“What can I get you today?” asked the waiter just after I had taken my seat. I had been here many times, as it was one of my favorite restaurants.
“Well, I think I am going to try something different today,” I said, taking a glance at the menu. The events of the day were simmering in the back of my mind as I considered my options. I needed something special to make it through my day!
“I think I will take a god today with a side of guidance, and direction. I would like to also add some burden-bearer; I am going to need that today! Oh, and a side of wisdom.”
“Those are great choices,” complimented my waiter. “A burden-bearer goes nicely with a god; anything else with this?”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Please leave off that forgiveness thing. It does not sit well with me. It is unnecessary and makes me feel guilty. I don’t need that with my god.”
“Very good. I will get that right out for you!”
I closed my menu and sat back. I breathed a sigh of relief and contentment. I knew I had created a satisfying god that would help me with all my needs to tackle my day.
Can you imagine ordering up a god the same way you order a meal? In practice it sounds ridiculous, however, creating one’s own deity happens far too often and maybe without knowing that it is being done. Are you guilty of creating your own god by leaving off some of His attributes or things that He has commanded because they do not “taste good?”
Psalms 103:2-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindnessand tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
IIn a more tangible way, you would not want a friend or spouse to carve out attributes they like about you and request you leave off the ones they find distasteful. This request would indicate that they are not interested in a relationship with you, but only interested in a relationship with a figment of their imagination. In this condition, there is no relationship.
Your friend cannot magically create a new person from your attributes, fully to their liking, by deciding what your personality should be. This is absurd but be alert to the possibility that you might be doing the same thing to God. You cannot carve out attributes you like, believe that you can discard the others, and still be in a relationship with the God of heaven.
Creating a god of convenience is not a new practice; it has been happening across the ages. In Judges, the tribe of Dan was going into battle but before they could feel comfortable with going, they desired to take God (or gods) with them as a safety net. So rather than taking the God of heaven with all His attributes, they went god-shopping in Micah’s house and took elements of worship that they wanted and were familiar (comfortable) with.
Judges 18:17-18 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?
They ordered up and created their own god to take into battle for strength and protection. They did not take God in His purity and His entirety.
Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
They chose to worship God their way. In essence, they declared, “I have my religion. I have my higher power. I have created a God that I am comfortable with.”
Why is this dangerous? The people were relying on a god of their own making. Interestingly, these people would order up their god and then cry out to that god for help. When you rely on a god of your own making, you receive no divine interaction, and you have no relationship with another externally existing entity. You cannot serve a god of your own making and then expect the benefits of the God of heaven.
| You cannot serve a god of your own making and expect the benefits of the God of heaven. |
Psalms 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
God is merciful and perfect as He is. He does not need us to add or subtract anything from Him. God does not change throughout the ages. He is the same He has always been, and He does not need mankind to redefine Him based on current culture. God does not need to be defined. He is already defined in His entirety. When we forget this, we complicate the personality of God and assume He is difficult to understand, or that He is impossible to know.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
You can complicate the personality of God when you attempt to redefine Him by adding or subtracting attributes. A small deviation from the truth means missing the entire experience of His glorious personality. small deviation from the truth means missing the entire experience of His glorious personality.
Related Bible Passages:
Judges 18
Psalms 103
Proverbs 1
2 Corinthians 11
Have a face to face conversation with your Lord:
Lord, how have I ordered-up my own god?
Lord, how have I justified doing or not doing things I know you have asked me to do?
Lord, what parts of your personality am I uncomfortable with?
Lord, I want to take you as you are and I don’t want to add or subtract from your glorious personality…
If you are interested in having a collection of these devotional conversations, consider purchasing the books. They are available from Amazon by clicking here.
Glory, Strength, & Beauty 