False gods — A LifeWords Devotion

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. (NLT)

We sometimes find ourselves shaking our heads in disbelief that some in biblical times made gods out of wood or metal and figured they had some relationship with reality. In contrast, the Bible tells us we are not to have false images of God, or better translated, false imaginings of God.

Our problem is not that we are going to bow down before some material object. Our challenge is to rightly grasp the nature of the God revealed in the Bible and supremely in Jesus Christ. We can too easily take hold of one aspect of his character and neglect other aspects. In this we can be shaped by our upbringing or our temperaments.

Our text today reminds us that God is not some vindictive, short tempered deity just itching to hurl thunderbolts at us. Which is one picture some have of God. In their desire to safeguard his holiness and be aware of his righteous judgement against human wrongdoing, they may neglect his innate desire to show mercy.

The Bible is clear, as Jesus is clear, that rejection of God has its consequences. But the emphasis is on his desire to show mercy. He does not want any to perish. His mindset towards his creation is drenched in love not hatred, grace not spite.

So when we speak of God or think of God or talk to God, let’s be sure we “get him right”. False gods lurk not just in the outside world but within our own imaginings.

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Blessings

David