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Mighty God

Years ago I read a little paperback by JB Phillips entitled, “Your God is too Small.” Written in 1961, he challenges many misconceptions Christians – not non-believers – have about God. His premise is simple: For many of us, our view of God is way too small.

Admitedly, there have been times in my life when I’ve had a small view of God. In my younger years, I was tempted to view God as a cosmic vending machine – put in the right prayer, hit a button, and out pops your preferred answer.

Another small view of God is to think of him as the principal in high school. Stick to the rules or else you’ll end up in his office and that won’t be any fun.

Those are very small views of God – and wrong views of God.

How big is your view of God? While I don’t know the answer to that question, I do know a few things about each of you …

1. At some point in life, you will face impossible odds. Some of you are OK right now. Others of you are facing significant pressures at work or at home. You might have a relationship at the breaking point or feel buried under health concerns or worries about finances.

2. When faced with impossible odds, you will also face the question of whom you will trust. When a marriage is falling apart, where do you turn? When your finances are thin, what will you lean into? When you can’t trust people around you, who will you trust?

Our view of God is directly related to the question of who we will trust. If your view of God is small and confined, then the amount of trust you place in God will be small and confined.

Here’s the good news: we don’t have a small God. In fact, with a God who specializes in this kind of behavior:

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” — Luke 18:27

In that one sentence you have the essence of Christianity. What you cannot do, God can do. From beginning to end, Christianity is about a Mighty God who has the power and willingness to act on our behalf.

Because Jesus is the Mighty God, he can save people who have lied or cheated their way through life. He is able to rescue people who have abused their bodies with drugs or alcohol. He can (and does) save people who have committed criminal acts or have been unfaithful to their spouses. This Mighty God can save people who have railed against him for yearrs.

Not only does he want to save you, he wants to transform you so you can help transform others.

This Mighty God uses transformed people like us to transform schools, neighborhoods. He wants to use your church to transform places close to home and around the world.

Let me put it this way: The life God intends for you to live is one that highlights his ability to do the impossible.

Don’t settle for a small view of God.