Is He Worthy?

Get to know God and your perspective will change. The Bible paints a picture which, through regular reading, reveals God. The one who seeks His face will see Him with increasing clarity. His priorities will become increasingly more rightly ordered.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

He loved us so much He was unwilling to spare His own Son. That takes time to sink in. The new believer can probably not grasp the depth of that. He’d remain more troubled by burdens than he ought.

This verse describes an incomprehensible love, a god who withholds nothing good from those who love Him. The Triune God has existed in an everlasting, perfect love relationship, far beyond what human beings are capable of imagining.

God is complete in and of Himself. He didn’t need us. We don’t improve His situation. The true beneficiary in the relationship is mankind.

Love, the kind the Bible speaks of, places others ahead of oneself. It’s not the feelings-first kind depicted in movies.

Who is the King of the Universe?

He is the noble, gracious, exemplar of perfect love who stepped down from heaven and made Himself a servant to all. He is so good that, doing nothing wrong himself, he willing chose the humiliation of being flogged and nailed to a cross—to save you.

And, yet, the regular person who believes there’s a god puts almost no effort into knowing Him. He likes the idea of heaven, of living in a good place after death, but he’s unwilling to give up any of his precious time to seek and serve this god. He’s a cosmic butler somewhere out there he can call on if he needs, but pursuing him pales when compared to his cherished pursuits and pleasures.

This view is upsidedown.

First, God is not “somewhere out there.” He doesn’t exist somewhere inside the universe. Rather, He is the one who spoke it into existence. The universe is the smaller. It would collapse in on itself if God ceased doing His thing. So every person on the planet is a tenant in the fabric of space, time and matter that humanity calls reality and which God upholds every single moment.

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36

Second, the purpose of everything is to glorify Him. Man exists at His pleasure for His purpose and, ultimately, to serve Him, to bring Him glory. Everything which exists, including even the devil, serves this purpose in one way or another.

“[A]t 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 2:10-11

Do you see how upsidedown it is to treat Him as insignificant?

Third, there is a proper order for our affections that people usually mess up. All sin is misplaced priorities. The 10 commandments helps clarify by calling out some of the most egregious: idols and false gods. To the casual believer, idols are constructed images, statues of phony gods. That’s part, but not all of it.

Idolatry is the sin of misplaced worship. The words worship and worth share the same root. The error is assigning little worth to that which is of great worth and great worth to that which is of little worth. People generally worship (e.g. prioritize) whatever they most love—and that usually includes pursuits and pleasures over God and others.

Consider the man who deliberately chases drinking and gambling to the ruin of his wife and children. His selfish indulgence is evil. His misordered priorities and way of living are abominable before the Lord.

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8

And while this shoe probably doesn’t fit you, you can probably admit to having put entertainment, sports, fitness, work, something, ahead of those you love. And, as God is more deserving of your love and worship than anyone and anything, how misordered are the priorities which ignore Him altogether!

In the concentric circles of priorities, God is meant to be your centermost, then your family, then those in the church, then those outside the church, then you. In God’s hierarchy you are not to continually prioritize your interests. Yes, take good care of yourself and enjoy life, but don’t make you the first and only priority.

God deserves to sit on the throne of your life. It’s the rightful order of things. He’s jealous of your wrong priorities and it’s not because His jealousy is petty. It wants what’s actually best for you—and your putting your relationship with Him first is that.

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

If you have no interest in knowing the One who made and sustains all things then your idols are keeping you from Him. The created order has made plain God’s existence. While you may find Him less exciting than every other thing under the sun, you will one day give an account. Your “I didn’t know” won’t be enough.

There’s One who is worthy. The pursuit of Jesus is worth your time, energy, and, dare I say, even your life. The Bible says the present form of this world is passing away in 1 Corinthians 7:31. The surest way to lose your life is by pouring it only into that which is passing away. When it ends, God will make a new, perfect world for those who love Him.

Be wise and seek Him while you still have breath. Set your hopes on the King whose kingdom never passes away. Because Jesus alone is good and perfect in love, He is most deserving of your adoration.

This song says it better than I ever could.