The Gift of God

“If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” 1 Peter 2:3 (author’s emphasis). This is the question that I was asking myself. Did I taste the goodness of God? Peter is not talking about reading about or hearing about the goodness of God or even just saying we know the goodness of God. He is talking about something much greater and far more glorious, something that words cannot express. “You believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” 1 Peter 1:8 (authors emphasis). This is what I want and believe should be the Christian experience at least some of the time. An experience of and joy in God that draws you so close to him that all other desires fade. I don’t want to serve God because I am a Christian or that’s what I know I am supposed to do. I want to serve him because I have tasted him, experienced his presence and desire to please him above all others and myself. In the words of John Piper, I want to “Treasure Christ”.

Through his preaching Piper began to show me that reconciliation to God is the greatest gift of the Gospel. “For Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” 1 Peter 3:18. To be brought near to God is the greatest gift that can be given and a gift is what it must be. The goodness of God can only be tasted through the cross of Christ. Before we go anywhere to enjoy and taste the goodness of God we must first turn to Christ and his death at Calvary. God has and is challenging me, so I want to challenge you also. We need to stop living the Christian life just because we believe in God and know that we need to serve him. We must stop living our lives with less joy then our unbelieving neighbors. God wants to be treasured. He wants it so much he sent his only son to die so that we might be brought near to him.

“How?” First look to the cross. God’s glory is in the face of the bleeding Christ who suffered for you. We can only know the Father through the Son. Second, we must pray. We have to lay ourselves before God and cry to him to cause this to happen. Peter says that God, “According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again” 1 Peter 1:3 (authors emphasis). Surely if he must cause us to be born again he must also cause this to happen. Third, believe in him. Do not doubt him, but trust him and love him, pray in faith to him, regardless of you feelings. God is faithful and in his time will answer your prayer. He will care for you better than you could ever care for yourself.

Father, thank you for the gift of yourself through the gift of your son. Give us a desire for yourself and fill us with your glory and a joy inexpressible that we might say with Peter, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him” 1 Peter 1:8. Why? Because we have tasted the goodness of God!

-Kevin Glick-