1 CHRONICLES 28:9

Hey guys and welcome back, I know last week I didn’t post an article, but as I like to say to my mum, I was ‘off duty’ (work got in the way). You’re probably wondering why there is a bible verse instead of a question, this is because we are focusing on just this verse today and to be more specific the first line.

“And you, Solomon my son, know the GOD of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek HIM, HE will be found by you, but if you forsake HIM, HE will cast you off forever.”(1 Chronicles 28:9)

This article will be a bit more personal to me and my journey with Christ and many may find it relatable but in no way would it be subjective to my thoughts and feelings.

‘Know the GOD of your father’. I remember I first heard this verse last year at a Christian convention with my bestie (turned sister), and those couple of days truly did change our lives. This is when I realised, I wasn’t truly saved at all, I didn’t have a relationship with GOD for myself, my connection with GOD was based on what my parents had taught me; I only knew the GOD of my father.

Yes, I was singing and dancing in church every Sunday and praying when I needed to, but it was all empty because it’s something I knew I had to do, not because I wanted to. I think it was important that we had that encounter with GOD away from our usual churches, family and environment because it gave us a chance to feel GOD for ourselves.

Don’t think this just applies to parents, this applies to pastors and other people who teach about GOD. I have been going to the same church since I was 2, I have seen the same people and heard the same voices for 22 years, but I was somehow not growing, I may as well have still been 2. However, in experiencing GOD away from what I was used to, I was able to come back and appreciate my childhood church and all its teachings. Now when I see and hear the same people, I see what I can take away from them and include it in my own personal studying and I actually enjoy going (most Sundays).

Now there’s nothing wrong with knowing the GOD of your father, but you can’t rely on that your whole life, eventually you will need to know GOD yourself and have your own experiences with HIM. There was something my mum was teaching my siblings not too long ago, “as your parents it was our job to bring you into the church but that’s as far as we can take you. At some point you need to decide for yourself if you’re following Christ”.

This is an issue many face, they think its enough to just be marked present every Sunday but there is no relationship behind that if you’re not doing it for you. I thought all the singing I was doing would get me through the narrow gates and in that mansion Jesus mentioned (john 14:2-4) but that only gets you the Matthew 7:22-23 welcome.

How do you build a relationship with GOD? Solomon was told 2 important things “if you seek HIM, HE will be found by you”. If you just count on what your parents have told you about GOD, it means you are not actively seeking him and therefore you don’t see or know him. The other is “serve HIM with a whole heart and a willing mind”. The problem with only relying on the ‘GOD of your father’ is you’re not serving HIM because you want to but because your parents have told you it’s what you’re supposed to do. This isn’t a strong foundation for your faith as your whole heart isn’t in it and it will eventually tip over.

When you grow up in a Christian home your parents will hopefully teach you about the GOD they have chosen to serve, and that is what’s supposed to happen, it’s the first step to knowing GOD.

I remember a lot of teachings I used to get were about GOD blessing you for your works and for a while that’s why I thought to praise him and if I didn’t get anything, it made me have doubts. It is only when I did my own seeking into GOD, I discovered this isn’t always the case, this is why you can’t stand on the teachings of your parents alone.

Your relationship with GOD is dependent on how you view HIM; if you see him as a ‘genie’, you establish a ‘gold digger’ relationship where you go to HIM just for the materialistic things HE can give you.

Now a lot of times when someone is teaching/introducing you to GOD they sometimes add their own experiences, and this is 100% fine. However, if you live a life like Job 'pre-test' and just talk about everything you have been given, people may get the wrong end of the stick and think all their problems are over once they follow Christ which is not true. If you speak to someone in their 'Job suffering era', it could be a deterrent.

You will also find that people subconsciously mix Christianity with their culture (both ethnicity and country). This is a problem because usually the two are not compatible. For example, ancestral activities that shouldn’t apply to Christians, disowning children or overly hating the lgbtqia + group. As Christians, it is our job to go out and share the gospel (Matthew 28:19) in hopes of bringing people to the father, but as we are all constantly learning new things it is easy to mess up sometimes. This is why reading scripture and meditating on the word for yourself is so important, because even if someone teaches the wrong thing, you can always correct it with facts from the bible.