Where is your god now?

I was shopping this morning and saw this guy wearing a black T-shirt with “Where is your god now?” written over and over on the back in white letters.  Then, in bright red letters over that, it said, “Fear the living”.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

While many people really can’t answer the question, a Christian should know the answer.

And while many people are afraid of the living, a Christian also should know the response to that statement.

Do you know how to respond?

Where is your god now?

God told Moses something that answers this question.  You may remember. It was at the burning bush, when God told Moses he was going to deliver the Israelites from captivity under Pharaoh.

Ex 3:13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Ex 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Ex 3:15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

What does I AM WHO I AM mean?

Is this the God of the Bible? At the burning bush, God told Moses His name and said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). This signifies that the central characteristic of the God of the Bible is existence. His very nature is existence. Popeye can say, “I am what I am.” But only God can say, “I AM WHO I AM.” He is the “I AM.” The Bible also calls God eternal (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:2), unchanging (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 6:18), infinite (1 Kings 8:27; Isa. 66:1), all-good (Ps. 86:5; Luke 18:19), and all-powerful (Heb. 1:3; Matt. 19:26). Since these beings are the same in all these respects, and there can’t be two infinite beings, then this God that the arguments point us to is the God of the Bible.  ^[1]Geisler, N. L., & Brooks, R. M. (1990). When skeptics ask (p. 29). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

It means the God of the Bible is the one and only God.  He always has been.  And He always will be.  It also means God is everywhere, at all times, and has power over everyone and everything.

That’s where my God is now.

Be afraid of the living.

Be afraid of the living?  Why?  As we just saw, God is everywhere, all the time.  And that God has power over everyone and everything.  Including whoever “the living” might be on that T-shirt.

Regarding being afraid of men, in other words, the living – Jesus said this:

Mt 10:26 “So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Where is my god now?  Here, protecting me.

Regardless of what the T-shirt says, the only one who’s “living” that anyone should be afraid of is God.  And as long as we’re following Him, we don’t need to be afraid of Him.

I know, it’s really hard to look at life in the really long-term.  As in eternally long-term.  But when we look at the ultimate destination being either Heaven or Hell, what happens here in this life isn’t something to be afraid of.  It’s Hell that we should really be afraid of.

I guess we’re not supposed to talk about that these days.  Christianity is supposed to be nice and friendly.  But I don’t think we should ignore the fact that Jesus did talk about Hell.  

Conclusion – Where is your god now?

So ultimately, it’s the guy wearing that T-shirt who should be looking at himself in a mirror.  Probably a 360 degree mirror so he can see the words on the back.  Then he can decide who is his god, where that god is, and who he should be afraid of.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay