The Lord is Very Compassionate and Merciful

Does an ordinary person's view of the nature of God (or whether or not God even actually exists) have an effect on that person's view of the world? The answer seems quite obvious. If that person believes that God is distant or distracted, that person will tend to be lax in matters of ethics. If that person believes that God is a cruel taskmaster, that person will either hate God or labor agonizingly to earn God's approval. Space does not permit a detailed history of this, but even a cursory examination shows that this is the case. But what if the person in question is a genuine and conscientious Christian? Does that person's view of God have a similar effect? Undoubtedly yes! It is the experience of every genuine and conscientious Christian that as he grows in the knowledge of God, is transformed by the Holy Spirit, and conforms his life to the teaching of Scripture that his behavior changes. This process of growing, transforming, and conforming is the burden of the apostle. He wants you to consider what you know about who God is and how He works in the world – especially among His people. If you know that the Lord is near at hand, and that those faithful ones who came before endured with trust in their merciful God, ought our lives show it? – Pastor Schlegel