God Is Not A Stoic Detached Being

Shane spoke again a couple of weeks ago and really gave it to us straight on the love of God for humanity. He was on to something when he said "God is not stoic...and he is not detached". The word stoic is defined as "of or pertaining to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity". Boy, Shane is right; God is not stoic!

For many of us, we see Him as one who directs things on this earth, moves the pieces around in our lives and on a macro level beyond human comprehension, but never really gets too emotionally involved. Some see Him as so intelligent, with infinite foreknowledge and wisdom, that He is never moved by any event...He knows it all already so He remains unimpressed by anything. At the same time, when we consider our own failings and weakness, we are keenly aware that God has feelings towards us...and they are all negative. We are sure that He is disappointed, angry and generally weary of working with us as sinful as we are.

But, the truth is that God feels deeply and it is not mostly negative. A most profound verse always comes to mind here: Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. (Ephesians 1:4 The Message). Amazing! Before He established the earth in its foundations, He had us in mind. He saw you. He knew about you in your entirety, your strengths and your weaknesses. He knew of your propensity to sin and be so easily distracted. He knew that you would struggle, fail frequently, live a life less than worthy of Him and yet...He determined that you were the focus of His love. It is more that the focus of His building plan. It's His love. And, how deep this love is! Another passage in Ephesians 3 says that the love of Christ is essentially boundless ("how deep, how wide, how long, how high is this love").

God is moved by our activity on this earth. But more often, I believe, He is moved with love and desire for us than He is overwhelmed in disappointment. He is working actively to have us "whole and holy". He loves it when we turn our face towards Him. He is not thrown off by our weakness. He already knew it, it's true, and yet He has great passion for us to press through and choose to live voluntary love for Him in the midst of it. Every time you choose not to give yourself to sin, even the hidden stuff, because you want it to be an expression of love for Him, it is a significant thing in the heart of God. Every time you choose to love someone else, especially the ones who are not so loveable, as an expression of love for Him, it is moving His heart.

There is great comfort in my heart that God knows it all already and still likes me! My life can really be about love, then. I don't have to earn it. I can't make Him love me any less. But, I can embrace it. And, that is the best news I can think of.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director