Wednesday, February 20, 2008

God At His Best

Sometimes we applaud power more than love.

God Creates Light by H. Pisan
God Creates Light


For example, we look at God's wondrous creation, evidencing unlimited power, and we think this is God's crowning act.
"When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou are mindful of him?"
(Ps. 8:3-4, RSV)

We are overwhelmed by the greatness and the vastness of the creation.

Yet, we know that man, a mere pencil point in space, is of more value than all the planets that swing in their orbits.

To think of God only as power gives us a wrong understanding of him and of our relation to him A person can fear and be awed by power, but he cannot love and worship it.

The Old Testament is very fond of using such terms as God Almighty, Lord of Hosts, Lord Sabaoth, and the like.

But the creation does not reveal God at his best. He spoke and a world leaped into existence. His command met no resistance or rebellion. He spoke and it was so.
"And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen 1:31, RSV).

But this commentary of God was spoken before man "fell" due to his disobedience.

If Creation does not reveal God at his best. What does?

The redemption of his man challenges God at his best.
To shape inanimate matter was easy,
but to win the allegiance and love of his man is God's crowning task.
Matter responded easily, but man can be won only by love.
This calls for God's greatest ingenuity.

Man, created in the image of God, acquired the knowledge of good and evil by his disobedience. This knowledge is both our glory and our doom. When we follow the good we become like God, but when we follow evil we become worse than the beast.

God has endowed man with the ability to plan and direct his life.
But, alas, every man follows his own desires.
Every man commits the sin of Adam in putting his own interests above the interests of God.
God's greatest task is to win men away from their selfishness, to himself.
God spoke to the physical creation, "Let there be light," and it was so. But when God speaks to man, calling for his obedience and love, it is not necessarily so.

God's power, though magnificent, is not God at his best.

Spirit of the Savior by David Jean
Spirit of the Savior

God,

revealed as the suffering servant of love by Jesus Christ,

is God at his best...

J. Herbert Gilmore, jr

allposters


In Him, Mimi

9 comments:

Karen H. said...

Good Morning Mimi,
I'm glad you are okay and was able to spend time with your Daughter and Family. I really enjoyed your post for today. So very true. So many people do go by their own power, but it gets them nowhere in the long run. Men should be like Christ and be setting a good example. "THANK YOU" for sharing such a wonderful post today. The pictures are beautiful also. We are suppose to get freezing rain tonight and tomorrow. I would much rather have some Snow, but I will take what GOD gives us. I just hope it isn't so bad that it causes our power to go out. Take care my friend and have a great day. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Maxine said...

What a wonderful thought. The redemption of sinful man is indeed God at His best. That first picture you posted is awesome.

Pam said...

Mom, thanks for the fresh look at God's great love.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful words and so true. Where would we be without the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Lion of Judah, the Great I AM, the only true love.

Hugs.
Sarah

Rose of Sharon said...

Thank you for the great post. God is so powerful, but He is so loving. I am so thankful for his mercy and grace.

Hugs, Sharon

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

This is an awesome and so true post...Smiles

j said...

Wow Mimi, this was wonderful. God is so good! Jennifer

Unknown said...

thank you all for your kind comments

nannykim said...

I think the thing about the Old Testament is that it really does show us an awesome, fearful God and so it enables me to appreciate Christ all the more because I know of God's wrath, I know of His judgements, His greatness and that now in Christ I am loved and forgiven.