ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW GOD?
Ed R. Sager


Acknowledging there is a God is only the beginning, but to know God and to like and trust what you see is eternal life!

AMERICA

I believe in the Pilgrims' original purpose and reason for coming to America which to me means "FREEDOM." It makes me shudder to think about the many who sacrificed their lives to preserve the freedom we experience in America. As such, it's not hard to understand the meaning of the famous words of Patrick Henry in 1775 "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH."

If we were to take these thoughts and compare them to what we believe God's new earth is going to be like, what can we expect? Wouldn't God's new earth have to be at least as good or better than the original intent of inhabiting America? I ask, what will God do to me if I choose not to love Him? Will He break my arm, slap me around, torture me forever and ever or as long as He thinks I deserve? Does force and coercion really change minds? Does this sound like freedom? Or would you, with Patrick Henry, say, "Give me liberty or give me death?"

What kind of liberty does your God offer?

ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW GOD?

The issues to be covered in this book could bring out a different perspective than those you are accustomed to. These perspectives are based on whether we believe that we have a legal God with legal requirements. Or, do we have a God that is warning us against the consequences of cause and effect? God made us to function in a certain way. If we choose to go outside the way we have been made, God says we will die. Would death come from His hands in legal consequence or from cause and effect from our actions? To demonstrate this concept, we can compare it to putting gas in the radiator of our automobile and water in the gas tank. Common sense tells us the auto maker would not kill the engine but the water surely would, a cause and effect situation.

The book has 12 basic subjects centered around why Christ came to die, in a setting dealing with the above question (Legal problems (?) or cause and effect problems (?). What God is like within His government is revealed - a government of cause and effect instead of legal consequence.

The purpose is to provide a solid hope and a desire to know a God you could be comfortable to live next door to for eternity.

One chapter deals with how some of us may have experienced a time in our lives where we tried to live a good life. But as life would have it, the harder we tried, the more everything seemed to go wrong. I've labeled it "THE VICIOUS CIRCLE" of trying to please God.

The purpose of this chapter is to bring your attention to our only hope for a better life to come. This means knowing God's ways and taking these into our lives because we want to, not because we feel obligated or have been forced or coerced. (You obey or I will...)

Some of the chapters are a comparison of legal consequence for disobedience - against the view of cause and effect consequence. Other chapters involve stories about Jesus and other Bible characters to reveal what some pastor's have said is an incredible picture of God. It's sure to put you into a state of awe over the character of God.

The following is an excerpt from the book. An example that will hopefully excite your spiritual taste buds. I invite you to sit down with me and have a conversation about God.

THE PRODIGAL SON (Luke 15:11-31)

Am I seeing things right? Dad is running out to meet me, he seems so excited to see me that he hasn't noticed I am dirty, smelly and in rags. I had all kinds of stories and excuses about my condition. I thought I could be one of his servants but he wouldn't hear any of it. My dad, my father, I couldn't believe it, he called to have his best robe and sandals brought to me. This over- whelmed me; here I am in rags, and embarrassed to be seen by anyone I knew, but very quickly, he covered me with a beautiful robe and sandals. He has made me feel so at home, and if that wasn't enough, he gave a homecoming party for me and gave me a check book of my very own. I thought I knew my dad, after all I grew up in his household, but I only thought I knew him. I always thought he required so much of me I just couldn't do it, so I went off to live "the good life." But was I in for a big surprise upon returning! He wasn't what I thought at all. What a fantastic father, how could I have missed what he is truly like?

Yes, relationship is everything, but what kind of relationship do you have? In the same story it talks about a brother that stayed home and worked in the father's business. He also thought he knew his father but he also was surprised when his brother returned. He too was overwhelmed at his father's reaction toward his brother but differently. He became bitter as his father treated his younger brother with such generosity, when all the time he had stayed home being an obedient son. Yet the father had done no fan fare for him.

The real issue in the story is over what kind of a God we have, what is He really like? The two sons were brought up in his household, but they really didn't know Him. If you were to be the younger one that went away and wanted to come back home you are likely to love the Father, but if you are the older one that stays home, how are you feeling now?

Could you love the ways of the Father, do you love truth, is truth about our Father the greatest issue in your life, are you concerned for our Fathers reputation? Or are you worried that your inheritance is going to diminish since the Father has accepted your brother back home? Maybe all we need to understand is that God is always there with His never-ending forgiveness.