Monday, October 31, 2011

Perfect.

I want to follow this train of thought a little farther. What does the perfection of God mean? I'm going to let my discombobulated thoughts tumble out and see what happens. Perfect means no improvement. Nothing better. When I say I wish something about God's plan was different it is because I don't understand. If I truly understood why God does what He does the way He does it I would simply fall down and worship Him for His perfect plan. There is nothing better.
Why did you choose to send your Son the way you did? Why do you let me turn away from You? Why do your followers feel pain? Isn't there a better way to teach us? Why do you allow people to reject You because they don't see who You are? Why don't I see miracles? Why don't I see perfect victory in my life? Why do I feel fear? Why, why, why?
Blanket answer: I don't yet fully see the heart of God. His way IS perfect. I just don't understand.
I don't want to seem to blame God for my failure. Somehow His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Somehow His sovereign will is never broken, never hindered, never thwarted.
So in short, I don't really know. But I trust that some day I will no longer look through the dark, distorted glass but I will see Him face to face. And I'll ask Him then.

Perfect?

"As for God, His way is perfect..."
God's ways are perfect. That's right. PERFECT. Think about that for a moment. That doesn't leave a lot of room for improvement. According to Webster's 1828 dictionary perfect means finished or competed so as to leave nothing wanting. Imagine that. No room for improvement. 
So now the question: How does sin fit in Gods perfect plan? In all honesty, I don't have all of the answer to that question. But I do believe His way is perfect. Somehow it seems that for us to not have to option to sin is imperfect. Somehow there is more to be learned about the heart of God by being given the option to reject His will for us than be being required to follow it. God wants us to choose Him. But somehow He allows us to reject Him as part of His perfect way. I don't understand. But some day I hope to. 
When God created the world He said that it was good. Yet in that good world was the potential for evil. But God still sanctioned it as good. I believe it is because God wants us to choose Him. CHOOSE. How can we make a choice if we have no other option? God walked with Adam and Eve and allowed them to know Him but still when they had the choice they chose to rebel against the perfect God who they KNEW. Why? 
My thoughts are beginning to ramble but in the interest of completing this post I'll try to explain what I believe to be the problem. Not only does God want us to choose Him, He wants us to choose Him for the right reason. Not based on some hedonistic weighing of the options and picking the one that looks best for us. Not based on a terror of the punishing wrath of God if we choose wrong. Not even because we've studied and we know God has the right ideas. 
Note: none of those are innately wrong. Choosing God's will for our live will turn out best for us, although maybe not best by normal standards of good and best. True. Fear of God in never a bad motivator. The Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Not a bad thing. Knowing things about God is great. We are supposed to study to show ourselves approved to God. But there is something missing in all of this.
I believe what God wants from us is a reflection of His nature back to Him. God is love. God wants us to love Him and to obey Him because of that love. If I have good works and prophetic powers and supernatural exemplifications of the Spirit of God but do not LOVE enough to simply trust and obey it counts for nothing. The desire of God is that we LOVE HIM. Without that love we can never truly choose His way for the right reasons. We can never see who He is. We can never be fulfilled as the creatures He created us to be.