An Approach We Can’t Afford

July 27th, 2006

Yesterday I read this quote on my church’s website:

“…We cannot afford to think less of God than he really is.
We dare not respond to him as merely our comfortable friend
and fail to worship him as our Sovereign Lord.”

I thought about it all day because I wasn’t sure what was meant by “afford.” I definitely understand that we must think of God as He is and resist the temptation to only see Him as who we want Him to be. God alone is God. I may never understand how He can be perfectly loving and perfectly just at the same time but He still is. I may never understand why God does not heal a sick friend or allows someone I love to die, but what He does is good because He is good. God is who He has always been and will be (Rev. 1:8) and I need to get my thinking in line with Him.

I liked how the second part of the quote gives a challenge not to act too comfortable about God. This is a popular approach today because people don’t want to feel bad being in the presence of God. God’s discipline, justice and the fear of God are not popular subjects in Christian groups today because they imply that we cannot just waltz into His presence. We must have a respect for His holiness and be gripped with the reality of His power, then we will better understand how overwhelming His love and grace to us is.

“…True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” John 4:23

I’ve seen in my own life that I can miss this point–to worship Him as Sovereign Lord. I can be so eager to worship Him in thanksgiving and gratitude when things have gone my way. But when I’m unsure of the outcome of a situation or if the opposite of what I was hoping for happens I sometimes allowed that to hinder my worship of the Lord. I think I have done this because I am thinking of Him as less than He really is. It is terrible how with our tiny perspective of life we can still think that we have it all figured out and be put out when things don’t go accordingly. It saddens me how full of myself I can be sometimes which is maybe why I don’t continually embrace who God really is.

If God is sovereign, then I can’t worry. If God is just, then I need to put away bitterness and revenge. If God is the giver of life, then I can’t be angry if He takes it away. If God is good, then I can’t complain about my circumstances. If God is Lord, I can’t be in control. God is all of these things, and we ought to respond trustfully.

Maybe the quote says that I can’t “afford” to think of Him as less than this because if I do I may be paving the way for some sinful thoughts–worry or bitterness–and also missing out on the peace and assurance that trusting Him brings. In Ty’s new blog on worship he writes: “God wants people to worship Him because He knows He alone is worth it.” We can’t afford to waste days or years living for ourselves or a version of God made in our image. We need to approach God for who He is.

“Remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me.”
Isaiah 46:9

1 Comment

  1. Wendy
    July 27th, 2006

    This post reminded me of what my friend Amy is going through. (see http://www.wilhoite.blogspot.com for details). She has such and awesome attitude about where God has her right now and she is trusting in Him.

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