I grew up in the church more or less. I grew up Church of Christ and attended my grandmother’s church in Selma pretty regularly. I went to a Christian school and for the better part of 12 years, I took multiple Bible classes . . .some better than others. By the time I was into my late teens, I had a pretty good knowledge of the Bible: I had memorized scripture, took tests on various books of the Bible, and done multiple various projects on Bible events. If it was in the Bible, I pretty much could tell you about it!
While I had a decent head knowledge of the God, I never really knew Him. In all honesty, I felt like the God of the Old Testament was all hell-fire and brimstone then when He saw that it wasn’t working out, He decided to try this whole “love” thing in the New Testament. Even though, I heard the popular phrase, ‘God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow’, I never saw it during those earlier years of Bible study. Growing up, the focus seemed to be more on Biblical facts and rules than trying to show us God’s love and His nature that was beautifully illustrated throughout the entire Bible. I believe my poor view of God led to my poor understanding of the Cross and its significance. In the end, I originally got baptized because I did not want to go to Hell. I knew things about Christ (virgin birth, 12 disciples, lots of miracles, etc) but I didn’t KNOW Him.
While this post contains only part of my testimony, I really want to show everyone that God really is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I believe a proper understanding of God is the foundation on which a true relationship can be built.
A close friend went through every book in the Old Testament and found multiple passages showing how God sees you. I hope these encourage you to draw closer to Him because He loves you so much and He desires for you to seek Him!
Genesis 1:26-27 – you are made in God’s image
Exodus 6:6-8 – You are God’s delivered people
Leviticus 16:30-31 – You are cleansed
Numbers 6:24-26 – You are blessed
Deuteronomy 7:6-9 – You are a holy, chosen, treasured possession. Love and redeemed.
Joshua 1:5-9 – You are NEVER alone
Judges 6:36-40 – You are heard and listened to by God
Ruth 2:12 – You are provided for
I Samuel 16:7 – Your heart is seen
II Samuel 22:20 – You are delighted in
I Kings 17:12-14 – Your needs are met
II Kings 20:5 – You are seen
I Chronicles 16:19-22 – You are protected
II Chronicles 15:15 – You are given rest
Ezra 9:8 – You are given grace
Nehemiah 1:10 – You are rescued
Esther 4:14 – Your life has purpose
Job 13:15 – You are full of hope
Psalms 139:15 – You are intricately woven
Proverbs 1:4-7 – You are given wisdom
Ecclesiastes 3:11 – You are beautiful
Song of Solomon 6:3 – You are the Lord’s
Isaiah 49:16 – You are engraved on His palm
Jeremiah 17:8 – You are fearless
Lamentations 3:21-26 – You are given new mercies every morning
Ezekiel 34:14 – You are nourished
Daniel 1:20 – You are given understanding
Hosea 2:19-20 – You are relentlessly pursued
Joel 2:25 – You are restored
Amos 9:14-15 – You are freed, rebuilt, and planted
Obadiah 1:20 – You are possessors of the Lord’s land
Jonah 2:6 – You are delivered from the pit
Micah 5:4 – You have His strength
Nahum 1:3 – You bonds are broken
Habakkuk 2:1 – You can expect God to give an answer to your prayers
Zephaniah 3:17 – You fears are calmed and you are rejoiced over
Haggai 2:23 – You are a signet ring
Zechariah 3:4 – You are clothed in pure garments
Malachi 3:17 – You are His child
Mursian Chronicles 