Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. (Ps. 24:8)
I BECAME INTERESTED IN CHRISTIANITY when my friend Nancy told me that God loves me. At first I could not wrap my head around the thought that God loved me so much that He allowed His Son to die on my behalf. Coming from a dysfunctional home where I did not sense much love from my parents, this revelation of God’s love astounded me.
Because the language of love had spoken so deeply to my heart, when I entered Africa as a missionary, I thought the Africans I was seeking to reach would also be astounded by God’s love. For this reason, my preaching and teaching highlighted this truth.
Soon after, one of the Zimbabwean pastors I was serving with approached me and shared, “You are not wrong when you talk about God’s love, for the Bible has much to say about this. However, you need to make sure you balance the love of God with the power of God. In Africa, many of us live in the fear of evil spirits. The God we will decide to follow and serve must be strong enough to defeat these bad spirits. Many of us who live in villages do not have a lot of money to go to doctors. So the God we serve must be powerful enough to bring healing to sick bodies.”
List some of God’s attributes, in addition to love and power.
Jim “Umf” Lo is the coauthor of Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul.
