We all know that paying attention to our diets is important. Making sure we get enough of each type of nutrient is essential for good health. If we lack something, it is going to show up in a weaker system, in illnesses and in extreme cases can even result in death. For example, a deficiency of Iron can cause symptoms of fatigue, cold hands and feet, headaches and even chest pains.

We can also have problems if we get too much of a certain nutrient. Having too much Vitamin A can result in nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage and even lead to osteoporosis.

By now you are probably thinking, ‘What does diet have to do with God?’ Believe me it does. As maintaining a balanced diet is essential to our physical bodies; so is having a balanced view of God essential to our spiritual self. How we see God affects how we serve Him and allow Him to work in our lives. We need to see and accept God for all He is in a properly balanced way.

And God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.”

Exodus 3:14

A number of years ago, my church group did a study using the 2 volume set The Attributes of God by A. W. Tozer. It really opened my eyes to the depth and fullness of God’s character. It also brought to my attention an important and potentially dangerous problem of my own making.

You see, I was not keeping an accurate picture of God. Innocently, but still damaging, I had enlarged certain aspects of God’s character, thus minimizing others. The way I felt about myself caused me to see God as unbalanced in His attributes. In my eyes, He was always finding fault with me, never forgetting my past, never seeing me as good enough. It made me think of Him as more judgmental than He is merciful and compassionate. This belief was affecting my whole Christian walk. It was actually crippling me, making me unable to grow.

For I, the Lord, do not change.

Malachi 3:6

God is as much a Merciful God as He is a Just God. One cannot be more important than another, otherwise He would not be balanced. If we put too much emphasis on one attribute we lessen the importance of others. All of them together, equally, make Him who He is. He is unchangeable. He is the same God today that He was to the Israelites in the Old Testament. He is the same God today who came to earth in the perfect, sinless, human form of Jesus.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

Let me put it another way. Not being disrespectful of God, but think of Him as a pie. All of His attributes are equal pieces. You cut one or more, larger than the others, what happens? One or more of them ends up smaller. Doing this gives us a lopsided view of God.

That is what I was doing. Once I came to accept the fact that God loved me and accepted me as His own, in spite of my sins and shortcomings, my whole outlook and beliefs about God changed. I was able to begin to grow and flourish in my relationship with Him. I was now seeing Him in a balanced way.

Much of today’s Christian church is doing the opposite of what I did and it is just as dangerous. Whereas I was thinking of God as being too much Judge and too little of a loving, forgiving Father; they are only accepting attributes like love, mercy and compassion. These make them feel good, safe and secure with no consequences for their actions. Many do not want to think of God as One who abhors sin and requires accountability for those sins. They don’t want to think of God as a God who allows evil for a purpose; or a God who condemns unbelievers for rejecting the gift of His Son’s sacrificial death. This way of thinking is as wrong as mine was and like it did to me; it is crippling the church.

They forget that as a loving God, He has given us freedom to choose; explaining what the results of those choices will be. Thus, He requires accountability if we choose the wrong way. Just as parents should raise their children knowing right from wrong, and lovingly chastising them when wrongful actions/choices are made.

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens…

Hebrews 12: 5b-6a

For God to be Holy, He has to hate what is unholy. For God to be just, He has to require accountability. Lovingly, He provided the sacrificial act of Jesus’ death as full payment for our sins. If we accept this gift, then He sees us as blameless, since our debt has been paid for.

Balance. Not one part of His character is in contrast to the other. They blend beautifully, making Him the only, perfect God.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Have you been seeing Him in a well-balanced way? If not, do you now realize how damaging it can be to your relationship with God? Please, seek out proper teachings on this. You can study this on your own by looking up each attribute separately, but I highly recommend Tozer’s writings on this subject. His way of writing is so easy to understand and grasp and it is complete. You don’t have to worry about not getting the whole picture. Both volumes are on the thin side, but full of information that we as a church desperately need. Our relationship with Him relies on understanding this in the correct manner.

Until next time, God bless.

~Brenda