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03.16.2010
My God or The God
Been thinking lately about the God I (and others) believe in, worship, love, pray to, long for, and share with others. Sadly, I think that a lot of us love the theory or idea of God more than God Himself.
Of course, this is seen in those who love to talk and read about the philosophies and proofs of God’s existence more than they love to seek God Himself. I also believe that it’s seen in the fact that often we are believing in, worshiping, loving, praying to, longing for, and sharing with others the god of our desires and imagination rather than the God of the Bible…the God who really is the great “I am.”
Why do we do this? Because it’s easier to commit ourselves to a god that adjusts to our needs and serves our interests than the One True God who demands that we adjust to His desires and serve His interests.
In case you’re thinking this doesn’t happen, let me encourage you to do two things. First, check out Exodus 32. The Israelites didn’t reject the God who brought them out of bondage from Egypt. They just reshaped Him in order to make Him into a god more in keeping with their desires…a god they could see and control. Second, I want to encourage you to be honest with yourself. As you look at the way you seek God and pray, can you see a tendency to shape Him into a god more to your desires and liking? Though I fight against this tendency, it is definitely in me. For me, it’s seen when I start praying to God like He’s supposed to be my genie in the bottle rather than the God I’m to fully adjust my life to follow and obey.
Though, in the short-term, shaping a god to our desires can feel good and appear to work, in the long run, the fact that it doesn’t work becomes unmistakably obvious. Of course, it can’t work. An imaginary god, like an imaginary friend, is, well…imaginary. An imaginary god, no matter how beautifully fashioned, is no god at all. Just ask the Israelites about the power and benefit of the golden calf they fashioned as their god. You might as well look to your favorite peace of art or favorite tree to help you, comfort you, change your life, hear your prayers, etc. It may feel good to have a god that you can see and control, but, at the same time, it’s worthless.
In light of this, I would encourage you to take a close look at the God you are believing in, worshiping, loving, praying to, longing for, following, and sharing with others. Make sure it’s the One True God and not a god of your own making. Though you may find that He makes demands on you that aren’t comfortable or convenient, (have you read Matthew 10:37-39 or Romans 12:1-2), you will also find that having a relationship with the One True God is the only thing that helps make sense out of this often senseless world.
As for me, there’s not one thing that I value in my life today that doesn’t stem from my relationship with the One True God. Though my relationship with Him isn’t perfect, I without question have experienced the truth of Jesus’ words in John 10:10. He really did come to bring us life and life to the full. My prayer is that you will experience it as well.
Comments
8 Comments
WELL SAID!
Judy
March 16, 2010 5:13 pm
Brad, You hit my hot button! One can go to any church, temple, synagogue, mosque, etc. and hear eloquent sermons about how messed up people are and how we need to do a better job of living by a higher standard. Frankly, you could change a few words and use the same message at almost any religious meeting. And it would all be true and relevant!
However, in all of human history only the people who believe the Bible to be from God have the real truth about God: His nature, His character, what He does, and what He has done for people (like us). Why is it that so little time is spent learning from the Bible about the One True God? Is the subject of God boring? How is a person supposed to love, worship, trust, and obey a Lord that they know so little? Commanding someone to love and trust God doesn’t work any better than commanding a foster child to love and trust their new “Mom” and “Dad”. Jer. 9:24; John 17:3
RSA
March 17, 2010 1:35 am
Brad, for the past 6 years now, I have been pursing the God of the BIble, reading it and attending NorthRidge to hear it, because as in RSA’s comment, it has “the real Truth about God”. The Bible is the only place, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to find Him and know Him in order to live the life He wants and has for us. As some have interpreted 1 John 5:21, “if one’s conception of God is not the God revealed in Jesus Christ of the Bible, then that one is considered an idolator”. So, taking the easy road, and committing “ourselves to a god that adjusts to our needs and serves our interests” as in when we consider Him our “genie in a bottle”, in my opinion, can be considered just that – idolatry. Wow! Saying that as a believer is harsh. Even as a believer, being human, we can slip into wanting an “easy life” rather than to expect and live an “edifying life” which consists of furher building up and focusing on the cause of Christ. Luckily, the Holy Spirit is there to rescue the believer from this selfishness and readily points out that this is not His way (John 16:8). John 17 has encouraged and reminded me to pray as Jesus prayed in that our goal is to glorify God, to focus on Him rather than on our own selfish purposes – so we can have “life to the full”.
Thanks, Brad, for this thought-provoking post!
cherilans
March 17, 2010 6:05 am
Thanks, I am definitely guilty of shaping and fashioning God to fit my desires. You know, it hurts; wanting to serve God perfectly but not doing it…SIN.
Miguel Gutierriez
March 30, 2010 1:38 pm
[...] or friendly towards the LGBTQ community or women. Their pastor has a blog as well, and whoa baby does it contain some doozies (although mostly it’s the same insipid things that most pastors write [...]
Harmless as a Hole in the Head — The Gaytheists
April 3, 2010 6:21 pm
You know what? I used to believe in your god until a few years ago, I went to Bible college and saw that your god was actually a violent, blood thirsty monster that I want nothing to do with.
Just giving my honest opinion, is all.
Jessica Sideways
April 4, 2010 4:42 pm
so if we adjust to his desires and interests, then when he tells us to stone women who commit adultery, or to murder innocent children, that’s okay? I guess we could just say it wasn’t our will, it was god’s. Isn’t that the kind of thinking that causes the bombings of abortion clinics, or the killing of homosexuals? I mean, sure, Jesus seems a bit more tolerant, but even he is okay with people burning in fire for eternity. Are you okay with that? I guess as long as it’s god’s will than you’re off the hook. it seems pretty evident that of all the possible gods, yours is the least likely and, therefore, the most invisible.
Matthew Higgs
April 12, 2010 9:40 pm
Your insight to what God really wants from us is amazing!!! I too get caught in trying to get God to give me my desires. Then I really try to regroup and ask for his desire for my life. Also, when I call him the ” Great I Am” (which happens to be my favorite name for our Lord) it gets me back on track…to me it explains it all in 3 words..Thanks for the wonderful article.
Donna
Donna Hammar
April 13, 2010 4:47 pm