Be honest.  When you think of characteristics that describe God what is the first thing that comes to mind?  We know God loves us but do we think of God as a good God?  I would argue many Christians walk around with a distorted image of God.  Although he loves us, we get a picture of God who is continually tipping the scales and we usually come up short.

We picture God through a cloudy reflection of our own personal experiences and relationships. 

Maybe you had a father who was more of a disciplinarian and all of a sudden our picture of God becomes more of a taskmaster than a loving Daddy (Abba).  I would argue this: The farther we get from God the more our view of God becomes distorted.  KEY: Keep it close.

I truly believe this.  Your distorted view of God will directly affect your relationship with God.  Yesterday at CityChurch (and last night at Community Group) we talked about the story of Hosea & Gomer (Hosea 1-3).  You may need to read that one.  God tells Hosea (a prophet of God) to marry Gomer (a prostitute). 

Hosea 3:1 "The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods..."

We get a picture of Hosea wandering through the streets looking for his adulterous wife.  Hosea represents God, and we represent the prostitute (that's right).  God is continually searching for us and drawing us back into relationship with him regardless of how far we've gone astray (i.e. prostitution).

What an amazing picture!!!  This is a story of PURSUIT (and you are the one being pursued).  I think some of us could greatly benefit by changing our picture of God.

Redemptive Love Sermon Series: Relentless