Acts 17:24-29
"The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him! One of your poets said it well: 'We're the God-created.' Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn't make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One night a few years ago, I played a song for some of my friends. It was one I had written… and I was quite pleased with it. No sooner had I finished, than one of these friends came to the piano, slid me over on the bench, and said, “What if you did such-and-such… I think that would be so much better. Just leave off this word and that note and change the tempo a little.” He began to play HIS rendition…”There! he said, “that’s better!” I have to tell you, I was insulted! It’s not that I can’t take criticism… it was more the attitude of the critic. He knew better than I how a song I had created should sound – and what the lyrics should be – and he wasted no time in telling tell me!
Here’s the thing… we do this all the time to God. He made us... created us just like He wants us… planned for our lives and instilled us with His hopes and dreams. But instead of listening to God and seeking His will for our lives, we dare to tell Him, “If I just do this my way… if I tweak Your plans just a little bit here and there… they will be so much better!”
Who do we think we are to try to mold God in OUR image? What makes us think that we can tell our Creator that He needs to adapt to OUR specifications? Are we really so out of tune with God that we think we know better than He what should transpire in our lives?
The time has come for a reality check. We don’t like other people telling us that their way is better than ours… so what makes us think this would ever fly with God? The bigger question is… who do we think we are? It’s time to come down off our high horse and humble ourselves before Almighty God… to bow at His feet and say, “LORD… You are my creator... my constant companion… my very being. Work in and through me according to YOUR plans… not mine.” We did not create God… He created us… and He did so perfectly! The question becomes… who do we worship? Are we acting like God’s perfect creations and worshipping Him – or have we decided we are the ones worthy of worship?
This is a good day to search our hearts and get things in perfect order again… to humbly acknowledge our place in the scheme of things as a disciple of Christ… and to let Him have complete control of the design process. Who is “running your show” these days? In your daily living, Who is truly worshipped?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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