Why Do We View God As Being "Un-Godly?"

While driving to work this morning, I realized for most of my life I have viewed God as being ungodly in nature. My mind began to swirl with all of the ways I have viewed God and foremost in my thoughts was how I have believed God was out to "get me." I viewed the creator of the universe as watching to catch me in my mistakes and should I die committing a sin, He would be quick to throw me into the fires of hell! How could I not develop this thought as I was continually taught how narrow the gate/path was and how few would enter in to share eternity with Him.

Having just discussed the aspect of being snared by those who are right in the last blog, I am still wrestling with the petty aspects of those things causing such turmoil in God's family. Coming to mind as I type, are the realities of our earthly families and how we often get trapped into competing for the attention of each other in the family by being a little more extravagant with a gift or invitation so we will be loved or respected more than another. When considering what it might take to be successful in our earthly lives, we are constantly reminded to dot our "i" and cross our "t." Those who pay attention to details are those who will be successful!

In our church families, have we not taught the importance of the DETAILS? Like the Pharisees, have we not even been known by our careful consideration of every aspect when we gather together in praise and worship to God so we will not carelessly do something to offend God and lose our salvation? It took me being slapped hard in a sermon one day before I fully realized how right the preacher was when we declared we not only believe we can lose our salvation but we go further and even believe it more likely than unlikely?

How can we be so bold as to lower God to human standards and nature and even suggest He consider us any less that a loving child when we bring him an offering of praise. How can we consider and believe God looks at one form of worship as being right and acceptable and another form being unacceptable because of what is offered? As you read this last thought, do you want to throw the story of Cain and Abel at me and remind me how God found the offering of Abel acceptable and rejected the offering of Cain? You might even remind me of how the prophet describes the people in Amos 6 of strumming on their harps like David and improvising music so I can fully understand how God is looking for those who pay attention to details and do things the right way.

I'm not sure which one of my relatives first used the term but all of this is more than nonsense, it is HOGWASH! As far as I can tell, from reading my bible, the only time God was interested in details is when He was very specific about what He wanted. Since the Law of Moses was never intended to be the "plan" for God's people, even the details mentioned in the Law are meaningless to what God expected and desired of His people.

If the reader was brought up under much of the same legalism as instructed me in my youth, you might have been taught how Abel's sacrifice was acceptable because it was a blood sacrifice and Cain should have offered an animal. Again, I say hogwash because I am fully convinced (at least right now) of the problem being with the heart of Cain in his offering and not the specifics of the offering. All I can tell for sure in reading the story is how Abel offered the best and Cain offered SOME. Yes, and when speaking of those addressed in Amos, God hated their singing and He hated everything they were doing to honor him, not because the act was wrong, but because their hearts were far from Him.

Someone once told me how when I had children I would begin to understand the reality of a father to a child. We might even go back and look at the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 and see how he brings our attention from the letter of the law to what is on our hearts. When He talks of bringing and offering to the alter and having something against your brother, Jesus does not ask us to check the offering but rather check our hearts and first make our hearts right so the offering will be right. How can we view our Father in Heaven as a vindictive God looking for our mistakes when He is looking for the GOOD in all of us. Those of us who do have children know of the performances and ballgames we have attended and all of the mistakes we witness and yet when we gather our children up, we encourage and cheer them on reminding them of the one fantastic moment they just experienced. In all of our "human wisdom" we act this way and yet we view God as the parent who would yank their child out of the game and take him/her home for a good beating because of the errors made.

Something just recently giving me much pain was watching our youth prepared to participate in the "Leadership Training for Christ." Following the introduction to our church family of the various activities our kids would be involved with, my own daughter came to me and asked why they did not offer activities for those playing instruments and the truth of our continued training to do things the "right way" hit me once again. Not only was it evident in not having opportunities available for musicians playing an instrument, the boys competing in bible reading would be allowed to read and practice in the "official" church setting and the girls competing in the same activity would not be allowed practice time in the "official" setting.

Over the years, I have been encouraged to come use my talents in churches who have orchestras and I have been reminded of the gift God has given me to play horn. As I simply stop writing this evening, the greatest weight on my heart is realizing how my choice to stay in weekly fellowship with the churches of Christ is also my choice to offer God much less than I have to offer. Like Cain, I only offer SOME of what I could give and as we start our new series on whether we will be a fan or follower of Jesus, the decision to be a follower may require something of me I have never considered giving up!