God Treats us Differently

So this is a truth that I have been thinking about lately. I know that people like to say that it is not good to treat people differently, but what if you treated your kids the same way? You know, the older one that thinks that he can get away with everything and is very disrespectful. Will you treat your more mild mannered and respectful daughter the same way? Probably not. Because if you lecture her about respecting people, chances are you will lose her respect since there is little if any dialogue there and she will feel slighted. If you treat the older one like the younger one, then you will ignore the issue and things will get worse.

I find that God treats us as people the same way. We often times forget that because we are often times taught in church that God judges the same way. The one thing that we have to remember is that Jesus did not talk to all the disciples the way he did to Peter. He was at times very harsh towards him because he had to address him that way. Jesus is not that way all of the time. Another example of this is the way you see Jesus reprimanding the Pharisees calling them hypocrites, whitewashed tombs, and children of vipers. But then you see him in John 3 talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, rationally and discussing with him rather than reprimanding him. So Jesus did not treat everyone the same, he was able to talk to and motivate people differently.

I am writing this today because I know that there are a lot of people out there who are thinking, "well I don't see this or that in my life, so God must have forgotten about me." God talks to people differently in different walks of their lives. I get into this discussion because I hear a lot of people that think that God has left the western Church. Just because we do not see overt miracles everyday or we do not see people getting excised everyday does not mean that God is not moving in his people. He has equally be blessing the man in Africa healing people as he did the woman who is encouraging people and helping create opportunities for people to succeed in life.

Neither one is greater than the next. It is just that God moves in different areas differently to reach specific audiences. Breathtaking miracles are of a greater need in religiously oppressive and poorer areas, where as an amazing teacher that moves people is better suited for an audience that has become irrelevant in their community. When we start thinking that God speaks the same way everywhere and start ranking the acts of the spirit, we get into a dangerous place much like the Corinthian church who favored "flashier" gifts such as speaking in tongues. Paul specifically spoke out against that. This is why there is a body, not just parts. We are needed that way, so lets try to avoid thinking that GOd has to act in specific ways.

Finally, one word on Love. When we read the Old Testament, you will see God showing his love numerous ways. When he led his people out of Egypt with the plagues and then parting the sea, that was his love in freeing the people. When he sent them into exile, that was his love disciplining them. Love takes on many forms, but it is doing what is best for the person.

So when you think of where you are with God, whether it is going through a silent period, a disciplinary period, a lavishing period, or a whatever, just know that he always loves you, it is just that there is not set rules for how he deals with us. Just the same way as you communicating with your children or coworkers differently, God talks to us differently at different times in our lives.