Just How Far Will God Go?

I think as Christians most of us realize that we were created for a relationship with God. We know that God wants that relationship to be voluntary on our part. Just how far will God go to carry out this end?

Consider this. Jesus told us not to fear more times than He told us anything else. We can assume being fearless is important. Yet, we live in a world with storms, disease, violence, destruction, wasps, snakes, spiders, ISIS and the IRS. How are we supposed to be fearless?

We tell each other that God has a wonderful plan for our lives, but His plan for His son was humiliation, rejection and painful death on a cross. How can we expect a better plan for us?

God said we, His followers, would do greater things than He did. He did some pretty awesome stuff. We can’t seem to get out of bed, lose weight, raise kids without criminal records, pay bills or invite people we know really well to church.

Is there an explanation for all this plain madness? I think there is. It came to me in the middle of the night last night. I didn’t eat anything strange before bed so maybe this revelation is valid. I think it’s all about us not realizing just how far God will go to carry out His ends.

Consider this explains why he would allow His Son to be crucified. It explains fearful things like storms, disease, violence, destruction, wasps, snakes, spiders and ISIS and the IRS. It explains why rich people never seem to have enough money, why politicians never have enough power, why strong people feel they aren’t strong enough, why beautiful people spend tons on beauty aids. It also explains why the truly richest of us have no money, why some of the strongest have no muscles, why the biggest world changers are very ordinary, why some of the most beautiful are “deformed freaks.” It explains why ordinary folks can do greater things than Jesus did.

God, it seems, will go to any length to get us to turn to Him. To be in relationship with him we have to be truly humble, acknowledged as weak, and totally incapable of real success. We have to realize that our ONLY peace and security is in Him.

He uses a two-fold carrot-and-stick plan. He places us in a world that in many ways faintly mirrors His glory in natural beauty, the preciousness of children, the ecstatic state of love, rare instances of human self-sacrifice. These are carrots drawing us to the idea and person of a great and wonderful God. He also places us in a world with storms, disease, violence, destruction, wasps, snakes, spiders and ISIS and the IRS. That the stick that drives us to something better, Him.

When we find ourselves in Him. He can do anything through us, which means it will appear as if we are doing greater things than Christ did.

Of all the great attributes of God some of the least appreciated are his smartness and his drive. How Far Will God Go? All the way.