CHAPTER 16

MY GOD IS ALL THAT AND MORE

God is… The end! If I had the guts those two simple words would be my book in its entirety. Somehow, I don’t believe many would be all that understanding, and run out and buy a copy of the shortest, greatest story ever told. So I ramble on, trying to make God as real to you as he is to me. We as humans have a real hard time just enjoying God, so we toil away, writing page after page of … hogwash. Hogwash you say? Yes, hogwash!!!!! You see no matter what I say, and I’ve said a lot. Know matter how witty I am, and I must admit I’ve been pretty witty. I can’t do justice to God, because, God is something more than all that. He is the wherewithal that called this terrestrial sphere into being, and He is humbly waiting for you to realize that.

God is! What a simple sentence!! What a simple truth!!! Five simple letters! Making up two simple words!! That contains the simple essences of life itself!!! God is, was and always will be. An exercise with the verb to be, that is all one needs to be. God is! Nothing more, nothing less than is.

You see, the dispiriting thing for me is getting you confused about God. I would never intentionally do that, because I know how it feels to be lost. I’ve been down that road, and I know it’s not fun. Well-meaning Christians trying to lead you down the path to holiness only to lose you on the freeway of life. Let me tell you how I got lost.

Several years ago there were some favorite buzz phrases that everyone liked to use when they shared their faith journey. "Let God be the captain of your ship." "Let God be the pilot in your life." Well, as a new Christian I had no earthly concept of what they were saying, or how to go about doing what they said to do. After someone used one of the buzz lines everyone started mumbling and yelling Amen! Others rambled on in some mumbo jumbo throwing in a glory, glory every now and then. Now I maybe slow, but I’m not stupid. Somehow, this phrase was important. Why, or how it was important was what I needed to figure out, but how?

Being lazy I started down the path of no resistance. I simple asked people what exactly they meant when they said let God be the Captain of your ship? After they looked at me, as if I had two heads, they would further confuse me by spouting off some theological rhetoric that further traumatized my sensitive id. Boy, I was really getting a complex over this issue, so I did what any normal red blooded American would do. I shook my head as if I understood, then walked away. At the next prayer meeting, when someone else used the buzz phrase, I’d chime in Alleluia, Glory, Glory, and Amen. I prayed I had all the bases covered, but I still felt, how do you say, stupid, yeah, stupid!

Being the stubborn human being that I am, I resolved myself to find what it was that my brother’s and sister’s in Christ had, and what it was that they were saying. I got in my car, on the passenger’s side and said, "OK God, you’re in-charge, take me where you want." God and I sat in that car for hours, and it never left my driveway. Now I was really upset. Not only was I mentally challenged in understanding what others were saying, I must have made God mad too! What other explanation could I come up with for God not wanting to drive my car? …Maybe He didn’t have His licenses, or maybe he disliked Chevies!

Things were getting serious. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I decided to do some research into the problem. Yes, I actually picked up a book and started reading. This was no ordinary book, it had more than 10 pages, and there were no Cliff Notes. I picked up God’s word with the hope of understanding the meaning behind the mystery. "Let God be the Pilot in your life." Now I’m not the quickest reader, and there were even some verses that needed to be reread over and over and over again. I even slept with the bible under my pillow in hopes that some osmosis might happen. (It didn’t)

Well they say that all good things come to he who waits, and I had waited a long time. It took me over a year to read "The Book," and at the end I was still clueless about what the buzz phrase meant, because, the God I had read about wasn’t a ship’s captain, or a pilot. The God I read about was more than that. Much, much more!

Through years of study, and therapy, I realized that these brothers and sisters during their sharings were using analogies. Like Jesus used "Parables" and talked about being the "Good Shepherd," these people where using modern day equivalents that I should have understood. I feel somewhat silly now, but I don’t feel as bad as I should. You want to know why? Because these people’s analogies were flawed! Yeah, really flawed! I know you must be thinking that this guy has some defense mechanism, but it’s not out of pride that I say this. It’s out of a deeper understanding about God and a better understanding of our own inadequacies.

My God is more than a ship’s captain; He’s the whole darn boat. And my God is more than an airline pilot; He’s the plane. You see my God, through His son Jesus, is the means of our salvation. The point I’m trying to make is that the pilot needs the plane to make him a pilot, just as the captain needs the ship. Along life’s journey there may be many captains and pilots, but there will only be one God. People may start their journey from different ports of debarkation, but God will get them safely to their final destination. That final destination is heaven. Yes, some people may fly first class while others coach, but when that plane lands all will arrive at the same time. Yes my God is much more than anything we can come up with. His glory is more splendid than any sunset; His value more precious than any jewel. The power He welds is by far greater than anything nature can muster. You see God is and nothing can compare to Him.

Allow me, for a moment, to analogize just one more time for you. Please pay close attention because what I’m saying could be confusing. I want to compare life to a football game. You see, God created the field, and He placed the boundary markers and end zone exactly where He wanted them. God created the teams and placed them out onto the field. God created the rules of the game, and even gave, through His son, an example of how to play; but when game day comes, God is on the sidelines. Yes, God is standing on the sidelines. He and His angels are yelling words of encouragement, as a couch would, but when it’s time to carry the ball you’re the one out there running. What I’m trying to say is that God created all things, including us, but He gave us the freedom to choose Him or not. He placed the boundary markers in place, and set up the rules of the game, then He handed the ball off to you and me and said run. You can choose to live life within the boundaries God established, or you can choose not to, but it’s your choice.

 

I had fun writing this chapter, but I warn you there is danger in not hearing the serious side of the message given. GOD IS, and He’s a whole lot more than we can imagine. His love is greater, His glory is greater, and his truth is greater than we can conceive of, but so is His judgment. Personally, I would rather choose a heaven greater than I could imagine, than a hell worse than I could fear. Wouldn’t you? Alleluia, Glory, Glory, Amen!

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