Most people have an imaginary god. It is a god of their own creation, a god they think should exist. This god has been created in their mind so that they can live with him. Their god may demand some kind of sacrifice such as going to church on Sunday or giving a donation to charity. If they are not as bad as some of the worst people that the world has ever known then their god will love them and take them to heaven.
Perhaps your god would not think of harming anyone. He wants everybody to be as good as they can be and that is sufficient. Or perhaps he knows that you are having a tough time and he is there whenever you need a favor in order to get by. He’s just a nice guy that exist to do things for you when you can’t get it done yourself. Wheee!!… you have an answer-on-demand cosmic dispensing machine.
Some people think this is the God as revealed in the Bible. It isn’t.
The God of the Bible is the Most High God. He has created all things for His own pleasure. He governs the universe according to His own desire. The destiny of all, great and small, is determined by Him alone. No creature ever asked God to create him. No one tells Him what to do. He asks the favor, opinion and help of no one.
This mighty, sovereign Deity exist in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He cannot be known to any extent unless He chooses to reveal Himself. He has done so to many.
One such person was Abraham (Abram). Although Abraham was no better than anyone else God revealed Himself to Abraham one day. God told him He was going to bless him and make a great nation out of him. Many other things God did for Abraham but not because Abraham was someone special in and of himself. God did it because He chose to do it. The cause of anything God does is found only in God. If it were not so, He would not be God.
God the Son, in an incomprehensible display of mercy and grace, came to earth in the form of man to save His people from their sin. One day He was by a pool in Jerusalem where there were all sorts of sick, blind, crippled and paralyzed people. One man had some kind of illness that had impaired him for thirty-eight years. Jesus healed him. This man didn’t know anything about Jesus. But Jesus chose to heal him and leave all the rest in their infirmities (John 5). You ask, “Why?” Because Jesus is Almighty God. He does that which is perfectly appropriate and pleasing for Him to do.
Another time Jesus was talking to a group of Jews in a synagogue. He was telling them about the famine back in the days of Elijah. There were a lot of needy widows in Israel but God sent Elijah to help only one in the country of Sidon. In like manner He told them there were many people with leprosy but Elijah was sent only to heal Naaman who was a Syrian. All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage. You can read about it in Luke 4. These Jews were so mad they were going to kill Jesus. But He just exited the scene and they couldn’t do anything about it.
But why were they so mad? Jesus was telling them that He had the power to send whoever He wanted (Elijah) to help whoever He wanted to have help (one widow and one leper). He was in control of their destiny. He could have mercy on whoever He chose to have mercy. There was no obligation He had to do anything for anybody. He chose to have mercy on a few people and a whole synagogue of Jews became angry about it.
So what are you thinking? Do you have the kind of god that you feel is obligated to help you and everyone else according to your expectations? Are you, along with these people, angry that God would just help a few whom He chose to help? Are you mad at the all-powerful Creator of the universe because He has the free will and power to do that which pleases Him?
Be not arrogant against the One to whom you owe your every breath. Humble yourself before Him. Perhaps He who is rich in mercy will grant you repentance and faith so that you may say with Paul:
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).
Perhaps your god would not think of harming anyone. He wants everybody to be as good as they can be and that is sufficient. Or perhaps he knows that you are having a tough time and he is there whenever you need a favor in order to get by. He’s just a nice guy that exist to do things for you when you can’t get it done yourself. Wheee!!… you have an answer-on-demand cosmic dispensing machine.
Some people think this is the God as revealed in the Bible. It isn’t.
The God of the Bible is the Most High God. He has created all things for His own pleasure. He governs the universe according to His own desire. The destiny of all, great and small, is determined by Him alone. No creature ever asked God to create him. No one tells Him what to do. He asks the favor, opinion and help of no one.
This mighty, sovereign Deity exist in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He cannot be known to any extent unless He chooses to reveal Himself. He has done so to many.
One such person was Abraham (Abram). Although Abraham was no better than anyone else God revealed Himself to Abraham one day. God told him He was going to bless him and make a great nation out of him. Many other things God did for Abraham but not because Abraham was someone special in and of himself. God did it because He chose to do it. The cause of anything God does is found only in God. If it were not so, He would not be God.
God the Son, in an incomprehensible display of mercy and grace, came to earth in the form of man to save His people from their sin. One day He was by a pool in Jerusalem where there were all sorts of sick, blind, crippled and paralyzed people. One man had some kind of illness that had impaired him for thirty-eight years. Jesus healed him. This man didn’t know anything about Jesus. But Jesus chose to heal him and leave all the rest in their infirmities (John 5). You ask, “Why?” Because Jesus is Almighty God. He does that which is perfectly appropriate and pleasing for Him to do.
Another time Jesus was talking to a group of Jews in a synagogue. He was telling them about the famine back in the days of Elijah. There were a lot of needy widows in Israel but God sent Elijah to help only one in the country of Sidon. In like manner He told them there were many people with leprosy but Elijah was sent only to heal Naaman who was a Syrian. All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage. You can read about it in Luke 4. These Jews were so mad they were going to kill Jesus. But He just exited the scene and they couldn’t do anything about it.
But why were they so mad? Jesus was telling them that He had the power to send whoever He wanted (Elijah) to help whoever He wanted to have help (one widow and one leper). He was in control of their destiny. He could have mercy on whoever He chose to have mercy. There was no obligation He had to do anything for anybody. He chose to have mercy on a few people and a whole synagogue of Jews became angry about it.
So what are you thinking? Do you have the kind of god that you feel is obligated to help you and everyone else according to your expectations? Are you, along with these people, angry that God would just help a few whom He chose to help? Are you mad at the all-powerful Creator of the universe because He has the free will and power to do that which pleases Him?
Be not arrogant against the One to whom you owe your every breath. Humble yourself before Him. Perhaps He who is rich in mercy will grant you repentance and faith so that you may say with Paul:
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).
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