Saturday, April 20, 2013

God Doesn't Play Limbo

He'd dominate celebrity heads, and may or may not play monopoly, but God doesn't play limbo.

Seeing how low we can set the bar and still get away with it purely the domain of us humans.

How little housework can I do and get away with it.

What's the least amount of time I have to spend on others, and still be seen as a good person.

What's the least amount of work I can do, and still get paid / pass this course / be liked...

When I was in Uni I remember going over the English assignments and exams I had for the year, and calculating exactly how few books I would have to read off the syllabus and the minimum marks on each I would need to still pass the course.

I'm not saying everyone does this with everything, but I think most people do it at some point, with something. And even if we conquer this habit, we frequently transfer this human mindset on to our perception of God.

Sure God wants to heal us, but he's going to get away with as little healing as possible... so I won't ask for or expect too much. Just make me a feel a little bit better for today, ok?

Sure God loves us, but He's going to see how little He can get away with showing it, and still have us appreciate Him. So I'll try and be good, and hope I get a bit of that love.

Sure God cares about us, but probably can't be bothered doing too much for me, so I'll only bother him with the big stuff that I can't handle myself.

Sure God can do miracles, but he'll just see how little he can get away with and still impress us, so maybe if you just... help me find my lost keys? That'll do. 

It kind of seems ridiculous when you lay it out, that we expect so little from God, the One who spoke the expansiveness and diversity of the universe into being, who created us with His own hands, who breathed life into us, who sent His son to die for us and save us, sinners,  from death.

Why would he love us so lavishly, to then just sit back and leave us to our own devices, only helping us out if we ask really nicely?

That's the sort of thing we do, in our weakness - give a good effort and then hope that will tide us over with people for a while. 

But God doesnt get tired or jaded like us. He's not selfish or bitter. Hes not about half hearted or the bare minimum.

No. God has lavished His love on us


The greek word is Perisseuo - "exceeding the requirements, of overflowing or overdoing. It means to exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over and above a certain number or measure. It means to have or to be more than enough, to be extremely rich or abundant. To exceed or remain over (as used in loaves left over after feeding the 5000 [Mt 14:20]! When Jesus supplies there is more than enough so that some is even left over! How quick we are to forget this basic principle!) The idea is to overflow like a river out of its banks!"

He's not trying to see how little He can do for us and get us to still love Him. No, he wants to give lavishly, more than we can imagine, far more than we deserve. He's challenging us every day, not to see how much we will do without, but how much more we will have the faith to ask for.

We mostly have no idea of the love, blessings, power and grace God wants to give you, so we don't really know how to ask for it.

If this is you, if you have been putting human limits on our all powerful God, setting the bar low on your spiritual life, its time to expect more.

Seek more of God, ask God to raise the bar.

I think if we all learn to let go of our self imposed limits on who God is and what He wants to do, we will be overwhelmed by how lavish He will be!!

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