What Does God Look Like

Have you ever wondered what God looks like?  I imagine many of us have some mental image to go with that answer.  What about you?

I know from my work in ministry that many picture God as a fierce being.  He has a scowl on His face and He is just waiting for you to step out of line so He can zap you.

I know a lady in Texas who said to me one day, “I think God is mad at me.”

I asked the obvious question and she continued.

“One day I was cooking dinner and had a pot of boiling water on my stove.  My daughter, Jenny – age 4 – reached up and grabbed the handle and poured the water all over her head and arms.”

She hung her head and added, “God must be mad at me for that to happen.”

Some see God as an aloof sort, only interested in the really big players in this world.  These are the people who go to Africa or India and heal people and give out food and clean drinking water.  Otherwise, He pretty much leaves people like me alone.  "I’m a nobody," they think.

I've encountered some who think God ignores them until they say the exact words of contrition and confession, or He won’t look at them until they go and change their clothes, or better yet, change their lives before He will even look in their direction. 

Let me set the record straight.

God loves YOU.  Right now, where you stand or sit. 

His arms are open wide, ready to embrace you.  He will receive you when you call and He even wants you to crawl upon His big soft lap and have a cuddle session.  He wants to be intimate with you, hear your woes.  You can even show Him where it hurts, and just how mad you may be over a certain issue in life.

My friend Chuck reminded me recently that Christ is recorded as saying “come unto me” more times than He ever says “don’t.” 

My picture of God?

He is the inviting God.

The forgiving God.

The grace-filled God.  He is extending to you and me yet one more chance for redemption, forgiveness and relationship.

He is not to be avoided.  Oh no.  He is reaching for us, longing to become one with us. 

Remember the woman caught in adultery?  Christ simply said “Where are your accusers?”  None were left. 

And he continued, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.”  I like that picture a lot.

To Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax official, He said, “Come down, We've going to have tea and crumpets together.”  (Well, maybe flat bread)  In other words, “You may be looked down upon because of your corruptness, but I see great value in you.  Let’s sort this out and get you going down a better road.”

My image of God? 

A redeemer and friend.

Trust Him.  He really does LOVE you.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

God Loves Insignificant People

Have you ever felt insignificant?  Were you once at the top of your game and now … now you feel no one remembers your name? 

Has age erased abilities that once came with ease?  Do you feel you’ve been put on the shelf?  Do you feel less than validated in this world?

Do you have fashion model tastes and a minimum wage budget?

I have some great news for you.  Keep reading.

The first thing I want you to know is this – God still knows your name.  He still has His eye on you and knows where you are and what you need every moment of every day.

You have significance. 

In Isaiah 43:1 we find this:  “Don’t fear.  I have redeemed you.  I call you by name.  You are mine.”

That is a profound word of hope. 

And in another place we find this:

“Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I your God will go with you everywhere you go.”

~Joshua 1:9

Paraphrase by PMB

These verses speak of the presence of God, and they speak of the validity of God in our lives no matter what we face, or what happens, and in spite of our own feelings of inadequacy or insignificance.

God is on our side when we have good days and bad.

He is with us when we are triumphant and when we are defeated.

He is with us at the peak of our abilities and in the senior years.

He comes and validates us and He assures us of our significance and of His presence in every circumstance.

I find great hope and encouragement in these thoughts.

Here is another thought that holds great encouragement.

“We are, each and every one of us, insignificant people whom God has called and graced to use in a significant way.” 

~Brennan Manning

So, my friend, God has a significant role for you to play. 

You are on God’s A-team.

Lace up your shoes.  He’s about to call on you for a critical play.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Term of Endearment

Your name is your handle used in conversation and all of life’s interactions.  Those who know us on a more intimate level can dare to violate that code of ethics and use a pet name or shortened version of our name.  With spouses, we come up with a dozen labels to apply, and they run the gamut from Sweetie, Baby-doll, Honey, My Love, Sugar-babe, and on and on. 

Can you imagine walking up to Prince William and Princesses Kate and shouting out “Hey Willie?  Hey Katie.  How’s it going?”  That would be a great and grievous social affront and in exceedingly poor taste.

However …

HOWEVER – there is one to whom we can go and use the most endearing of terms – and the term is "Abba".  Papa.  God delights in the inflection of the term Abba Father.  That is what historically a young Jewish child would call his/her parents and it represents the greatest of respect and greatest of love and affection. 

Brennan Manning helps us unlock this one concept a bit more.

“To address God as Abba is the boldest and simplest expression of the absolute trust that God is good and that He is on our side.” 

The phrase – God is on our side – jumps out to me today.  I take great comfort from that thought.  God is on my side. 

When I face the Goliaths today He is there.

When contrary thoughts plague my mind, He is present.

When temptations bombard my borders, God is there in my defense.

My prayer is that you will find great comfort in these words today.

Happy Sunday.

Here is a parting verse.

“That as tenderly as a father

treats his children, so Yahweh

treats those who fear him”

~(Ps 103:13)

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Believing in Him

We want to continue in the theme of belief from our Easter Sunday post; for the next steps are critical in relating to the Christ we just celebrated as our risen Lord.

We go further with this thought: 

“Believing in him is not the same as believing things about him such as that He was born of a virgin and raised Lazarus from the dead.  Instead, it is a matter of giving our hearts to him, of come hell or high water putting our money on him, the way a child believes in a mother or a father, the way a mother or a father believes in a child.”

~Frederick Beuchner

Sunday we talked about believing in the resurrection and the bursting forth from the tomb.  Those are facts about Christ that we choose to believe. 

Mr. Beuchner is asking us if we believe in Him.  Was he some mystical man that pulled off a few miracles including his own bursting forth, or is He the real deal?

Is Christ the Son of God/Son of Man all merged into one?  Is He the promised messiah, the Redeemer of the world?  Is He the Savior of the world?

Your answers to these questions become the heart of the matter after all.

I invite you to click here:

44 Prophecies of Christ That Have Been Fulfilled

It really does come down to belief.

Do you?

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Easter Is about Belief

The gist of the Easter story is this: 

On Friday, Christ was laid in a tomb.

On Sunday morning He burst from the tomb in what is called the Resurrection.

I can’t see any middle ground here.  It is a simple matter of believe it or not.

Here is a case for the belief side in this fantastic story.

Our main character is Jesus Christ, the promised Son of God.  Only one other person in history has risen from the dead prior to our story, and that was a man named Lazarus and Christ himself was the one who made that happen.

How did He pull off this amazing feat?  It defies all odds.  The only obvious answer is that it was a supernatural event.  He suspended the natural laws on earth for one brief moment in time and performed the miraculous. 

He became more powerful than death.

He arose from the grave just like he promised.

Have you ever considered all that came forth on that Easter Sunday?

     The Risen Lord

              Hope

               Redemption

                Forgiveness

                 Hope for eternal life

                  Grace

And perhaps best of all - Assurance of our own resurrection

On Friday the world went dark.  God turned the lights back on when Easter Sunday dawned.

Do you believe in the thunderous power of God almighty to perform such a feat as this?

If you do, then you believe in Resurrection Power as revealed in the scriptures.

When Sunday happened …

  ~Doors were flung off their hinges

  ~Graves opened

  ~Promises were upheld

  ~Stones rolled away

The supernatural intersected with the natural and the supernatural won.

Do you believe in the supernatural?

Then you believe in Easter!

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

A Story about Trust

She looked again just to make sure.  It was the same as before.  There was just enough, just enough for one last small loaf of bread.  The rainy season was gone, and now there was nothing but hot sun, blistering winds stripped the landscape and filtered into every crevice and corner of her humble shack. 

And the measure of oil – well, was meager.  Maybe enough for one more loaf to go with her flower.  He son came in just then, and he headed straight for the fireplace, hoping against hope that there might be something to eat.  Disappointed again.

The mother watched her son, sighed deeply and finally gathered her small sack and headed out to the village. 

As she walked along her eyes were on the ground, for she was in search of a few sticks to use to make one last fire.  And after that, what?  The end.  It would be over soon for her and her son.

They would starve.

As she walked along a strange man called out to her.  She did not recognize him, and her nature was to be wary of strangers, yet somehow she felt no fear, only intrigue.  She moved closer and he repeated his request.

“Would you please bring me a bit of water in a jar, for I am parched?”  She turned to leave.  Surely she could do this, for he did indeed seem more desperate than she. 

As she turned to go, he continued speaking, “and could you bring me a piece of bread, please?”

She was astounded.  How dare he ask for bread, today of all days?  Didn't he know these were desperate times?  Didn't he know the crops were failing with this drought?  Didn't he know everybody in town was scrounging for any scrape of food they could find?  Why, the very nerve of him.  Who did he think he was?

That is what she thought, but she responded with, “Sir, I’m sorry.  I’m just now looking for a few sticks to make a fire.  You see, I only have a handful of flour and barely a thimbleful of oil.  Just today I am going home to make a loaf of bread for my son and me and then we shall die.”

He spoke again.  “Please go home and make me one small portion of bread, and then go and make one for you and your son.”  He continued.  “Have no fear. The God whom I serve says this, ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not go dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” 

She was astonished.  She wasn't sure she had heard correctly.  But she obeyed. 

She went home and made the loaf just as this stranger had said.  All the while thinking to herself, “What are we gonna do?  What are we gonna do?”

The bread finished baking and she took it to the strange man. 

All the way back home the hunger pains increased.  The smell of that loaf was driving her crazy with hunger.  And now she faced her son, no oil, no flour and no hope. 

She started laughing.  What was it he had said?  “‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not go dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” 

“Oh, that’s a good one” she said out loud.  And continued chuckling to herself.

She rounded the last bend in the road and headed up hill to her home and her son. 

As she entered, she swatted at a few flies, and had to nudge a small lizard that had scampered in through the window. 

Just out of curiosity she removed the lid from the oil jar.  Just an hour ago she had turned it up and poured every drop it held into the mixing bowl. 

She could not believe her eyes.  There in the bottom was what appeared to be as much oil as she had before.  But how?

She reached for the flour.  It didn’t feel empty as it had before.  It felt heavy.  She looked inside.  Her eyes were playing tricks on her.  There was flour in the bottom.  What is going on?

She again replayed that old man’s words in the village. 

‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not go dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” 

And for as long as the drought continued, every day she looked, there was oil in the jar and flour in the cupboards.

The faithfulness of God is again on display.

The word is trust. 

This story is based on a Biblical account in 
I Kings 17:8-16.  It is a word of hope and encouragement at God’s ability to meet our needs. 

It is an anchor on which to place your trust.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

A Word about Worry

If worry has ever plagued you, then I have a word for you about that.

Are you ready?  Here it is.

DON’T!

Don’t worry, that is.  And I get this from a pretty reliable source. 

Christ himself said it.  Read this.

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is  its own trouble.

NKJV © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Matthew 6:25-34

These verses hit me squarely between the eyes.  Perhaps you too.  I have a need.  God, in His timing meets that need. 

A day later, perhaps a week later, I face another crisis.  I am back in Fretville.  I am visiting Worry World.  Again I pray.  Again I seek God.  Again He delivers. 

Time and again God comes along and reminds me of who He is and what he is capable of doing. 

And so I trust again. 

This I do know – and I back it up with this scriptural text.

“Once I was young, now I am old.  Through all of my life I have never seen the God-fearing left behind nor in lack of daily needs.”

(Psalm 37:25 Paraphrase by PMB)

I can add a hearty “amen” to this verse.  Hard times have come, yet the steady hand of God has been in great evidence in my life.

A quick story:

Once, when my funds were desperately low, I had my back against the wall and didn't know from where the next sack of groceries would come.  I was selling insurance in Texas at the time. 

Every Friday my manager and I met to go over the previous week’s sales successes. We finally met at 4PM that day and I started into my normal litany of sales calls.

Jimmy stopped me and said, “Aw, we can do that another time.”

He put his hands behind his head, leaned back in his chair and said, “I don’t know quite how to handle something like this.”

He paused, and continued.  “Some friends of yours know that you have been having a tough time and they hope this will help.”  He then reached into his shirt pocket and took out a white envelope and handed it across the desk. 

Inside I found $3,000 in cash.  I was in tears.  I could not believe my eyes. 

Jimmy continued.  “This is a gift.  You do not have to pay it back.”

I was speechless. 

          I was amazed. 

                    I was grateful.

When you ask me if God can meet your needs, I heartily respond, “Absolutely!  He can indeed.”

Note in the scripture above that Christ makes reference to sparrows and flowers.  He asks an important question.

“If I can take care of those creations, don’t you think I can take care of you as well?”

And the answer comes – Yes I do believe … help my unbelief.

God is with you giving you peace in the middle of your storms.

God is able to meet your needs in amazing and even miraculous ways.

Allow your faith to be strengthened in the God who supplies all needs.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time