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God and the Art of Toy and Diecast Marketing
Setting the Bar (intro)
By Lu Su
In the last article, I attempted to convey to the reader that you don't have to look very far to see a lack of "wholeness" all around us.This lack of wholeness than must point to something. Then I made this deep thesis statement saying that we humans were made for a purpose. And that purpose is to glorify God. But something must have gone awry. Look at the way the world is now. When you take something and use it in a way that is not meant for it's original purpose things tend to go awry. I think all of us men have found ourselves in this situation.
We need to tighten a screw. Because of our handiness and our great organization skills, we can't find a screwdriver anywhere. So off to the kitchen's cutlery draw and we pull out a butter knife. And we do this furtive glance to the left and the right to make sure the woman of the house isn't around to see this. The butter knife can be used to tighten screws, but we're using it in a way that is outside its original design. So when we come up against a big screw (i.e. difficulty that seems inherent to living life) that requires a lot of torque (i.e. patience, time, love), it becomes obvious that we have an inadequate tool in our hand. All of us have seen the results. What usually ends up happening is you end up harming both the tool and the object you were applying the tool to. Then some of us men, if we are honest and perceptive enough, will come to the realization that we were that butter knife in some of our past relationships.
Alright, now if our purpose is to glorify God, a reasonable question is "How do you go about glorifying God?" What does glorify mean anyway? Merriam-Webster says it means to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration. Although I think this is a decent definition, I feel there is more to it that heaping honor, praise or admiration towards someone. With this definition we could conceivably give God a few "Atta boys" and call it a day. Also, I feel this dictionary definition is too one-sided. Realize that when something is glorified, there are at least two parties involved. With this type of definition it sounds like one party does all the work and the other just lays back and basks in the "glory".
Let's assume God wasn't lying that after the 6th day, he concluded that all that he made was "very good". -Genesis 1:31. This would include all the plants, animals, creatures of the sea, things that creep on the ground, and man. (Personally, I think he could have left gnats and mosquitoes out of the creation; but I'm not the one calling the shots). If you read into Genesis 1, you'll realize that ALL of creation brought God pleasure (he was pleased). Before the 7th day, God affirms seven times that what he created was "Good". We were made for God's pleasure and delight and this concept of bringing glory to God is intertwined. When I look at my kids, my pride and joy, I totally get it. There is a reciprocating process going on here. As the creation glorifies God, love and joy is emanated back towards the creation. So this concept of glorifying is not a one way relationship at all. I think it would change who you are if you really understood this. God loves you.
When you get deeper than scratching the surface on this, you'll come to a very frightening realization. If all creation was designed to glorify God, then the trees, grass, insects, cows, and soft shell crabs are doing a heck of a better job than us in glorifying God. This is because they are doing exactly what they were designed to do. We're not. When you see the lack of wholeness all around us, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that man (and not the other parts of creation) is to blame.
Though related, I think man tends to confuse glorifying God with pleasing God. So when it comes to appeasing God, what often happens next is that man starts defining stuff that we need to DO and SAY (or not DO and not SAY) in order to please God. This is how religion is birthed. Come up with a list of things to do and say as well as a list of things not to do and not to say. Then someone gets involved in setting the bar. If you can accomplish enough stuff on the list and stay above the bar, you get to stay in the club.
I find it very amusing that man seems to have this talent for figuring out what the minimum operating requirements are in order to get by. What do I need to do in order to pass the test? What level do I need to perform at so I don't lose my job? What's the speed limit? Okay I'll drive just above that limit. How much do I owe in taxes? Okay, I'll pay that and not a penny more. What do I need to do in order to glorify God? What is the minimum that I need to do (or not do) in order to get into Club Heaven? To answer this question, you need to understand how and where God has set the bar. It's definately not where most people expect it to be set.
Knowing exactly where and how God has set the bar will affect our stay in eternity. So I think this is a topic worth exploring next week.
