The Ultmate Test

Tests. We have all taken them at one time or another. There are various kinds of tests: performance-based, multiple guess, essay, fill-in-the-blank. Some of us are quite adept at taking tests. Others of us…well, not so much. Some can cruise through a test without ever cracking open a book or using a drop of ink in a note or spilling a single drop of sweat in the process. Others, no matter how many hours of study are put in or cups of coffee are drank, can barely survive the onslaught of information sought!

Speaking of tests, let’s take a pop quiz, right here and now. Finish this sentence: “God is…”

So, there you go. No prep time. No time to study. Just fill it in. You may take a moment or two to gather your thoughts. Although this is not a timed test, you don’t know when you’ll run out of time…so I wouldn’t take too long!

Oh, and another thing…HOW you answer definitely affects more than a grade — it affects your eternity.

So…how to fill in the blank? Let me ask you some questions to ponder and clarify your answer.

  • Is God real or just a product of an overactive imagination?

  • Is He a crutch, pulled out of the closet and dusted off only when needed?

  • Is He a Cosmic Clock Maker, a kindly old soul Who winds up world events only to sit back with His hands off, watching it all wind down?

  • Who is He?

  • Is He near or far?

  • Is He unapproachable or close as the next breath?

How you fill in the blank is a test of how well you are equipped to handle this present life…not to mention eternity!

Let’s take a few minutes to see how the Bible fills in the blank. The following verses certainly do not represent an exhaustive list, but they are a place to start!

GOD IS…

  • Spirit, John 4:24

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him

must worship in spirit and truth,”

  • Creator, Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

                                Isaiah 40:28

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth does not

become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.”

  • King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, 1 Timothy 1:17

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible,

the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen”

  • A refuge, Psalm 62:7

“On God my salvation and my glory rest;

the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.”

  • A Rock and Fortress, 2 Samuel 22:32-33

“For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is a rock, besides our God?

God is my fortress, and He sets the blameless in His way.”

  • Unchanging, Malachi 3:6

“For I, the LORD, do not change…”

           >> This should be especially comforting in these days of shifting sand!

  • Light and Salvation, Psalm 27:1

“The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the defense of my life, whom shall I dread?

  • A Shield, Psalm 18:30

“As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the LORD is tried;

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”

  • Compassionate, Deuteronomy 4:31

“For the LORD your God is a compassionate God…”

  • Gracious and Compassionate, 2 Chronicles 30:9(b)

“…For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate,

and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

  • Love, 1 John 4:7-8

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;

and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

  • Savior, Psalm 68:19

“Blessed be the LORD, who daily bears our burden,

the God who is our salvation.”

  • Patient, 2 Peter 3:9

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness,

but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish

but for all to come to repentance.”

  • The Giver of eternal life, Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God

is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

These last two references are so important. I pray that your answers to this test matched up with the references in God’s Word. God not only wants us to acknowledge the fact that HE IS, but He desires that we all accept His gift of eternal life through Jesus!

Let me close with these words from Ephesians 3:20-21…

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly

beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power

that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

Amen”

Rich Warren