Who Is God?

The love of Christ controls us. -2 Corinthians 5:14A

I once had the opportunity to tell someone of Jesus for the first time. I was reading a Bible story to my kindergarten class of gypsy girls in Albania when one little girl raised her hand and asked, “Teacher, who is Jesus?”

I responded, “Well, He’s God’s Son”

She paused, “Teacher, who is God?”

“He’s like a father.” Then realizing her perception of a father, I quickly added, “But a good father, the best one in the whole world.”

“Oh!” She responded “Like your Daddy!”

Suddenly I realized how good my life is. Not only do I have a father, but I have a warm place to sleep in; I have food, family, and friends (the list goes on and on). But what if all those things were taken away? What if I had been born into a family like the one this child came from? Would I still want to serve God? Am I serving God for my own selfish reasons, or do I truly love Him?

I remember the first summer I was away from home. I came to Fountainview and was out in the carrot fields angrily accusing and questioning God. “Why did you bring me here?” I asked. After praying for quite a while, I finally ran out of words and fell silent. Almost as if through an audible voice, I heard the words “Because I love you.”

God loves me, shouldn’t that be the reason I love Him? Instead I sometimes base my love on what God gives me. This is a love centered on myself. A selfish type of love, and in fact, it isn’t love at all, but merely self worship. The only way we can have true love toward God is by looking to Christ. By beholding His goodness and love, we will become changed. Christ has portrayed a perfect picture of love in his death on the cross. By looking to the cross, our carnal love is changed into the likeness of His perfect love.

~ Moriah Mays