In God's name!

I am still wondering why so many atrocities are committed in God's name. I wonder why some pastors and men of the cloth use God's name for their selfish ends. Ever wonder how God feels about this? I heard a pastor once said that when he started preaching he was using a small car. He prayed to God for a bigger one, now he is driving the car of his dream - BMW while his wife is driving a Mercedes-Benz car. I wonder where he got the money from. How do his parishioners feel about his God making him rich while those who contributed to making this happen, just because he prayed to his, God remain poor.

People have used the name of God to kill and maim, they have used his name for murder and all other atrocities that I may not be able to name here. What is the lesson here? I guess, if we want to use the name of God properly, we have to look at the person of Jesus who is the revelation of God. Christ lived a humble, ordinary and peaceful life. He preached forgiveness and love. He did not deem equality with God though he is God's Son. He depended on God his father for everything and taught us to do the same. He addressed God as Abba, Father. He showed how merciful and simple our God is in the parable of the prodigal son. God is the one who stands and waits for us, his wayward children, to come back to him. Once we go to him, he embraces us and restores us again to wholeness.

If we want to do things in God's ways then we have to  live in God's ways. We have to love in his ways and we have to seek to know him in his ways. And who is the best teacher in all these than Christ himself, who said that, he is the way, the truth and the life? If we are to go to God, then we must pass through the way which is Christ our Lord and brother.