Steven S Veach

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 – In everything we do, from moment to moment, in chaos and in tranquility, we are to cultivate joy, actively rejoice, continually pray, if not in petitions then in adoration, with thanksgiving and gratitude. This is our Father’s will for us. This is why he sent his son to die for us, that we might in him and through him fulfill his desire.

The Text

What is God’s posture toward me?

Ἀπλῶς (aplōs) Peshat (פְּשָׁט) (Literal Meaning)

I was asked this question on Monday and I jotted it down, thinking immediately that I wanted to contemplate on it in depth during one of my morning devotionals. What does God really think of me? What do I think God thinks of me? What is his assessment of me? Why do I think this? How do I know? Is it possible that God sees me in a different light than I perceive ?

Ἀλληγορία (Remez, alegorical), Διδασκαλία (Derash, homiletical), Μυστικός (Sod, Mystical), Μυστήριον (Pesher, prophetic)

1. What is God’s posture toward me?
   • Ps 103:8–13 – Merciful and gracious, patient. He did not deal with us according to our sin, for his mercy is great for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, this is his forgiveness of our sin. He cares for us as a father cares for his son.
   • Rom 5:8 – God shows us his love toward us by Christ dying for us while we were still sinners.
   • Matt 25:21 – “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”
   • Rom 8:35–39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. What does God really think of me?
   • God seems to care about my well-being.
   • God seems to give me good things in my life, and the harsh, difficult, challenging things he gives me seem to only build me, prepare me, keep me, and humble me.
   • God has given me his Word, he has given me the Holy Spirit (irrational conviction), he has given me grace, mercy. He has given me much in the way of an internal, prayerful, communional fellowship – intimacy, and inner joy.
3. Why do I come to the conclusions of #1-4? How do I know?
   • Looking back, I would say God has been looking out for my best interests since before I came to believe in him. As a young child, maybe 10 or 11, he revealed himself to me in a dream, declaring himself to be God through the words of another little boy, showing me the incredible beauty of his nature, of his essence, of his countenance.
   • He again revealed himself to me, began to pursue me, maybe was pursuing me all the time since before I was born when, in a hospital room in the middle of the night, I encountered him in 2 Peter 2. In that encounter he supernaturally, mystically, metaphysically removed my beliefs in a karmic worldview and replaced them with a theistic one. He rearranged my priorities, gave me a spiritual, unexplainable, unquenchable thirst for his Word. This thirst has served me all these years (33 years). He has never left me, nor forsaken me ( Heb. 13:5; Josh. 1:5; Deut 31:6).
   • He spared me in hours and seasons of trial and tribulation. He kept me from being harmed by evil people. He preserved me and my financial assets during an illness while under the threat of bankruptcy. He granted me great provision, lacking in nothing material, lacking in no good thing for the many years I was alone, celibate, and contemplative.
4. Is it possible God sees me differently than I think he does? How? Why?
   • I often view myself in a negative light: as a failure, sinful, unworthy, illegitimate, and hypocritical.
   • Even when complimented by others, I tend to obfuscate, be self-critical, disqualify the compliment, my success, my positive traits, and instead look to and validate the negative. “You are a good writer,” but I would reply, “But I can’t get published.” “You are a good father,” but I would reply, “But I too often get angry, or lash out at the kids.”
5. Conclusions…
   • God does not appear to see me in the say way I see myself.
   • There is a mysterious area of biblical Christianity that Dr. Missler alludes to but does not elaborate on, that is the process and act of “walking in the Spirit.” I think this might be addressed to some degree in Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM), or in spiritual formation, or in spiritual disciplines.
   • I was actively seeking this deeper form of faith when a contemplative recluse, but God has seen fit to remove me from theory alone and has placed me in more practical, applicable environs, where I have the opportunity to learn this deeper faith through action and practical means rather than hypothetical or theoretical ones.

Next Session:

1. Phil 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Prayers:

Note: These are privately posted to my blog and not available to the public.

Benediction:

“Now [may] the God of peace himself sanctify me completely; and my whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who calls you is faithful and is willing to do it” (1 Th 5:23-24).

Amen…