God is Not a Genie; He Deserves Nothing but Glory!

I know that, as I write this, there are people with very real hurts and are overwhelmed, and they are seeking reprieve; please understand, though, that I write this with the sincere goal of driving you toward Jesus Christ as He would have you, not as you would have Him. In His earthly life and ministry, people loved the things Jesus could do: He could heal the sick and lame, open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf; He could cause the mute to speak, and the dead to rise, and he could miraculously feed thousands to satisfaction with a very small amount of food. They loved the miracles, but they rejected His purpose, His teaching, and His call to Holiness.

In the same way, many of us do the same thing today. We want healing, and we want help and financial peace, and so much more. We want God to solve all of our problems, and we want a life free of worry. The problem with this mentality is we want all the benefits of God without following His will for our lives. And what is His will? Why did He create us? We were made in His image that He might glory in us, and we in Him. Due to our fallen nature, we’re selfish, self-seeking, and we don’t see beyond our hurts, wants, wishes, and desires. We want God for the blessings and healings, but we, as with Jesus, reject His commands and will for our lives. God is not a genie. He doesn’t owe us anything. We, however, ought to live lives of holiness and fear and awe and wonder before Him. From Him and to Him and For Him are all things; why do we try and bargain with Him for trifles, when He is trying to grant us eternity through His son? Submit! Surrender! And watch how the trivial things no longer have hold over you.

Romans 11:28-36

As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

“Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 10

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.