Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 1 of AHA by sharing his discovery that many travelers are driven to the Distant Country because they are running away from a god that doesn’t exist. They are rejecting a god of their own creation rather than trusting the true God who created them. The choice is created god or Creator God. Pastor Idleman the describes four such misconceptions of God.
1. Unreasonable Father. In this “mis-creation”, God is an overbearing Father who has a lengthy list of rules designed to take all the fun out of life. God’s ways are too restrictive and His path is too narrow.
2. Unpleasable Father. Since God has such high standards, it is impossible for anyone to meet them. No one is good enough, so why even bother to stick around and try?
3. Unmerciful Father. God is seen as an angry Father who is “borderline abusive and seems to find pleasure in distributing punishment.”
4. Uncaring Father. These travelers to the Distant Country feel as if God wasn’t there for them when they needed Him. God is perceived as an impersonal force that doesn’t know or care what is happening in their lives.
Our real heavenly Father loves us and will forgive us no matter what. As Pastor Idleman concludes, the AHA journey begins “not with a determined commitment to self-help but with a humble request for God’s help.”
Today’s question: Following your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, did you view the heavenly Father as created god or Creator God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Sound the alarm!”
