God Is Not The Christian God

I think sometimes we forget that God is not the Christian God or the Jewish God or the 'anything else' God; he is simply God. What I mean by this is that God does not love one group of people more than another. In this same thought, God doesn't hate anyone, despite some things you may have heard some people say. Christians forget this quite often and think we are something special to God, as if we have merited some kind of special favor from him. Even in a simple little verse in Psalm 82 we find the truth of the matter:

Rise up, O God, judge the earth,    for all the nations are your inheritance. (Psalm 82:8)

All the nations, all the people, the whole world belongs to God because he is the life-giver to it all. He is not governed by our human failings that he should love some and hate others. He is governed by his character and the scripture tells us plainly that God is love.

The struggle that we have is how to do we access this God? How do we get close to him to know him? He is holy and no wretched creature can come near him so what do we do? This is why Jesus came, not only to show us the way but to become the way. Jesus told us plainly:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

This is the part that prevents Jesus from becoming a great prophet or a wise teacher. No one, no great thinker, no Muslim, nor anyone else can claim that Jesus was only a teacher or a prophet. We can only decide that he is who he said he is or he was a liar. However, all the prophets described him and what he would do, so Jesus' testimony was not the only testimony. Jesus came to bridge the gap, to make it possible for us to access God the Father, the one who loves us more than any other. It was the Father's plan since the beginning of time.

Christians do not have sole ownership of God. The only thing Christians have is the knowledge and faith to be able to come into his presence. God's desire is that the whole world would know him and desire to fellowship with him. His desire is that we would accept his love, and love him in return. Scriptures show that the door is open for anyone who decides to enter it:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

A long time ago, the race of man decided to go it alone, to turn our back on God. We entered into rebellion and were lost to him, but he was not satisfied to leave it at that. He desired for us to know him and to give us a way to get back to him. He pursued us into the darkness and provided a light to see our way back to him. He provides this for every nation, every religion, every human condition. It is for the male and female, child and adult, the moral and immoral, the rich and poor, the healthy and sick. He loves us that much.

It doesn't matter what you have done and said in your living; it doesn't matter your religion or philosophy; it doesn't matter whether you believe or not, it will not stop him from loving you and desiring you to return to him. All you need is Jesus. All you need to do is respond to the love he has shown you through his son, Jesus Christ, who has become your access point to the one who loves you above all others. He will forgive you as you surrender all your rebellious ways to him. He will fill you with all good things, shower you in all the blessings of his love and he will give you solid ground to stand on again.

God is good, so very good, and he loves you more than you can comprehend. That is what we are truly celebrating on this Palm Sunday.