What do we think about God? This isn’t one of those head in the clouds type of questions. The answer has practical implications.
Do you believe that God is angry and wrathful and ready to destroy whoever opposes God?
Do you believe that God is love, merciful, oriented towards peace?
Do you believe the claims of God? Do you trust God? Or do you rather verify before really trusting?
Do you believe that God is hands-off, not really someone or something that we experience or interact with?
Do you believe that God is just an idea, not a “person” at all – but rather a set of ideas?
Now switch out God with people and see if the answers are any different. Often we think that how we relate to God and to other people is far different. But I don’t think so. Sure, there are some differences. But at the core, how we think about God will have an impact on how we treat other people.
That’s how faith works. It comes to us and impacts us in such a way that we spread this faith we have been given to others and it guides how we interact with others.
How we think about God and what we believe about God has an impact on how we treat and interact with others.
Laced up Lutheran 
Ok, here goes. Simply, I love and believe in God; I love people, and am a people person if you will. I trust God; I trust people, sometimes to a fault and get disappointed. God is my best friend…full of love for me, always available and ready to listen. I have many who I consider friends…I love them and being with them, but the love for them is not the same; my trust meter has been activated with a couple over the years…not so with God. From the day many years ago when Jesus came to me in my living room one morning with his loving hands reaching out to me, I have been changed. During some life events within our family, God’s loving presence surrounded the situation, and I knew he was carrying us. Singing and/or humming Amazing Grace became my mantra in the midst of the unfamiliar chaos. That was a time when I could not share w friends, except our one couple best friends of 47 years, but God held us up and moved us forward. After the Jesus appearance I know no matter what, we will have, through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, our best friend at our back helping us carry the load.
As you know I am selling g my car. A mom and her daughter are VERY interested and making moves to buy. Rather than pushing them to hurry, I know it is God guiding me to help them in every way to make the purchase possible. No greed to get the money; just going along with what they need. I want this girl to have it and have promised not to sell it out from under them while the daughter is at the beach. God’s love is driving me to love them and do what is necessary to make this happen and wait! It’s God’s patience working through me…..how else could I love two people I have only met and want the best for them? I am not afraid of getting ripped off by them; their best interest is at stake with me. Whenever God is in control, things work out for good.
Friends can be fickle; not God.
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