What You Believe Matters 2 – God as My All Mighty
The Apostles Creed’s first statement is two words that describe God. We will talk about them and then about God as the creator and what that means for our lives. When it comes to what we believe it should really impact our life beyond words. How does what I believe about God change my actions in this life I live every day? Let’s explore these words used to help us remember God’s work in our lives.
The first word is father. I’m not sure if there is a word that causes any more opposite reactions than the word father. I have done over 300 funerals and many of them have been for fathers. It does not take long with a family before you realize how the father in the family is viewed. Some funerals are a celebration of the life they lived and others are a memorial of what was not good.
For the longest time I did not pray and say father. I always simply prayed to God. That is partly because of the relationship or non-relationship with my fathers. My father left when I was one. I met him for the first time when I was 14 years old. We waited an extra hour for him to meet us because he was on the golf course and could not be rushed. He represented a father that just did not really care. It was such a deal for me that I did not even attend his funeral. I figured if he could not be involved with me when he was alive why would I show up for him when he was dead?
My mom married again and my step-father and I were never very close. It seemed most days he was not happy and just looking for someone to blame or remind what a disappointment they were. So my image of a father was never a positive one. Then when I was around 35 God brought someone into my life that changed how I viewed God.
When my father died I got a call from his uncle. It turns out that my great-uncle lived a 45 minute drive from us in Michigan. We talked and he said he wanted to come to Leslie and see us. He came to church and for the next 14 years he became the father I did not have as a kid. We spent time together and he showed me what it was like to have someone affirm and be proud of who I had become as a father myself. I began to realize that just might be the way God viewed me. That he was not absent or waiting to pounce on my mistakes; but was loving and accepting of me. It is easier for me to think of God as a father now.
In the Bible, Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers about our God. Corinth was a metropolitan town and many gods were worshipped in this town. So when Paul makes his statement it is something to really consider in the context he said it. 1 Corinthians 8:5 – 6 says: Even though there are things called gods, in heaven or on earth (and there are many “gods“ and “lords“), for us there is only one God—our Father. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord—Jesus Christ. All things were made through him, and we also were made through him.
These verses talk about that almighty word about God. Paul says there are many gods that people worship. Work, money, sex, possessions and politics are just a few of them. For something to be your almighty it simply has to be the focus of your heart and the direction you head. So God wants to be our Almighty. I know that He is the Almighty, but sometimes we turn Him into just an almighty with our pursuit of other things. The Bible talks several times about God being a jealous God. I think He is jealous because He knows that He is best Almighty for us. We have to decide if we believe it or not.
That is the thing about God that makes my belief in Him grows stronger. He is not going to force Himself on someone. He allows us to choose what place He will have in our life. I think He wants us to choose Him. He is looking for a choice of love from us. To follow Him because we love Him, not because we are afraid of Him can be life changing. If I see Him as my Almighty then I can look to Him for guidance and can trust His plan for my life.
So these are the question you have to wrestle with in the first words of the Apostles Creed: Who or what will be my Almighty? Where will I put my focus and heart in my life?