Today's Devotional

February 27,  2006

 

Subject:  That Ain't God

2Timothy 3:5 - "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

---

A group reportedly representing "fundamentalist believers" made the news as they protested the funeral of an Iraq war veteran.  With his widow and two children there mourning the loss of their husband and father, this group stood across the street with signs saying, "thank God for IEDs" and yelling, "your husband is burning in hell."  In an interview with one of the people in this group, the group member stated that their goal is to "take the cup of the wrath and fury of God, put it to Americans' mouths and make them drink it."  My only thought as I observed the news report and watched these people was, "that ain't God."

I think these people are missing a few key points about who God is.  First they need to understand, "they are not Him."  If God has a cup that He intends for someone to drink, He will do it.  The second thing I think they need to understand is that our God is a God of grace.  I would find it hard to imagine that even one of God's people would go to the funeral of Adolph Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer or anyone we think of as evil and yell out the things that these people were yelling at a grieving widow and her two small children.  The last point for them is to understand that they've got the wrong God.  See, lots of people can make bold claims about representing Him, but the real representation comes out in your conversation and your lifestyle.  These people might have a form of godliness, but they're missing the God.

If you see people like this, as the scripture says, "turn away from them."  They can't give God a bad name, but they sure can make us believers look bad.  

Carlen