually gives new Christians a grace period where He gently moulds them – a time where they can learn His Word and test His promises. God slowly uses our circumstances in life to mould us into a unique form (like a vase, cup or pot – no Christ-like vessel is ever the same). When we are in the shape He intends it’s only a matter of time before we are placed into a ‘Kiln of Testing’. To a newly shaped lump of clay, this is a most frightening time. If the vessel is not properly prepared, the hot furnace will break it.
But we need not fear; we are in the hands of a Perfect Potter. He knows the exact time to place us in the kiln and He moulded us perfectly to withstand the heat. God has promised never to test us beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). The heat in the kiln can be extreme, but it has a purpose – to harden us lumps of clay into the exact shape the Perfect Potter intends – Christ-like. Soon, we will be an earthenware vessel into which God can pour many blessings and His divine purpose. Only then will we find that one of the greatest blessings of being God’s vessel is we can pour His many blessings onto others. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
The Infinite Imagination
Imagination is defined as the act or power of forming mental images not actually present.
Before creation came imagination. Before God created the universe He had to imagine it. What an incredible imagination God must have! He created the world and everything within, (except sin – that was our addition). He created diverse landscapes: forests, rivers, mountains, seas, as interactive playgrounds for His creatures. He created a variety of seasons, colours and foods for all tastes. He created animals with all their strange and unique habits. And miraculously, He created us with all our complexity and capacity to appreciate His creation.
However, when we read our Bible, we realize this earth and all its wonders are just preludes for what is yet to come. Eternity is where God continues to pour His infinite imagination. “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2
So what does the eternal future hold for us; we certainly won’t be sitting bored on a cloud strumming a harp?
The Bible indicates that we will have a resurrection body like our Lord’s (Philippians 3:20-21). With our new bodies, the universe and heavens will be open to explore. It will be a pure delight to discover the fruits of God’s infinite imagination. Presently, we do not have the faculties to comprehend the indescribable sights and experiences that God has in store for us. But, whatever our varied interests, we can surmise that God has catered for it – in abundance. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9.
If we spent a billion years touring God’s “Universal Exhibition”, we would be no closer to exhausting His infinite imagination than when we first began. God will never cease to surprise us with how imaginative He is. Eternity is a show not to be missed. The good news is – no one needs to. God has paid for our tickets, through Christ on the cross, and reserved a seat for any who desire this indescribable, free gift. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31
The Omniscient Chess Player
Satan considers himself unbeatable at the game of chess. To give the devil his due, no other creature can play like him. To Satan, we humans are pieces on a chessboard to be sacrificed without a second thought. Since humanity began, Satan has been maneuvering so he can yell ‘CHECKMATE’ to God. At times it seemed he had the game nearly in the bag (the Garden of Eden, the Flood, the Exodus and so on). So many times Satan has yelled, ‘CHECK’, but at the last minute God has always blocked him. Throughout human history Satan has tried to secure his win with a ‘CHECKMATE’. However, much to his annoyance, God is an all-knowing, omniscient chess-player and is always one step ahead to block that anticipated final move.
At the cross, God turned the game around and said ‘CHECK’ to Satan. Since then, the devil has tried desperate moves, callously sacrificing his pieces to get out of God’s ‘CHECK’. Now, it is plainly evident to all that Satan is playing a losing game. At the end of time, God will say to Satan, ‘CHECKMATE’, and all Satan’s pieces will be removed from the board.
Human history is like the chessboard and we humans are the chess pieces; however, unlike normal chess pieces, we humans have free-will and can decide in which direction we move. The game is winding up. Satan is desperate. He is frantically trying to recruit new pieces to sacrifice. If he can, Satan will employ God’s pieces to use against Him.
We must question whose side of the board we are on. Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean God is moving us. We mustn’t fool ourselves – if we are not allowing God to work freely in our lives and move us where He will, we are Satan’s pawns – there is no middle ground. We must continuously resist the devil by giving ourselves, as a living sacrifice, to God to use wisely and graciously. (1 Peter 5: 8-10)
The Servant King
Have you ever considered that a ‘good’ king is a servant to his people? He holds his power and position for the betterment of his subjects. He is not above the laws he makes, he is subject to them. He always has his nation’s best interests at heart and is willing to lay down his life for his people.
Jesus Christ is known as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. As confusing as it seems, Jesus Christ is both God and man (separate and united). Revelation states: “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
As God, Jesus is Sovereign over all His creation, yet still He serves mankind daily with oxygen, gravity and sunshine. Matthew 28:18 states: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
As man, Jesus is subject to all the laws that God has decreed (the many commandments). He is also subject to all the laws of perfection. He must always be righteous, fair, truthful and sinless. Hebrews 4:15 states: For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Furthermore as with any good king, Christ has shown He is willing to lay down His life for the safety of His people. John 10:11 states: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Christ went willingly to the cross to pay the penalty of sin so all who believe in Him may have eternal life. John 3:16.
When the Son of God first came to earth as a man, He came to fulfill His role as a servant. The next time Christ comes to earth, He will be exhibiting His entire divine splendour and be equipped with all His kingly powers.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1
The Source of Light
The sun is our primary source of natural light – even at night. Though the moon illuminates the darkness, it does not produce its own light – it simply reflects it from the sun.
Jesus declared in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world”. Without the light from the Son, we would all be in complete darkness. If Jesus Christ is the light of the world, then our purpose as Christians is to be like the moon and reflect His light in dark places.
Christianity is a process. As new believers we reflect very little of Christ’s light because the world has cast a great shadow over us – we are like the crescent moon.
However, if we persevere and grow in grace (through studying and applying God’s Word), we start to reflect Christ’s attributes and illuminate a path for those walking in darkness. Eventually, we become like the full moon – brightening people’s lives with Christ-like integrity, compassion and His relaxed attitude.
Our commission as Christians is to lead people to Christ. When we reflect His grace in a world that has little, it illuminates the path to Christianity like no other way. The measure of a mature Christian is not how much Bible verses we know or how religious we are, but how we mirror the Son of God and His immeasurable grace to a world in darkness.
‘But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.’ Proverbs 4:18
The Perfect Hairdresser
A hairdresser is a person who cuts and styles hair. We all want to find a good hairdresser that is professional, reliable, gives sound advice, knows our needs and can provide a great ‘do’ for every occasion.
God is the Perfect Hairdresser. He has an individual plan that suits our strengths, personality and temperament. He can see us from all angles and knows what is best for each of us, (Jeremiah 29:11). The problem is we keep snatching the scissors from Him thinking we can do a better job – but what a mess we make!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 5: 5-6
The Holy-Ghost Writer
A ghost-writer is someone who writes speeches, books or articles for another individual. National leaders use them to prepare inspiring speeches. Famous people use them to write their autobiographies.
Ghost-writers work quietly behind the scenes and the credit for their work usually goes to another who claims the authorship.
It is up to us whom we choose to write our life story. As a Christian we have the greatest ghost writer of all time at our disposal – the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit – is our personal Ghost-Writer on call 24 hours a day. He is the Inspirer of the inspirers. He gives us words to say when we need them most, (1 Cor 2:4). He has a way of editing life’s difficult moments so they make sense.
However, we may choose to ignore the guidance of the divine Ghost-Writer and endeavour to write our autobiography ourselves. In this post-Christian time, many people are now living independent of God and ironically are trying to find meaning in a meaningless evolutionary existence. When they review their lives, it is a story of chasing the dollar, seeking comfort and consumerism – a life that has no real purpose with years that makes little sense. Generally, when we write our story independent of God, our self-serving story is not very inspiring – even if we achieve much.
When we finally get to the point where we hand the pen to God, the Holy Spirit will start editing our life. Soon, every day will become meaningful. We will find purpose to existence and who we are. We will be guided to our personal role. Our life will be written in grace and will be an inspirational story to encourage others. In the end, we may get the credit for our well-lived Christian life, but in reality all credit must go to our divine Ghost-Writer who has done all the work behind the scenes.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26
Sharing the Pain
Loving parents share the pain of their children. When something bad happens to a child (such as an injury, illness, rejection or failure) the parent also shares it. Love connects people. When we love someone, we invest part of ourselves in them – and when the object of our love suffers, so also do we.
God is our Heavenly Father. He is connected to us in ways we cannot fathom. As Christians, God dwells in us and is with us 24/7. He has truly invested Himself in us. Like a loving parent, he shares in our moments of greatest joy and triumph and he shares our pain.
When we suffer through illness, loss or rejection – God suffers with us. He knows our grief and greatly desires to comfort us. God is not the author of pain and suffering – Eden and paradise was His design for us. Because of freewill (individually and nationally) we have brought hardships upon ourselves, but we must understand that God has not forsaken us. We see, through Christ, that God is sharing every pain of mankind’s fall from grace.
Even when we step out of line and God must discipline us, He also loves us and shares our punishment. As children we find it hard to believe when our parents say, “This is going to hurt me more than it will you”. When we become parents we realise how true this is. Through love we are connected to our kids and partake in their ups and downs.
As Christians, when we start loving God (more than ourselves) we also start sharing His grief: the grief of a lost world that has rejected Him. We start sharing His desire: the desire to save the lost. And we share His joy and triumphs, and these are unfathomable and eternal.
Hebrews 13:5 states: For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The Artist & His Gallery
A rich artist decided to create something special for the city he loved. For many years he quietly worked on various masterpieces. He then built a wondrous gallery and filled it with his art. Finally, he opened his gallery free to the public and sat back to watch their reaction.
Soon word spread and people came in droves. They toured the collection and exclaimed the wonder of the artworks within. However, the artist was quite disappointed! You see, none of the public wondered about the artist or gave him any credit. For some strange reason they thought the wondrous gallery had come into existence by itself and the artworks had just randomly appeared.
There are a lot of foolish-smart people examining the wonders in nature and making fabulous theories that stubbornly deny a Creator. They document their findings with words like: ‘nature’s design’, ‘programed’, ‘order’ and ‘purpose’. Yet then proceed to state all complex systems and coding in creation originally appeared from nothing – that all living things evolved over long periods of punctuated time, guided precisely by random chaos.
Ironically, many atheists belittle those who have faith in God – thinking themselves wise for not believing in an unseen Creator. However, the foundation theories of evolution are based on missing links and debatable evidence – thus it is called a theory. It takes great faith to be an evolutionist. Those who believe everything in creation originally appeared from nothing and created itself truly demonstrate the greatest faith the world has ever witnessed.
Psalms 19:1 states: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Our Holy-Spiritual-Trainer
A personal trainer is someone who teaches and motivates others for the purpose of their physical advancement. A good trainer understands that people have varying levels of fitness and ability – that too much too soon will only injure and cause people to be discouraged and lose interest.
A good trainer starts small and motivates their students to push themselves. They inspire them to exercise and educate them to develop good eating habits.
When their student has turned their ‘fat into fit’ and everyone is commenting on the transformation, it always brings credit to the trainer.
We seldom consider the role of the Holy Spirit (the third Person of the Trinity). He is our ‘Personal-Spiritual-Trainer’. He has full knowledge about us and knows exactly what we need to build spiritual muscle. He motivates us when we lack motivation. He persistently whispers in our ear (the still small voice of our conscience) and inspires us to push ourselves. He encourages us to have a balanced spiritual diet (Biblical Truths) and discourages us from junk food (sin). At times He organises difficult circumstances and frustrating people to enter our lives so we can build spiritual muscle (but has promised to never test us beyond what we can handle). He also understands the need for rest and will organise thrilling circumstances and wonderful people to encourage us to new levels of spiritual maturity. He is the Perfect Trainer and is at our call 24/7.
But here’s the problem: trainers can only help those that come to them with a real desire to improve themselves. We would be wise to employ our Holy Spiritual Trainer; not only will we eternally benefit, but furthermore strong-healthy spiritual students always bring glory to their Trainer.
The Ultimate Power
We all enjoy the benefits of electricity; it lights our world and powers our houses and devices. Though we depend on electricity, we learn from an early age that high voltage can kill. If you touch an exposed live wire, you will be zapped – it makes no difference whether you are a boy or girl, young or old, good or bad.
God is the Ultimate Power – He is the Energiser behind all other power sources – He created and upholds the universe and all the laws of science and nature. We enjoy the benefits of God’s power daily, but while we live on earth God gracefully insulates us from His potent essence.
Though God is infinite, people often ascribe human characteristics to Him and then condemn Him on that basis. They say things like: ‘If God is good and loving, how can He sentence people to Hell for not accepting Him?’ We must remember our infinite God is beyond our understanding; to judge Him on human standards would be wrong.
When we die, we come face to face with God and the Bible states, His perfection is not compatible with sin or human righteousness. If we are not ‘fully insulated’ when we come face to face with Him, God’s essence must cast us from His presence.
We may say, ‘Well, I don’t want to be in God’s presence if He is like that!’ But remember, Hell, for lack of a better word, is the very place where God’s comfort and provisions are not present.
God is as He is – He cannot compromise or change or He would cease to be the Binding Energy of the universe. Like electricity, if we want the benefits we must acknowledge the dangers. The Bible warns us, from Old to New Testament, if we are not ‘fully insulated’ in His presence, we will be judged and condemned. We may meekly say, ‘But I’m a relatively good person’; however, that is like being relatively insulated when we touch a high voltage electrical wire.
God wants us all to enjoy the benefits of His infinite power for eternity. Yet the Bible clearly says, we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). To insulate ourselves from being cast out of His presence, God (through Jesus Christ) died on the cross to pay for our transgressions. (Philippians 2:5-8)
The choice is up to us; we either accept or reject the work done by Jesus Christ on our behalf. Only by accepting Him as Saviour are we ‘fully insulated’ when come into personal contact with the Ultimate Power of the universe.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
The Tide
Two men took their boats out to sea to fish. After a very good catch, they rowed their boats back toward the shore, but while they were fishing the tide had gone out leaving their cars some distance from the water.
The first man decided to wait for the tide to turn and started cleaning his fish. However, the second man became very frustrated as he had many things to do and didn’t have time to wait for the tide. So he jumped out of his boat and started dragging it over the long stretch of beach. It was exhausting work as his boat was very heavy and laden with fish, but being a stubborn man he was not easily deterred.
It soon became evident that he was getting nowhere fast so he decided to lighten his load. He threw out his oars, lines, nets and catch of fish then kept dragging. Step by agonizing step he advanced. Every few metres his boat caught in the sand or wedged on a rock. In anger, he lifted it free then heaved it out. Ever so slowly he advanced closer to his car.
Finally, with the last of his strength, he dragged his boat to the top of the beach. He laughed in exhilaration and shook his fist defiantly at heaven. Then, to his complete surprise, he noticed the tide had come in behind him. He watched, speechless, as the other man rowed his boat effortlessly to his car, placed his oars, nets and cleaned fish into the back, then lifted his boat on top and drove away. The second man fell down exhausted – he did not have the strength left to lift his boat.
God has told us there is a time for everything (Ecc. 3:1). When delayed, we should be patient. We should do the things that are within our reach and relax about the things that aren’t. If we trust in God, He will turn the tide at exactly the right time. All our stubborn efforts, worries and fears are just a waste of energy and will leave us frustrated, discouraged and exhausted.
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart… Psalm 27:14a
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