Several extremes come to mind regarding what is being preached about God nowadays. Some people preach a "genie in a bottle" kind of God. Some people preach a God of wrath, fire, and brimstone. Others preach about a God that is nothing but love and grace, a hippie God. Even though all these teachings are technically true, emphasizing one aspect of God over the other is a misrepresentation of God, scripture, and it will yield dire consequences in our everyday lives. It will yield a twisted view of God and life.
God cannot be manipulated into doing our will no matter how much we declare and decree it. On the same note, God will not love you more or less than He already does, regardless how well we manage our sin. Actually, even if we are extremely successful at managing our sins, but we do so in our own strength, it will yield self-righteousness, which is sin in itself, so you are no better off there either.
God is in balance within Himself. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of wrath, holiness, and justice. He is our healer and provider, but He is also the commander of armies of Heaven, the Almighty Judge. He loves and forgives, but He also disciplines those He loves and condemns those He chooses to.
God does not necessarily want you to be rich, nor does He necessarily want you to be poor. He does, however, want you to have what you need in order to accomplish His will. If wealth is required, He will give it to you. If wisdom, then that is what He will give you. He will provide for you according to His wisdom and plans, but He will provide for you.
God is infinitely loving, kind, patient, and forgiving. But He is also infinitely powerful and can destroy all of creation with a single word. He is a God that can be approached with confidence and love but also in reverence, fear, and humility. We need to keep all of His attributes in mind and in a balanced way, not just those that we like the best that make us feel warm and comfortable.
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