Honoring God

THIS WEEK somebody asked me my favorite question, and I had a great time answering. I was at the Freshman Orientation of my new college, and I checked my phone for texts. Facebook.com had texted me a question that I had received in a message:

"Why do you believe in God?"

Naturally, I was very excited. That person and I communicated on the subject a few times once I returned from Orientation. Today I'm not going to go into discussion about what the evidence is for God. This is partially because there's just too much to talk about, and partially because I right now I want to talk about God Himself.

We are a very special part of God's very special Creation. He has gone to the ends of the earth and spared no expense for each of us. We are the object of His affection and the focus of His love. And He wants us to love Him back, but by our own choice. So He gave us free will.

Isn't it so sad, then, when we use our free will to run away, to deny Him? But we all do it at some point, often even once we're saved. When people do what God would rather we don't, things go wrong.

Romans 1:28 "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done."

Imagine a man, even the biggest, strongest man on earth, standing on top of the highest mountain. Imagine that he's angry at God, for one reason or another, and begins threatening Him and mocking Him. Now take your view of him up to the top of the sky. Doesn't he look so small? And now look at him from the nearest star, and from another galaxy. This man has practically no size. The whole planet is unimaginably tiny.

It's not fair to say God is unfair, because He is merciful toward us who don't deserve mercy. We're so small, and we're the work of His hands. Who are we to criticize Him? Who are we to forget who He is?

Isaiah 29:15-16 "[15] Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, 'Who sees us? Who knows us?' [16] You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, 'He did not make me'; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?"

Why should God bother with us? Why should He care about a race of creatures who so often seem to pull away from Him? Well, He is love. And love is patient and kind. Love won't give up or change. So He keeps on loving.

And He is mercy. Mercy is not something we earn. It's something we get because we cannot earn it. Grace is by definition undeserved. And we receive it when we realize we can't deserve it.

But mercy is not a license to sin. God forgives the humble and repentant - those who say "I'm sincerely sorry" as well as "I won't do it again."

Romans 2:4 "Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

I'm glad our God is both just and merciful, both mighty and loving. We honor Him because He is faithful and just. We love Him because He loves us regardless of what we are or what we do.

Romans 4: 7-8 "[7] Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; [8] blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

Remember all God has done, and it's not hard to be grateful. Remember who He is, and it's easy to be humble. It's when we are humble and grateful before Him that we are closest to Him, and then it doesn't matter that we're so small.