Praising God is for our benefit

Praising God (worshiping, honoring, and glorifying Him) is for our benefit not His. 

God, who is ¹worthy of all praise, is still fully God whether we praise him or not. He doesn't need us or our praise to be complete or fulfill something lacking in him. He is not ²diminished by our lack of praise nor in need of it. He is the same God with or without us or our praise. 

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." - Acts 17:24-25

Our praise is for our benefit and the benefit of ³others. For this reason He truly and fully enjoys our praise yet doesn't need it at the same time. 

He is not on an ego trip when he calls us to worship and glorify him. He is seeking to love us by calling us to partake of Him in all His love to the fullest extent possible. 

God knows we are most fulfilled and whole when we are honoring him. He knows this is essential to our well being and maximum flourishing - better than we do. This is why He regularly calls us to glorify Him.

For a discussion on the humility of God, click here. 

Is God self centered? Click here.

__________________________________

¹God is worthy of the praise of all humanity and receives praise from all creation, if only because God is the Creator and maintainer of all things. There are many reasons to praise God but this is the fundamental reason by which all men should praise him and the only reason necessary even if there were no others reasons. 

²God is diminished in the eyes of others by our lack of praise for God. But He is not diminished in the essence of His being. God is fully God with or without our praise. This is because He is the God of all glory, honor, and praise within the dynamic, overflowing community of love among and between the Father and Son, in, by, and through the Spirit. 

³Others need to see our praise and love for God to be drawn to Him. When they are, He is delighted for their sake and ours. 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick

Proverbs 13:12-14 ESV

[12] Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

[13] Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment (¹from God) will be rewarded. [14] The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

The "tree of life" is mentioned in several verses (10 in total) but only three books - Genesis (3x), Proverbs(4x), and Revelation(3x). As we look closer at the above passage we can see a connection with all three books. 

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a ²tree of life.

How does obtaining what we desire bring us life? What constitutes life?

It is experiencing a sense of ³value, importance, significance etc.

When we obtain what we desire, it makes us feel valued and important. It gives us a sense of purpose, and meaning. When we don't, we feel rejected, ignored, worthless, cast aside, forgotten i.e. it makes the heart "sick..."

13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

What was the word Adam and Eve despised..."Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you will die."

What would have been the reward for Adam and Eve, if they had obeyed? Wisdom i.e., knowledge of good and evil learned through dependence (trust in) God not independence from (distrust in) God. Seeking to be their own god led to death, not life. 

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. - Proverbs 13:12-14 ESV

Wisdom is knowing the difference between good and evil. To act wisely brings life and avoids harm, destruction and death.

Death and life are compared and contrasted in vs 14 just like the two trees in the center of the garden of Eden (Gen 2:9, 3:3).

Why does God say obtaining what we desire is like a tree! Trees bear fruit. The tree itself is not life but eating fruit from the tree brings us life i.e. not only nutritionally but emotionally as well i.e. a sense of being valued and cared for. 

And what does that eating consist of i.e. how do we eat its fruit?

Obedience. It is through our obedience to God we experience life. Obedience addresses what we must do to have life in contrast to what we are not to do.

Obedience brings life. Rebellious disobedience brings death. Wisdom or true knowledge of good vs evil helps us see the difference.

Eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented disobedience. It was evidence that we are not wise when we act on our own and attempt to be our own god.

For a further discussion on where desire comes from click here.

Was there anything evil about the tree of a knowledge of good and evil, click here?
______________________________

¹"...but he who reveres the commandment (¹from God) will be rewarded." 

To revere the words of God To revere God i.e. "the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom." Prov 9:10

²What is the essence of life? To experience our significance, importance, value. In a word, to be loved.

How does our experiencing significance, importance and value give us life? Because God is significant, important, and valuable i.e. He is life and we experience our own value in honoring and enjoying His. In this way we are like Him i.e. in His image. 

God is Father, Son, and Spirit. The Spirit eminates from and manifests through the love and joy the Father and Son have in seeing and experiencing the infinite worth and beauty (glory) of the other. We were designed to participate in this relational dynamic. We experience our glory (significance, worth, importance etc) as bearers of His image by partaking in His glory.

"And this is eternal life, that they know (ginóskó - intimate, relational, or experiential knowledge) you, the only true God (i.e. true Source of life, love, and all things), and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." - Jn 17:3

³why do we need to experience a sense of value, importance, and significant? It is so we can appreciate and enjoy the value, importance, and significance of God i.e. we can only do so to the extent we experience our own in, by, and through our experiencing Him.  

In order for us to appreciate and enjoy Him, we must have corresponding qualities within us that match up or align with who God is - as the all glorious Creator of life, love, and all things - in order to partake of and experience these qualities in Him. I.e. we must be like God - in His image - in this same glorious way, so we might partake of His greatness, significance, importance, and value.

Everything that is, exists because God created and sustains it. If God was not, nothing else would be. This makes Him the most significant, important, and valuable being of all other beings or things. He alone is the Alpha and Omega -  the King of kings and the LORD of lords. All things are from, through, and to him. To Him be the glory (the recognition of His infinite worth/value), forever and ever. Amen!

death and hell defeated

When Scripture says Satan is defeated and Christ now holds the keys to death and hell, what does this mean? 

This is simply saying that death no longer holds the same meaning and effect it once did. Satan and death no longer have the final word regarding our eternal destination i.e. our eternal separation from God and loss of all the gifts of life we now enjoy. When we are in Christ, death now means we are ushered into his presence when we die and exit this veil of tears. This is why Paul said,

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:“Death is swallowed up in victory.”  “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Co 15:54-57

This does not mean pain and suffering (or Satan) are eliminated in this life, or that death no longer exists (people die every day). It simply means if we are in Christ, death no longer signifies judgment and our ultimate separation from our Creator, nor do the accusations of Satan that we are worthless, guilty, and justly condemned. Why? Because our acceptance by God is based solely on Christ's efforts, not ours. 

Pain, suffering, and death have been conquered, neutered, defused, altered, and are even redeemed and used to bring life in this present world (i.e. to draw us closer to God, who is life). Ultimately, they will no longer be useful or necessary and will eventually be done away with altogether. 

If we are in Christ, they are no longer tools or instruments of destruction and eternal separation from God but are now used as a means of deliverance from our focus and preoccupation with self.

Death no longer means final and eternal death because the sting of death has been removed. Before Christ, the sting was that it ultimately led to condemnation and eternal separation from the Source of life, love, and all the blessings of creation. It no longer does for those who are in Christ. Now death is used as a means to life and ushers us into His presence in this life, with fullness of life awaiting us. 

" 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' " The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  1Co 15:55-57

Christ fulfilled the demands of the law and our just condemnation for all the harm we caused others by ignoring it!

2Co 12:7  So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited (who do you think gave the thorn...it wasn't Satan himself. And note it is described as a gift, not a curse or punishment).

When the Bible says that Christ now holds the keys to death and hell, it does not mean he's eliminated these, but by his resurrection, he overcame them, and now he's redeeming and using the challenges for our ultimate good and his glory. All this is offered to us if we receive His gift of eternal life in, by, and through Christ! Only through Christ is this true. 

Can there be peace on earth?

Due to humanity's spiritual bankruptcy (i.e., brokenness) and the resulting inclination to first take care of "number one" (ourselves), there will never be a complete utopia in this life - the goal of ¹all economic or political systems.

To have a true utopia, the individual parts must be sound. A system, no matter how perfect, cannot work properly if the individual parts are not whole and working properly. 

If you build a wooden structure with boards eaten out by termites, the overall structure is unsound and must be reinforced or artificially propped up, or it will collapse under any sustained weight or pressure.

This does not mean we should abandon living a ²productive life and seek to love God and our neighbor as He has called and designed us to. However, the only way we can is when we are fully plugged in and engaged with Him who is the Source of life, love, and all things. If we are not in union with the Source of life, we are empty vessels at best, focused on filling the void - or trying to. This results in us being takers - in need of being made whole - not givers. The emptiness must be filled in the way it was designed to be if we are to be givers. 

The solution isn't implementing (or imposing on us or others) a particular economic or political system ¹externally but being fully connected and plugged into God himself, which is an internal solution that restores wholeness, resulting in things working outwardly as designed. 

If all the individual parts of a system - i.e., you and I - are not sound, the system will not work, no matter how perfect the outward design of that system may be. Any system composed of flawed individuals (parts) can only result in flawed and inferior outcomes. 

For this reason, a perfect system will never work; only perfect values and people willing and able to pursue them. Ultimately, this can only occur through people who recognize the greatness, worth, beauty, and glory of their Creator, and their dependence on Him and accountability to Him.

The solution ultimately is spiritual, not political or economic. It is in first knowing God and then making him known (the first and second greatest commandments and motto of Columbia International University - the college I attended), not just in word but in deed. To make Him known, we must first know Him in all His infinite love to and for us.

The real question isn't if there can be peace on earth, but how and when will it occur. For more on this, click here.  

For a discussion on giving as you have received, click here.  

For a discussion on obedience as the fruit of abiding, click here.

For a discussion on being fruitful, i.e., sewing and reaping, click here.

For a discussion on the basis of morality, click here.

For a discussion on what it means to "obey the authorities" in Romans 13 Click here

_______________________________ 

Footnotes:

¹I am referring to economic systems - such as socialism or communism - externally imposed on us by the state and not internally and organically advanced. We are social-relational creatures, and as God's image-bearers, we are designed to receive and give love, not forced to.  

However, we are also spiritually bankrupt and broken - i.e., unplugged bearers of God's image made to be in union with (plugged into) their Creator. We can no more fully be who we are designed to be than a Christmas tree, ornately decorated, sitting in a dark room, unplugged from the electrical outlet. 

For more on our brokenness, click here.  

²We are clearly instructed in many places within the bible to be "fruitful." Most of these verses address spiritual fruit. However, spiritual fruit is usually manifested by actions that often produce material fruit. In fact, any action that produces material fruit should be driven spiritually i.e. by the Spirit/Love. If it is, it is valid. It is spiritual in motivation (i.e. for God's glory) with a material outcome.  

For several posts addressing operating in the Spirit, click here. 

³There is nothing wrong with personal consumption. Not in itself. If we do not consume vital resources -- water, food, shelter etc. -- we die. Consumption is not just necessary but vital. 

A pursuit that is solely driven by personal and excessive consumption as a substitute for God (i.e. an idol) is our challenge, not consumption itself. 

*Private ownership of property and the opportunity to acquire property through diligence is assumed throughout the bible. The founding fathers who penned America's Constitution and the Declaration of Independence acknowledged this when they declared we had a "right" to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What most don't know is that the pursuit of happiness is the right to the fruits of our labor, i.e., property.  

Christ instructs us to pray for his rule and reign to come on earth as it is in heaven. 

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." - Matt 6:10 

Is this a prayer to usher in the Kingdom now or in the future? Both. 

For a discussion on what the kingdom of God is, click here. 

Which comes 1st, grace or humility?

Which occurs first? Our seeing God as the Source of life, love, and all created things more clearly or our being weaned from an ¹inordinate delight in created things? 

Several places in scripture teach that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. This indicates humility comes ²before grace (i.e., the gift of ³God revealing Himself more fully to us) or at least humility is the means of experiencing ongoing and increasing grace. 

We must recognize attempts at being our own God - our arrogant independence - do not work long-term, i.e., we must humble ourselves. We must die to live. Death to our attempts to save ourself comes before life. 

God is our greatest happiness. Anything that increases our union with Him is good, even (and maybe especially) pain.

For a discussion on the necessity of humility click here

 

How do we discover God's love in our pain? click here

For a further discussion on the primary role of pain click here

For a further discussion of how God uses evil for our good click here...and here.

The greater the evil the greater the opportunity for healing/

grace click here.

For a discussion on the key lesson from the book of Job, click here.

For a discussion on the value of paradox, click here.

_____________________________________

Footnotes:

¹Why do we hold on to and pursue created things so tenaciously? It allows us to temporarily cling to our independence from God. We want the delights of creation without the humility of admitting they are all gifts from our Creator or the necessity of our submission to and dependence on Him. 

²The old saying is you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. 

However, you can also salt its oats. 

The choice to not drink is up to the horse. Salting its oats is up to someone else. 

While the choice to humble ourselves precedes our experience of grace, pain is often a means by which we are humbled. We often have no control over painful circumstances, even though we have control over how we respond to them i.e. we can either humble ourselves in response to pain or become defient and rage at God for it.

³it is not because God is hiding that we can't see Him, but because our pride - our tenacious clinging to our independence - blinds us to seeing Him clearly. It takes humility to see and appreciate humility i.e. to see Christ as the humble servant He is. We can't see or grasp what Christ is truly like without humility because He is humble. 

Without humility we project on to God arrogance when He says we should honor and praise Him i.e. we don't see Him correctly. We suppress the truth in our unrighteousness i.e. our unbelief and valuing (worshiping) created things over our Creator (Rom 1:18-23).

Yes Christ is the Lion of Judah but he is also the Lamb of God who willingly humbled and submitted himself to the Father to be slain... and that for our sake and the Father's glory i.e. he did this for the sake of others. 

Advancing in pain

The age-old question is if God is good, why is there so much pain. 

But maybe that's the wrong question and the answer is not what we usually think. Maybe God allows pain to remain to humble us and help us see our need for Him, with the long-term goal of our spiritual advancement and ultimate gain. 

Christ said, "...What does it profit us if we gain the whole world but lose our own soul?"

Isn't the opposite also true? What if we lose the whole world and gain our eternal soul? Is this not far more valuable than having the things of this world? How we answer these questions may determine our ultimate destiny and therefore well worth asking.

While pain is ultimately the fruit of our rebellious distrust of God, He still uses it for our good. If God could not bring good out of evil, evil would not exist. Christ's death would be the ultimate example of this profound paradox. 

Acts 2:23 "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."

What a mystery that God used lawlessness to bring to us the greatest gift of eternal restoration to the Father who is the Source of life! 

Therefore, we must not allow suffering to discourage or shame us, or ¹cause us to fall into self-pity e.g. "You're a loser! Why keep trying? Just quit!..." etc. 

But we must embrace pain and embrace God and His love for us in our pain and failures for our advancement to occur (God is for us, not against us. Nothing separates us from God's love...Rom 8:31-39). 

"...Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in ²hope of the glory of God. 

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 

and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us..." - Romans 5:2-5 ESV 

As long as we look at loss, failure, or mistakes as losing and not stepping stones to advancing, we will not embrace them with thanks, learn from them, and let them develop our maturity and advance our walk with God. When we recognize our losses, failures, and mistakes are vital to our spiritual advancement, we embrace them with gratitude and experience God's grace, mercy, and love in them. 

Having our identity and value rooted in God as the bedrock of our existence - and the very Source of love itself - frees us from seeing failure or loss as losing. The whole mindset of the Bible is that ³failure is a necessary stepping stone to progress and maturity. 

"When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence..." - Jas 1: 2-8. J B Phillips translation. 

This is foundational to understanding and embracing pain with thanks instead of becoming disillusioned, angry, or bitter over suffering and seeking to manipulate our circumstances to avoid it. 

The importance of humility

Another vital key to the value of loss or failure is humility. To understand we will never reach the maximum potential we were created for without God (which failure or loss helps us to see) causes us to look to Him in greater dependence. Greater dependence on God as the Source of life, love, and all things is the essence of humility. Only through humility can we reach the potential God intends and designs us for.

Christ himself, who deserved far better, did no less... i.e. he experienced the greatest suffering and humility. And that for our benefit as well as His Father's glory.

"...Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:5-11 ESV

How do we discover God's love in our pain? click here

For a further discussion on the primary role of pain click here

For a further discussion of how God uses evil for our good click here...and here.

The greater the evil the greater the opportunity for healing/

grace click here.

For a discussion on the key lesson from the book of Job, click here.

For a discussion on the value of paradox, click here.

For a discussion on the necessity of humility, click here

____________________________________

Footnotes:

¹nor let pain embitter us. At the root of anger is the belief that we know what is best for us - and/or the world - better than God. Yet we are finite, not all-knowing or all-powerful. Only God is infinite in these things. 

And not only so, but he is also all-loving. He not only knows what's best (all-knowing) and does what's best (all-powerful) but wants it for us also (all-loving).

But many object and say, "How can God be all-loving and continue to allow all this pain in the world? What proof do we have that He is all-loving?" 

Glad you asked! He became a man just like us and fully embraced our pain so that we might ultimately be free of it forever.

² "...we rejoice in hope of the glory of God..." What a curious expression. What is it about the glory of God that gives us hope. To explore this further click here.

³This is contingent on our seeing failure as a means by which God can ultimately advance us. If we do not, it will embitter us.

3 realities most ignore

Three primary realities are absolutes. To ignore them without consequence is unavoidable and leads us away from our maximum flourishing i.e., from reaching our greatest potential ¹for the glory of God. If we remain on this path of denial, it ultimately leads us down a path of destruction. 

1. Everyone - atheists included - operates by faith. 

Because we all are finite and do not have infinite knowledge, no one can know with absolute certainty whether our views or conduct are or aren't on the right track. To know and live correctly, we must confide in the Source of infinite knowledge, life, love, and all things - i.e. the Creator and Designer of everything. 

For related discussions, go to:

The necessity of faith in an infinite God.

The essence of relationships

The necessity of dependence

2. The object of our faith is more critical than faith itself. 

Because we are finite in our knowledge and ability, we can pursue a course of action we believe is life-giving when it is actually harmful - at least long-term if not in the short run. This results in harm, destruction, and eventual death. 

To use an analogy, we may consume food we believe is life-giving when in reality it is harmful and life taking - i.e. toxic. We actually do this all the time.. Our certainty in the direction we choose, no matter how strong, does not change the nature or harmful effects of what we are consuming.

The problem isn't our faith but what we place our faith in. 

3. Everything is designed to operate a certain way i.e., there is design.

Because of this, there are always destructive consequences if something or someone operates contrary to its design. 

This is why following God's law is vital. For example, in science, we refer to the laws of nature. Why? Because when tested and applied, these laws or principles always result in the same outcome. This is evidence of design (and a Designer). For us - and any other created thing - to go contrary to its design results in things breaking down and eventually self-destructing.

There are also laws in the metaphysical (non-material) world, since we are not only physical but also spiritual beings created in the image of God, who is Spirit not physical 

Laws are the tracks or guard rails by which something (or someone) is designed to operate. If we ignore our design and these laws, things do not work properly and to their maximum potential. As a result, we suffer loss, breakdown, and eventually self-destruction. 

Just like a train needs tracks to run on for maximum performance, so it is with all of creation; from humans, who are the most complex, to the smallest elements of the quantum world. Everything has a design and purpose, which is to operate according to God's design and intent.

Only the Designer knows perfectly what that is. We can experiment, test, and discover how things are designed to function only because design exists and is observable. 

But to know our design and purpose, we must confide in the Designer, heed what He says and observe what he's done, as well as observe how things function. 

How? 

God actually took on human form and lived among us, living out God's design and giving us direction through His words and example. These things have also been put in writing and left for us to study and understand.

¹For a discussion on how we are created for joy in God and His glory, click here.

For a discussion on how God's greatest glory and our greatest good are tied together and not at odds, click here.

Free will or free choice?

While our choices are ¹free and 100% ours (i.e. we freely choose to do what we want), our ³wills are not. Our wills are tied to our desires. 

To say it another way, our "chooser" is not broken but our "wanter" is.

²And our wants (desires) dictate what we ¹choose to pursue. 

If we desire (want) the wrong things we choose to pursue the wrong things. 

And our desires are tied to what we value. The more we value something, the more we desire it and the harder we pursue it. 

And we value only what we ⁴see as valuable. 

If ⁴we are blind to seeing God's true value, worth, beauty, wisdom, glory, majesty, and power as our infinite loving Creator - i.e. the Source of life, love, and all things - we will never pursue Him as the infinitely valuable and significant being that He is. We will desire and pursue created things and beings instead. 

(For a further discussion on our ability to seeing things as they truly are, click here.)

Why? ⁵We are like God and created to enjoy (delight in) Him who is most valuable, beautiful, wise, glorious, majestic, and loving. Absent a personal relationship with Him, we go after His creation (the next best thing) to fill the void of His absence. Particularly other bearers of His image (you and I) who, by design, are most like God and have the greatest capacity to love and reflect Him most when in union with Him through Christ.

And what we value is usually based more on faith than experience. 

"...without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Heb 11:6

For a further discussion on the importance and necessity of faith, click here.

So do we have any evidence that God is trustworthy outside of - or inspite of - our circumstances? Yes, Christ himself and what he went through to restore us to the Father. If this was the only evidence to prove God's love to and for us, it is more than sufficient. No other evidence is necessary.

God's glory is our glory.

Scripture tells us God is infinitely valuable (glorious) but what about our value and our feeling significant or important? Does it matter? If so, why?

Because God is significant, important, and valuable, we are and must be like Him in this same way in order to be able to appreciate and enjoy these qualities in Him. 

We are told in Jas 4: 

[5] "...Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”"?  

What kind of spirit has God put within us? A spirit that longs (is passionate) for infinite love, worth, and glory. Love that can only be satisfied fully by the Source of love - our Creator; not by creation.  

He will not share in (is jealous over) our pursuit or loyalty to any other "lover" because He knows our greatest joy and satisfaction is ultimately in Him. There is no other true "lover" who can fill this need and desire in us for love; love that He designed to be filled ultimately and only by God who is love. Not because He needs our love but because we need His. This is "the spirit He has made to dwell in us."

Also our capacity to value and enjoy Him is unparalleled by any other creature.

Our being in His image wasn't happenstance. He designed us this way. He is the Creator, we His creatures...but unlike the rest of creation we are created in His image. Therefore He loves us and desires we experience Him to the maximum extend of His true worth and our capacity as bearers of His image. 

Everything in creation we seek for life outside of God is temporary. Creation is good and has value but it is limited. Therefore it comes up short of filling our need for and sense of value-worth (glory). 

GOD alone is the Source of infinite love. To experience His love to the maximum extent of our capacity, we must give Him all our loyalty and faithfulness (i.e. have no other "gods" before Him). Otherwise we will never experience His love as it truly is and as we were designed to, but instead we will pursue created things for love, meaning, and purpose outside of and instead of Him.  

Where does this need/desire for significance (glory) come from? Click here. 

Why was there a forbidden tree in the garden? Click here.

For a discussion on the necessity of choice click here.

For a further discussion on how our "wanter" is broken and not our "chooser" click here. 

For a discussion on how our choices are effected by our ability to see, click here.

For a discussion on ability vs responsibility click here

____________________ 

Footnotes:

¹And our choices are ours alone. No one else's, including God. Therefore we are fully accountable for what we value and chose to pursue. 

²Note the progression of the "ands" above. Each deals with a significant shift, but also a vital connection to the previous and following "and" statement. To get to the 2nd "and" you must acknowledge the 1st. And to get to the 3rd we must recognize the 2nd etc. 

*our wants-desires dictate what we ¹choose to pursue. 

*our desires-wants are tied to what we value

*we value only what we ⁴see as valuable. 

³Is God free to do whatever he wants? 100%!  But because God is holy He only wants (desires-wills) what is good and best and freely choses righteousness i.e. His character or nature dictates His will/desires, as does ours.

 For a fuller discussion click here.

⁴To see truly, the Spirit of God must reside in us. And that only occurs after we've been "born again" i.e. after we are spiritually regenerated. 

"Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (1st) he cannot see the kingdom of God.” " John 3:30

Before we are born again we are blind to spiritual things - i.e. things pertaining to God's kingdom. The Bible says we are dead to God. Last I checked dead people don't see very well 😉! 

⁵Why does our feeling and desire for significance, importance, and value matter? 

We are like God who is significant, important, or valuable. We must be like Him so we can appreciate and enjoy these qualities in Him. Those persons or beings most like God are most able to appreciate and enjoy Him as He is.

God's  significance, importance, and value (glory) are the foundation for (and Source of) ours. Our recognizing this about God is essential to experiencing our own true value (glory). The more we see his glory the more we experience our glory in and through Him. 

Trials, tests, temptations

What is the difference between trials (or tests) and temptation? 

All our internal turmoil, anger, anxieties, fears, etc., come from the threat of losing something we believe we must have to experience a sense of significance, importance, meaning, value, and love, etc. 

The more we see and experience God as the source of our worth - i.e., our glory - the less internal turmoil we have. Instead, we have peace that is beyond understanding - i.e., peace that makes no sense in light of hard circumstances or struggles. 

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - Jesus - John 16:33 

Every test/trial becomes a temptation. Any change in your circumstances - whether good or bad - is a test/trial. If you fall into poverty or receive great riches, adversity or prosperity, success or failure, it tests your faith. i.e., whether you will be drawn away from God by the successes or struggles, or to God in greater trust and dependence.

Anything we pursue - be it praise, money, fame, recreation, physical intimacy, entertainment, etc. - which becomes the basis for our worth, significance, importance, value, approval, acceptance, etc., more than God - is our god, i.e., an idol. 

Tests will push you to become a better or worse person based on how you handle them, i.e., with humility or pride; in gratitude and greater dependence on God, or as an reason (excuse, justification) to become more independent from God.

Either way, you will not stay the same. Trials are opportunities for growth or distraction, making you better or worse, grateful or bitter.

Jas 1:2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed (i.e. humbly dependent on God), not deficient in any way. - The Message translation

The only legitimate reason for any pursuit is to honor and glorify God, not advance our personal agenda. It is also in pursuit of God's glory that we find our true and greatest worth and joy. 

Is there Order and design?

Even though things are broken, there is still order in the world. The universe is not random chaos. Most things remain predictable; clear patterns and design persist. If that weren’t true, the scientific method itself would be impossible—it would be a meaningless, useless myth that we should abandon. Yet we use it consistently, knowing it works.

Moreover, to call something “broken,” we must have a standard of what “whole” looks like. The very idea of brokenness depends on comparing it to an original order or design. Something can only be broken if it was first ordered (or designed) to function a certain way. 

If we see a watch lying on the ground with its glass cracked and hands frozen, we instantly recognize it as “broken” only because we already know what a properly working watch is supposed to look like and do: keep time accurately, with all gears turning together in precise harmony. 

If there were no such thing as an intended, designed order for a watch—if watches were just random lumps of metal that sometimes ticked and sometimes didn’t—no one would ever say “this watch is broken.” They’d just say, “This is a watch.” 

The concept of “broken” only makes sense against the backdrop of an original “right” or “ordered” state. 

The same applies to the world: we can call parts of it broken only because, under the cracks, we still see an underlying pattern and design that things are meant to follow.

For a discussion on violating design, click here

For a discussion on our world being full of design and beauty, click here

For a discussion about how Christ is our Designer, click here

For a discussion on celebrating our design and our Designer, click here

For a discussion on how everything is broken, click here.

For a discussion on how we are created for glory, click here.

good and bad "obedience"

Doing what God tells us to do (obedience) out of love for and trust in God is legit - as well as commanded by Christ himself. John 14:21-23

Doing what He tells us to do for any other reason is not. It is performance-based, operating in the flesh, etc.

The key is knowing why we act and not just how we act or what we do. For example, praying in itself isn't necessarily a righteous act. We can pray to impress others or solely for our personal benefit and not out of a desire to honor God and advance His purposes.

So why do we act... when are our actions legit? Always and only when done out of love for and trust in God so we would honor Him i.e. give him glory.

1. Sometimes we obey God out of loving affections for God

2. Sometimes out of faith alone.  

As long as we do so for his honor and glory and not to secure our own honor, we are to pursue him in faithful and loving obedience. 

We can never wait for feelings/affections or use lack of them as an excuse to not pursue him in faithful obedience. 

If we are to grow and experience more and more of the beauty, majesty, love and glory of God, obedience is not optional. It is the means by which our faith is exercised and we draw near to God.

NOTE, I did not say obedience is the means by which God draws near to us. We are exhorted to draw near to God, not the other way around. God being near to us is already set because of Christ's work on our behalf. God is 100% with us and committed to us if we are in Christ. Nothing we can do or not do will change this one iota. "It is finished" to use Christ's words. His loving us is never determined by our work...ever!

The beauty however, is God, in his grace and kindness, will often stir affections toward Him once we step out in faith for the right reason.

We obey so we can better honor and glorify God and be the most effective for Him in doing so.

Obedience, submission, and trust aren't about winning God's love for us, they're evidence of our love for Him.

________________

What about "waiting on the Lord?"

We only wait when it is not clear what Gods will is in a given circumstance. But when it is clear (e.g. his commandments), we act and don't look back.

From Adam to Christ

Before our rebellion, it appears we were spiritually ²neutral. As image bearers we had the capacity, unlike any other creature, to fellowship with God and did i.e. we could willingly receive and return His love. But we weren't ²inclined toward or away from God. You could say we were a blank canvas yet to be painted on.

However, we were also finite. And because of our limits we had no way of verifying on our own, with ⁶absolute certainty, who was truthful and trustworthy, God or the serpent. 

Ultimately, it came down to trust. Our ¹trust in God hadn't yet been tested or confirmed. We had no reason to question God prior to that conversation with the serpent. The serpent's suggestions put into Adam and Eves mind doubt about God and His love for them for the first time. 

This is also why there were 2 special trees in Eden. (And not just anywhere in the garden but at its center). 

⁴We were given two contradictory claims or "promises" from two distinct sources and had to choose which one we believed. In God's original instructions, "do not eat..." it is clear God wanted them to have and make a choice. 

When humanity's trust was tested, we chose (and continue to choose) to trust ourselves (be our own god) instead of trusting the one true God. We believed we could - and can - decide what was (and is) best for us without God, and know ²good and evil without looking to or depending on God for input. As if we were all knowing and even smarter than God. We set ourselves up as the final arbitrator of what is good or evil - an act of rebellion towards God as the Creator of all things and also a lie which was contrary to our design. 

This continues to be the present modus operandi for all humanity to this day. We trust in ourselves with all our heart and lean not to God's understanding (wisdom). In all our ways (i.e. actions) we acknowledge ourselves wiser then God and lean on our own understanding instead of His to direct our paths.

Ever since our rebellion, we are naturally inclined towards distrust of others, God first, as well as each other.

We went from being neutral to being bent away from God, and we remain that way to this day. We (and humanity as a whole) are now broken, fragmented, and continue to come "unglued" as we seek to find life and make it work without God resulting in all the pain and suffering we see throughout the world.

Without God's help, all our actions are rooted in self-trust and distrust of God. Every time we make choices without looking to God for input, we are saying God is not necessary or trustworthy to live life at the highest level. 

The solution?

The second Adam compared to the first. 

The Spirit led Christ into the wilderness after His baptism (when the Father said He was well pleased with His Son), and thus Christ's formal ministry began. 

Christ's trust in the Father was tested 3 times in the wilderness; as was Adam's. Unlike Adam, Christ passed each time. 

Christ's trust was also ⁷tested throughout his incarnation, and culminated in Gethsemane right before his betrayal and crucifixion, when he said "...let this cup pass from me...but not my will, but yours be done..." and also on the cross "...My God, why have you forsaken me?" 

Being placed into Christ vs remaining in Adam. 

Christ's passing of these ⁷tests of trust was for us, not him. His passing them is now offered to be assigned to us as if we passed them when we didn't and haven't. Where Adam failed to be who God created mankind to be, Christ the man succeeded!

But we are asked to trust God - like Adam was asked - again and receive this offer. It is not forced on us. Yes, we can refuse to trust God, but we are left to bear the consequences of our rebellious distrust (as Adam was) and the harm it causes ³God, others, and ourselves. 

For a further discussion on the initial rebellion of man - i.e. "the fall" - click here. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Footnotes:

¹As finite beings, we cannot operate without trust. To do so would require us to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present. Only God is infinite and has these attributes; we do not. 

During Christ's incarnation, he was not all-knowing. This was part of his emptying himself (known as the kenosis). He said many times there were things he did not know in his present human form. This is also why Christ, as a man, operated by faith, like we do and must.

²knowing good and evil was basically knowing right from wrong. As finite beings and before their rebellion, they needed to confide in God when presented with a choice between right and wrong. The serpent suggested they (we) could be "free" from this seeming shackle if we ate from the forbidden tree. However, we made our choice by ignoring God's instructions to not eat of the forbidden tree and have reaped the consequences of pain, suffering, and death, as God warned, ever since.

³we can not harm God personally. God needs no one or nothing outside of Himself and needs nothing from us. But we can bring dishonor to Him by our thoughts, words, and deeds, resulting on our hindering others from seeing Him as He truly is, ultimately leading to their harm. 

For us to speak and act as if God is not significanct or worthy of honor is by example leading others to do the same i.e. away from God. But He alone is worthy of all honor and glory because He is the Source of life, love, and all things. To Him all glory is deserved and should be given.

Our rejection of our dependence on God was contrary to who we are - creatures dependent on our Creator - and who is as the giver of life, love, and all things. Going contrary to this reality brings real harm and destruction to ourselves, others as well as dishonors God for who He truly is. Diminishing God in the eyes of others by our words and actions draws them away from God which leads them to harm and destruction. 

Christ honored His Father in all he said and did but was treated exactly the opposite of this. And now the Father offers to credit Christ's ⁵faithfulness to you as if this is how you now live. If we are in Christ, the Father only sees the Son's perfect faithfulness as if it was our own and He is well pleased with us, as He is with the Son.

⁴Adam and Eve represented us, not in the sense of acting on our behalf but in the sense that given the same set of circumstances we would have made the exact same choice they did. 

We prove that daily by making similar kinds of choices now i.e., we prefer being our own god and being independent of God instead of dependent on Him. We are not accountable for Adam and Eves choice but our own with one exception. We have a chance to choose God again and totally reverse the legal consequences of our distrust of God - and also the practical consequences in eternity as well - because God provided a way to be restored if we accept His offer.

⁵Keep in mind that Christ's faithfulness was not a walk in the park. He was faithful in the face of all the adversity Christ endured and all the riches He set aside to become a man so he could suffer and die, that we would not have to. 

⁶though the evidence was clearly in God's favor since Adam experienced 1st hand the creation of Eve while he saw no such demonstration of power by the serpent. 

⁷As a man , Christ went from untested to tested obedience. Unlike Adam, he passed the test and now assigns His perfect test results to all those who put  their trust in Him.

The foundation of true happiness

Our greatest joy is the happiness we experience from bringing happiness to someone we deeply love i.e. the delight we experience in bringing another joy by treating them with value.

To love someone is to so identify with their ¹well being that we cannot be happy unless they are also happy i.e. their spiritual ¹flourishing first is what makes us happy. 

This is the same kind of love a spiritually and emotionally mature and healthy parent has for their child. It is sacrificial love. It is love in spite of any qualities we do not like in them.

This is the same kind of love God has for us. He is most happy (delighted) when we are most happy. And we are happiest when our happiness is in Him. God has tied His joy to ours and ours in turn is tied to His. 

However due to our rebellious distrust of God we seek and latch on to created things for happiness instead of Him. 

But this only works short term. It is contrary to our design as bearers of His image and therefore does not bring true long term happiness. 

So how does God draw us to himself so we find in Him the greatest happiness? By helping us see that true and lasting happiness is not in created things. 

Our problem is we are so fixated on created things - whether that be the abilities we internally possess by birth or resources we have aquired or have access to. To find true and lasting happiness we must be weaned from creation as our ²primary source of happiness. But this ³usually involves denial or loss of these gifts which is painful. 

The irony is pain - which makes us least happy - is often a primary means to our greatest happiness, which is ultimately God Himself. 

But this is only due to our distrust of God i.e. pain is caused by our attaching to things that do not make us truly happy long term. God does not cause pain. It is the absence of God that causes pain. 

_____________________________________

Footnotes:

¹What does spiritual flourishing entail? Experiencing our greatest glory, God himself, which can lead to flourishing in all other ways i.e. emotionally, relationally, and sometimes physically/ materially. I say "can" lead as long as God remains our first (primary) love. To find created things our focus leads us away from our ultimate good which is God.

²Creation is not bad, it is good. But when our hearts look to created things as the source of our greatest happiness we are operating contrary to God's intent and our design as bearers of His image. 

This is out of line with reality of who He is and we are. This is bad because it's contrary to who we are designed to be i.e. God is the greatest source of our happiness. Without Him there would be no creation or true happiness. 

³Being denied or losing the blessings of this life is only necessary when our love for them is greater than our love for God. As painful as this is, it occurs so we might experience the ultimate and greater good, God Himself. This is God's intent behind all pain and suffering. Now it is up to us to see, believe, and receive God's love hidden in our pain.