{"id":21250,"date":"2014-08-17T00:20:20","date_gmt":"2014-08-17T04:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=21250"},"modified":"2014-08-16T23:54:42","modified_gmt":"2014-08-17T03:54:42","slug":"god-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2014\/08\/17\/god-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Your God?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SeekingHimLogo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory,
\nfor the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
\nWhy should the nations say,
\n\u201cWhere is their God?\u201d
\nOur God is in the heavens;
\nHe does all that He pleases.
\nTheir idols are silver and gold,
\nthe work of human hands.
\nThey have mouths, but do not speak;
\neyes, but do not see.
\nThey have ears, but do not hear;
\nnoses, but do not smell.
\nThey have hands, but do not feel;
\nfeet, but do not walk;
\nand they do not make a sound in their throat.
\nThose who make them become like them;
\nso do all who trust in them.
\nO Israel, trust in the Lord!
\nHe is their help and their shield.
\nO house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
\nHe is their help and their shield.
\nYou who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
\nHe is their help and their shield.
\nPsalms 115:1-11<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As I was reading this passage and the related commentaries, my mind kept circling back to one thought: we all worship something<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0Every one has a \u201cgod\u201d\u2014a guiding principle, a passion that is master of their life. \u00a0 As I continued reading, I realized that verses 1-3 and 9-11 reveal a lot about the One True God. \u00a0 Verses 4-8 illuminate the contrast of idols. \u00a0So I created a chart for comparison.<\/p>\n

\n

One True God<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0idols<\/span><\/h3>\n

Loving & merciful \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 hard & unfeeling
\nReigns in Heaven \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0resides on earth
\nSovereign, has dominion \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0controls nothing
\nAlways has been, is & will be \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0man-made
\nHoly \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 dirty from ore dug from earth
\nAlive & powerful \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 dead
\nAll-seeing \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 blind
\nAlways hears our prayers \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 deaf
\nAll-knowing \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 dumb
\nTransforms man into His Image \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 made in the image of man
\nHas done everything for us \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0can do nothing for us<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This passage begins and ends with God. \u00a0Ironic, isn\u2019t it? \u00a0Verses 1-3 remind us everything is for His glory and not<\/em> our own. \u00a0His mercy is freely given and cannot be earned. \u00a0Therefore we boast in Him alone.<\/p>\n

Look at these two verses:<\/p>\n

You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham,
\nas You swore to our fathers from days long ago
\nMicah 7:20 HCSB<\/p>\n

He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for His mercies to them.
\nRomans 15:9a NLT<\/p>\n

God made plans long ago to be faithful and merciful to us. Verses 10\u201311 sum the passage up by reminding us wherein our strength and protection lie. The Lord is our \u201chelp and our shield\u201d if we only will trust Him.<\/p>\n

Acts 10:35 (NASB) tells us: \u201c…but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.\u201d \u00a0And not only are we welcomed but Psalm 147:11 (AMP) says our reverent fear delights Him: \u00a0\u201cThe Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod is seeking to make us like Himself\u201d \u2013 Chuck Smith<\/p>\n

Either we are making a \u201cgod\u201d like ourselves and indulging in self-idolatry OR<\/strong> <\/em>God is transforming us daily into His image. \u00a0Our actions reveal our \u201cgod.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are your<\/span> actions saying?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

*<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0~ \u00a0 \u2665 \u00a0 ~\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u271e\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0~ \u00a0\u2665 \u00a0 ~ \u00a0 *<\/span><\/p>\n

Lord, we just want to thank You for all You have done for us. \u00a0We treasure Your faithfulness and mercy towards us. \u00a0Show us if we are allowing another \u201cgod\u201d to become our passion. \u00a0Stop us before it happens. \u00a0We boast in You alone. \u00a0May our actions and our lives bring You glory. \u00a0In Your Holy name we pray, Amen \u2013 so be it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, \u201cWhere is their God?\u201d Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":13840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3020],"tags":[7070,5889,3367,1287,425,7068,3984,5646,7074,7069,3174,7073,7072,7071],"class_list":["post-21250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-devotions","tag-acts-1035","tag-cynda-cottrill","tag-daily-devotions-2","tag-gch","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-micah-720","tag-psalm-115","tag-psalm-14711","tag-psalms-1151-11","tag-romans-159","tag-seeking-him-devotional","tag-seekinghim-devotional","tag-we-all-worship-something","tag-who-is-your-god","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/SeekingHimLogo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-5wK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21250"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21253,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21250\/revisions\/21253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}