in my car today, i was prayin' and chillin' as i do after work, and i got to thinkin'.
we all know that God is a three in one god. He is the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son (Jesus...just in case you're wondering).
now each part of God has a role, and each works together, and they are all equally God...now this is trippy and stuff, so don't worry too much about that. He is God and that is what's important.
the Father is our father, He is a judge, a mentor, He is wrathful...you get the idea
the Son laid down His life out of love for us, He serves us and offers us forgiveness
and the Holy Spirit...is trippy, the Spirit convicts us, lives in us, and is a gift - who gives gifts
and remember, as it says in 1 John "God is Love", so all these characteristics are bound within the boundless love of God, being enacted within Love Himself.
don't worry too much about that, this is all leading somewhere.
the other day, i was at subway, and there you can now get either orange, american, or swiss cheese, all of which i like, and would gladly get at different times...but you see, i
usually get orange cheddar...in fact i almost
always get orange cheddar. not because i don't like swiss or american, but i just like what the orange cheddar does to the flavour of my sub more than the others.
in june i bought "viva la vida" by coldplay, and it's an awesome cd. i really like all the songs, and i listened to them all, but now i only really listen to 'lost!', 'death and all his friends', and 'cemeteries in london', a third of the whole album. not that i don't like the album, or occasionally listen to the other songs...i just prefer what a third of the album is offering...so i listen to that part of the album more often...
if you don't see where i'm going...i hope you're alright.
as humans, we always like some things, and some people more than we like other things, and other people. similarly with the trinity, we can sometimes get stuck - even though we might not notice it, preferring certain characteristics of God, and certain persons of God more than others.
some churches spend so much time talking about how God judges sin so harshly, and is a God of wrath (bound in boundless Love), that we need to avoid sin...and then they almost forget the forgiveness, gifts, and spiritual blessings of God.
that is preferring the Father.
then other churches spend all their time teaching: 'God is Love', He loves, forgives, and lays down His life for us...and we ought to do the same for Him, and for others! then we ignore His judgement, wrath, conviction, and gifts...we forget to be shaped by His rebukes - which are love as well.
this is preferring the Son.
and i'm sure we're all familiar with churches that teach about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God wants to heal you now, when you know God many miracles will follow, we follow a God of visions, signs and miracles, receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit now! and then we end up neglecting His rebukes, and forgiveness, and obsessing on spiritual gifts.
that is preferring the Holy Spirit
all of these teachings are right, and parts of God, but we need to accept all three. our God is our judge, and mentor, He does lay down His life, serve, and forgive us, and He has many blessings and gifts to give to us...but we can't pick and choose.
whether we like it or not, our God is three persons in one God. it's a mysterious thing, and almost impossible as a human to have a full view of God. but i challenge you spend your time meditating on each person of God, and let Him challenge you, rebuke you, bless you, and always let Him forgive you.
do not ever get comfortable in your perception of God, i guarantee you, He is infinitely bigger than you and your mind. you can always learn more about Him. it is dangerous to be stuck in one of these patterns. we are called to live a new life, following Jesus, a miracle worker, and we are always sinning, needing a rebuke. God fills all these needs, but when we ignore one of these, we are no longer fully following Him.
