Let's see if we can create a little argument and disagreement to start with!
Last time, I wrote of the "Omni-Everything-God" conceived by the Greeks and pagans eons ago. This god is really no different than any of the other gods of the mythical gods who do not exist. This god is One, he is all powerful, all wise, all knowing, everywhere present, all everything. Just like Zeus, Diana, Osiris, Isis, and any and all of the other non-gods of antiquity.
These gods "exist" in the minds of their devotees to be honored, glorified, worshipped, and of course PRAISED at any opportunity which may arise. This god lives on , thrives on, rides on, is exalted by, and revels in the PRAISES of his followers. Again, this 'Omni-god' does NOT exist. While this may sound good to the Western mind deluded by Plato's philosophy of god, it is far from the truth. So what is the truth?
God is FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT. Triune God exists in a face to face loving relationship in the Trinity. He created us , not to tell Him how great He is and spend all of our time 'praising' Him, but to LIVE. Live life as He created it ABUNDANTLY. John 10:10. He wants us to live free as a bird in Jesus Christ. He wants us to acknowledge what He has done to us and for us and in us and through us IN Jesus Christ. This knowing allows us to live as He designed us to live. And, not only live this abundant life NOW, but to live it eternally with Him and IN Him through Jesus by the Holy Spirit FOREVER.
The True Triune God is ALL about Relationships. The relationship He has within the Trinity and the relationships He has created us to be WITHIN that Trinity forever. Remember, Eternal Life is KNOWING THE FATHER- THE TRUE GOD.
Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit does not NEED or require our continual Praise. It is not the fuel that fires His engines. His greatness is not enhanced by our pandering. He wants us to LIVE now and forever abundantly in Jesus and INSIDE of His Triune existence in RELATIONSHIP. Father to son. Son to Father. Father to daughter. Daughter to Father. All made possible and assured in Jesus Christ.
He is NOT the OMNI Potentate that Plato devised and handed down nine hundred years later to St. Augustine of Hyppo--considered to be the father of the Catholic Church.
We live in the life of God now. Jesus lives in all of humanity now. All humanity lives in Jesus now.( John 14:20.) God simply wants us to enjoy what He has blessed us with in Jesus ( Eph.1:3-14) and in so doing this Praises is all the Praise that is of any consequence. This knowing engenders Thankfulness and praise on our behalf as we become filled with assurance, acceptance and love. Triune God did not create us to Praise Him. He created us to Live with Him and in Him forever.
Sorry if I have burst any one's bubble. Enjoy LIFE. It praises the Father.
Paul
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4 comments:
Amen, Pastor Paul! I know folks who believe that our relationship with god (omni-god!) is not about love and relationship and fellowship and communion as you describe (they told me "those things are just for down here(!)") But rather, our relationship is ONLY one of abject abasement, praise and worship before the Majestic god (omni-god!) on his throne - nothing more. Sadly, Plato runs deep!
I love it Daddy Kurts. Sorry I missed a keystroke spelling your name the first go 'round so I reposted this. If we were created, in the first instance, to worship and praise God then that means the Father, Son, and Spirit created us to fill a need. The Apostle Paul says of the Trinity that there is no need within that circle of Eternal Life but rather the "God who is" gives life, breath, and all things to all mortals and is not to be worshiped as though he needed anything. Surely he is to be worshiped but not as though he needed anything. Our worship is a free-flowing response to the love and grace bestowed upon us in the Beloved Son. We were created, first, to share in the Blessed Trinity's love and life and to participate in Jesus' perfect worship.
It could also be said that we praise God to reinforce the belief that God is all good and just. When our hard work puts food on the table, we praise God. When we recover from sickness because men invented cures, we praise God. And when our house is destroyed in a tornado and we survive but our entire family is killed, we still crawl out of the rubble and praise God for the "miracle" of our being spared. God is capricious, loving, wrathful, vengeful, just, and inconsistent. I can ignore Him altogether, or praise Him and hope for the best. Religion is about hope: hope that God isn't as bad as He appears to be.
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