"Could We Be Missing Something?"

  How well do we really know God? I'm trying to discover greater depths to Him. Too many make shallow comments about God they learned in years gone by, still regurgitating the same stuff over and over while never coming to a greater understanding of His complete character. Was it not Jesus who said that knowing God was eternal life (John 17:3)? Is it not true that those who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from His presence are those who do not know Him (II Thes. 1:8-9)?

  Our relationship with God is to lead us into His blessings. God wants us blessed through the relationship. How we view God affects our lives, our worship and the world around us! Too many believe the God of holiness and righteousness that punishes sin, that is the God of the Old Testament, not the God and Father of our Savior who loving laid down His life for us. We have too much sugary gooh  in our approach to God and in our society. Was it not Jesus who spoke that if your eye offends, pluck it out (Matt. 18:9)? Or if your hands offend, cut it off? It would be better to enter life with one eye or one hand than both end up in Gehenna (our term hell). That's why Jesus spoke to count the cost before entering a relationship with Him because trouble and pain will come as a result of the relationship. But the Lord wants us to be blessed because of the relationship.

  We create our own messes by not listening to the Lord. We take up our causes in the name of the Lord, whip together some verses to prove our points while ignoring other verses and there we have our GOD. As a result, people suffer because that's not the Father of the Lord Jesus. Just as God's people in the Old Testament ignored His holy and righteous behavior, we too find ourselves at times on that same path. Let's love while turning our heads to sinful behavior. That's not love! That's not God! Love says for those who continue to display sinful attitudes, sinful practices something must be done because that sinfulness will affect the whole! A father hides his sins, is caught and the family suffers. A mother loves the night-life and that family suffers. Preachers/elders practice deceit and wickedness, the church suffers. Didn't we learn anything about God from His dealings with Israel? That's where we come to know God's intentions. And we look at Jesus, listening to Him and through Him see the greatest display of God condemning the self-righteous while upholding the truth at all cost no matter what others thought. That should get our attention that this holy, righteous God who calls us to Himself through Jesus is serious about sinful practices and behavior and listen to ALL His teachings with a heart of humility. Could we be missing something?