God in Our Own Image

Scripture:
With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
Psalm 18:25-27

Observation: While the write of the psalm appears to be saying that the Lord gives to everyone based on their actions - and there is some truth to that - he is also saying that every individual perceives the Lord not in his fullness, but through their own bias and lens. Every person takes their own best attribute, and believers that too is the key attribute of God. Even the crooked and evil sinners, when they get justice, do not perceive that as correction, but rather as evidence that God likewise is evil.

The only way to properly understand the Lord is through humility. It is by being humble, and understanding that we have no understanding of God's greatness and his ways, that we can then begin to recognize his love and blessings and purposes. The haughty - those who won't submit to humility - will always misunderstand the Lord, and thus be left in a state of despair for their lack of purpose in life.

Application: Which of my attributes to I inappropriately apply to the Lord. Make no mistake, the Lord is all good things ... loyal, blameless, pure, etc. However, what element do I personally hold in high regard, which I then believe to be one of the most important elements of God, and thus my character trait makes me 'more Godlike' in my own eyes?

I am very logical. I often discuss how logical the Lord is ... in his organization of the world, his wise connection of earthly problems to his solutions, his presentation of the earth as evidence of his love. I often wonder why others cannot find such logic for themselves, and I especially declare it should be obvious that the Lord's logical model of life should be proof of his existence and love. I position logical reasoning as a great attribute of the Lord ... one I share, and which others lack.

If I decide on God's greatest or most meaningful attribute, I limit his greatness, and I limit his ability to do great things in the lives of others. If I decide that logic is how people should discover salvation through Jesus, I dismiss options for such revelations like ... miraculous curing of illness, revelation by the Holy Spirit, emotional connection to forgiveness, and many other ways.

In other words, just because the Lord appeals to me through my strength, that does not make that the Lord's best strength. He can be all things to everyone. The more humble I am, the more I can understand the complex nature of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I am just a lowly man who wishes to walk humbly with you this day. May I continue to learn of you more and more. I am only a disciple of Jesus, and a sinful man in need of your promised mercy. Please take my hand and lead me. Amen.