A preacher was asked by a homeless street person, ‘What is God like?” The preacher answered, “He is like a father.” The homeless man angrily replied, “Then you can keep Him if He is like my no good father!” A five year old girl asked her dad, “What does God look like?” he wisely answered, “He looks like Jesus.” That is a good answer.
Phillip, one of the twelve disciples, said to Jesus, “Show us the Father.” Jesus answered, “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” The Bible says, “God is love.” Love is His very nature and He expresses it to us in so many ways.
Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, and most Jews crossed the Jordan River twice in order to avoid going through Samaria when traveling from Judea to Galilee. But not Jesus – He went through Samaria. In that culture men did not strike up a conversation with a woman in public. However, Jesus conversed freely with this Samaritan woman. He asked her for a drink of water from Jacob’s well and promised her living water. This Samaritan woman was deeply involved in a sinful lifestyle. Yet Jesus revealed Himself to her as Christ, the Son of God.
Through this encounter with Jesus this woman learned several lessons about how God reveals His love:
- God loves all people of all races.
- God loves both men and women equally.
- God loves sinners. In fact, Jesus is the best friend any sinner ever had. He doesn’t approve of sin, but He provides the way for the sinner to be saved and delivered.
- No one can earn His love, but anyone can receive His love.
And that is what God is like!
GOD IS LOVE!
J.T. Parish is the Founding Pastor of Christian Fellowship Church. He further serves on the Church Leadership Council, as Chairman of the Board of World Missions and Evangelism, and as President of the School of Ministry.