Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Theology 101
My dad asked me the other night whether God needed our praise. I took a little time to think about it and I'm a little ashamed to say i said yes. I mean, why else would God create us? Of course, i was wrong. Its not to say that God doesn't love us, because he does. It's just that he doesn't need us. God wants us to dedicate our lives to Him, to praise Him and serve him because it is good for us. He has our best interests at heart and what is really good for us is to be his servants. It's hard to grapple with i know, but to live a happy and meaningful life (a.k.a. the American dream) we need to give it up to Him. It sounds so backwards, so against our instincts; give up control? be servants to an "unknown" God? WHAAA? But if you look around it is those who seem to "have it all" that are least satisfied (ex. Kim Kardashian teeheee). So its almost as if we weren't servants; God doesn't need it, we are in a sense doing it for ourselves because by recognizing that God is perfect and deserves our undivided attention we find ourselves. That's how much he loves us . . that his greatest desire is for his creation to be successful and happy. he is not some selfish, conceited, demeaning God (although he has every right to be). He is a God of love and compassion for his children. Adoring God is like medicine, at first its difficult but in the end it is healthy for us. In fact, it can even be addicting but of course that would be an indication of drug abuse and as we all know from Jichael Mackson thats a no no. HA' that was a joke -.- All i am trying to say is that when we love Him and trust Him we are happier people. God knows what He is doing. At first it might seem like an oxyomoron but God created us, he has just a teensy weensy bit more experience. We need to accept as humans that looks can be deceiving and what we perceive as fulfilling isn't always good for us.
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Good reminder Taly. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteomgsh taryn i almost forgot my blog was public and haven't even checked my comments!I tend to think of it as a sort religious journal to look back on when i am older :) you are so faithful; it really means a lot to me. i hope to see you soon !
ReplyDeleteTaly, I remember well our conversation. If God needed our praise, then his purpose for creating us would not be as love objects by rather as utilitarian objects: to fulfill his need. So why does He want us to praise Him? Well hopefully God, though he doesn’t need our praise, enjoys it – just as any two people in love enjoy the affirmation of their beloved. But more importantly, because God loves us He wants the best for us, and He knows that there is nothing better for us that Himself! As Matthew Ward sings in Knowing You: “…knowing you Jesus, knowing you, there is no greater thing; you my all, you’re the best, you’re my joy, my righteousness”. There is nothing greater, more magnificent than Jesus! C.S. Lewis points out that when we humans are present before anything that is great and magnificent (a great painting, a great symphony, a great sunset) that our natural reaction is to appreciate it with praise. So praise is our natural response when we capture the majesty and grandeur of God. Keep up the good work on the blog! You’re a great thinker and a great writer. Dad
ReplyDeleteDadddyyy you are sooo smart! I am so glad that God chose you to be my dad <3 thank you so much for posting that comment (even though it makes mine look dumb) because it is so true and i want people to realize that.
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