Have you ever thought about how many questions we ask every day? Questions like, “When are we going to the park? Where did I leave my book? How long until dinner? Why do I have to clean my room? What happened to the television? Who is our new neighbor?” . . . and on and on. Why so many questions? Because we are curious and want to know things—especially things that matter to us.
Of course, some questions are more important than others. For instance, “Can the doctor help Grandma get well?” is much more important than “What can I have for a snack?” But did you know that there are certain questions that are more important than any others? They are the MOST important questions in the whole world—the most important questions for every person, no matter how young or old they are or where they live. Questions like . . .
Who is God, but the LORD (2 Samuel 22:32)?
Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders (Exodus 15:11)?
Two main questions
What are these questions asking? We could say that they ask two main things: Who is God? and What is God like?
These two short questions are the MOST important questions of all! How can that be? They are most important because their answers matter more than anything else. Where would you find the answers to these two most important questions? God himself tells us:
The unfolding of [God’s] words gives light; it imparts understanding (Psalm 119:130).
Every word of God proves true (Proverbs 30:5).
All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16).
Where can you find the answers to these most important questions? In the Bible! God has given us the Bible so that we can know and understand who God is and what he is like. Yes, your dad and mom and others have probably taught you true answers about who God is and what God is like, but those true answers came from the Bible. There is no other book like the Bible. Because it is God’s own words, it tells the absolute TRUTH—and it tells us the truth about God. For example, in the Bible, God says,
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me (Isaiah 46:9).
Who is God? He tells us the answer: “I am God, and there is no other.” The God of the Bible is the one and only God. What is God like? “There is none like me.” That means that no one and nothing else can compare to God. He is one of a kind. God is so different and special; He is like nothing else.
But do you think that this one Bible verse completely answers the two most important questions? Does it answer everything that God wants us to know about who he is and what he is like? Of course not. We know this because the Bible is filled with thousands upon thousands of verses that tell us more wonderful, exciting, and awesome things about God!
A third important question
But there is another MOST important question to ask after “Who is God?” and “What is God like?” What is it? Before guessing, imagine for a moment that you are playing outside and you see a brilliant flash of lightning and hear a huge clap of thunder. Next, the wind blows so hard that the trees begin to sway and rain starts to pour down. How might you respond? Why might one kind of response lead to safety and another kind of response lead to danger? There are right and wrong ways to act toward a thunderstorm. Now can you guess what the third most important question might be?
How should I act toward God?
Because there is only one true God and because he is more spectacular than a thunderstorm or anything else, there are certain ways you should act toward him—right and wrong ways to respond. You don’t need to guess what these are because, just as the Bible tells us the truth about who God is and what he is like, the Bible also tells us the truth about how all people should act toward God. Here is just one example:
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
In [my] book, we will be going on a kind of treasure hunt through God’s Word looking for answers to the questions Who is God? What is God like? and How should I act toward God? The answers are meant to amaze you beyond anything you could ever imagine and give you hope, comfort, strength, peace, and more happiness than you ever thought you could have! In fact, learning the answers about who God is, what he is like, and how you should act toward him are meant to lead you to find life and joy forever and ever.
Above is an excerpt from the family devotional God’s Attributes by Jill Nelson, part of the popular “Making Him Known” series from P&R Publishing and available where all good books are sold.
