Quiet Time: Rumors: Building Your Own Relationship With God

Everywhere you go, you will hear peoples opinion of God: “He’s not real”, “If he loves me, then why did he let this happen to me?”, “God just wants to control my life.”. Just because they (your parents, friends, and aquaintences) have an opinion of God doesn’t mean that they accurately portray who he really is. Many people spread rumors about God so its important that you get to know him for who he really is.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:13-16

God began by asking his disciples what do others believe about him. Jesus asked his disciples this because he knew that often times what we believe about him is what has been taught us, told to us, or what we have adopted from mainstream media rather than getting to know him personally from reading the bible. The question God is most interested in is what do YOU say about him?

Have you ever had a rumor spread about you? How did it feel?

God feels the same way we do (hurt, sad, angry) when we have rumors spread about us. It’s important to get to know God before we make a decision about him.

“Then another servant came in and said to the king, ‘Sir, here is your coin which I wrapped in a piece of cloth and hid. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You even take money that you didn’t earn and gather food that you didn’t plant.’

Luke 19:20-21

What we allow ourselves to believe about God will affect the way that we approach him and build a relationship with him. The servant in this scripture thought God was a harsh person so he was afraid of him and did not do anything with his talents.

How do you view God? Take some time to reflect on this and journal it out?

How do you think those views of God affect your relationship with him? Are they based on the bible or are they rumors about God?

What can you do today to start building the right view of God?

I told you about my life, and you answered me. Teach me your demands. Help me understand your orders. Then I will think about your miracles.

Psalm 119:26-27

This Psalmist wanted nothing more than to get to know God personally and to understand him. Challenge yourself to put out the rumors you’ve heard about God and make a decision to know him personally.

Challenge:

In the next 7 days, read through the entire book of Psalms and circle every word that describes who God is. Look back through them when your are done and journal out what you learned about him.