God in a Box

Human beings like to know things. Knowledge puffs us up. I can remember feeling like I had so much Bible knowledge that I thought I was smarter than anyone with a differing perspective. 

Knowledge is like a box of information that we carry, giving us a sense of security, thinking that we understand God. We’ve put together a dogma where we know what God likes and dislikes, what He does and won’t do, fitting it all into a nice, tidy belief system. It makes us feel safe. It can even make us feel superior.

The beautiful problem that came for me was when God showed me that He was much bigger than my little box. He was much nicer than I thought He was. His Grace was much bigger than I thought it was. I realized that God was far too big for me to completely understand. But I could experience His Grace and I could taste His goodness. 

You see, knowledge puffs up, but Love edifies. 

Jesus broke my box. And now I am loving the beautiful mystery of our Father who is so vast and infinite that His goodness is hard to explain or define. The best we can do is say that God is Love, His Grace is all-sufficient and His Mercy is everlasting. That’s why our relationship with Him seems to get better and better because we see more and more of how beautiful He is. Especially after He’s broken our box. 

This is why the gospel never gets old. It continues to amaze. It speaks and continually speaks more and more of the beauty of the Lord. It really is the power unto the wholeness and well-being of our souls. 

Paul spoke of this love, saying that it was too great for us to understand, and yet there seems to be a simplicity to it as well. What we are learning is a simple and powerful and life-giving thing. We are learning Love. We are learning Grace. And we are bing drawn into that Truth as it brings fullness to our souls. 

This makes me feel more secure in the mystery of God than I ever felt when I thought I understood the mysteries of God. Maybe that’s what Paul meant when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that if we have all knowledge and understand all mysteries, but have not love, we are nothing.

Love is the answer. Love is life. Love is home. Love is God.