Susan stopped typing and stared at her brother as he pulled a can of paint out of a plastic bag and set it down on the desk next to hers with a loud thump. “Sammy, what are you doing?”

 “I’m going to paint my desk.” He pulled out a brush and can opener from the bag.

“I don’t think the boss will like that.”

Sammy shrugged. “I don’t care. He’s not my boss.”

“What do you mean he’s not your boss?” Susan turned to face him.” He’s in charge of everyone who works here.”  

“I don’t think he’s worth all the allegiance people give him.” Sammy began to empty his desk into the plastic bag.

“What do you have against him?”

 “Several things. First, he’s cruel and unreasonable, like when he fired Gary, Frank, and Jill for nothing.”  Sammy scooped the last of the loose papers and pens into the bag, and then carefully picked up his computer monitor and headed for the back counter.

Susan followed him with her eyes. “Your friends were stealing from him and bullying the others in their department.”

Setting the monitor and bag down, he returned to his cleared off desk. “No, they weren’t. They were just doing what they thought was best to make the department a better place, including using office funds to pay for gym memberships and nicer clothes . Everyone knows that looking and feeling better leads to more productivity. The people objecting were just making trouble, which my friends dealt with for the betterment of everyone else.”

Susan’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Really? That’s how you see it?”

“It’s the truth.” Sammy declared, prying open the can of paint. “Second, he has way too many rules. Why can’t I do whatever I want as long as I’m not hurting anyone?”

“It’s not just hurting others. It’s hurting yourself, too. He knows what’s best for you.” Susan’s voice rose in pitch. “You’re not really going to paint your desk yellow, are you? It’s not your desk. The boss owns it along with everything else in here.”

“You’re just repeating what the memo said. And yes, I really am going to paint my desk yellow. It’s what I like. It makes me feel good.” He dipped the brush into the paint and began swiping it across his desk. “How do we know the memos even came from him? We’ve never seen him or heard him. Anybody could have written them.”

“Some people have heard him.” She nodded towards the desk on the other side of hers. “Mindy has.”

“That’s what she says. I doubt it. If he really did call her, why hasn’t he called the rest of us?”

“Have you checked you phone? Maybe he has.”

“Are you kidding me? He doesn’t care about anything except himself.” Paint splattered across the floor as Sammy slapped his fully-loaded brush down hard. “And I don’t like that he is unjust and cruel.”

“Even if what you say is true, it doesn’t change the fact that he is the boss. Your feelings – your beliefs – about him don’t change who he is or his authority over us as long as we are here in his building.”

“That’s your opinion. I can do whatever I want and I will not accept an invisible boss who forces us to submit to him.”

“So, you’re leaving?”

“No, I like this building. I’m just going to do what I want in it.” Sammy wiped his yellow hands on his pants. “I’m smart enough to make my own decisions.”

———————————————————————————————————————————–

The above conversation might seem silly.  But a similar conversation is being held all across our country every day. Only, instead of being about a boss, it’s about the Boss.

It’s puzzling to me to hear people say they won’t accept God because of what He did or what He commanded the Israelites to do in the Old Testament.

They may not understand why God did the things He did.

They may not like it.

It may not line up with their sense of morality.

But it doesn’t change the fact that God is God.

There is no other Supreme God to choose from.

There is no other Creator of all things.

 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (He established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other. Is 45:18

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Rev 4:11

It’s even more puzzling to hear people say they love, serve, and honor Jesus as God, but reject the God of the Old Testament.

Do they think there are two Gods? Or do they think Jesus is God 2.0?

God is God whether the invisible Father or the God-made-visible Son.  

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. Col 1:15-16

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb 13:8

Would they reject Jesus if they reread the Old Testament inserting the name Jesus in the place of LORD God?

I think we sometimes forget that we didn’t create God or install Him as God.

He is God because  THAT   IS   WHO   HE   IS.  Period.

Why do we think our brains are big enough to comprehend Him? Why do we think we get to say what God should be like?

Whether or not we agree with Him doesn’t change who He is.

Whether or not we like what He did in the Old Testament doesn’t change who He is.

Whether or not we understand His rules and ways doesn’t change who He is.

Whether or not we choose to worship Him doesn’t change who He is.

Everyone worships something because we were created to worship. Look at all the religions around the world. One thing they all have in common is worship. What and how they worship differs vastly, but they all worship what makes sense to them.

And that’s the problem.  We worship what we choose according to what we reason out with our small, finite minds. Or we worship what others tell us to worship. Even Christians. I would estimate that only a small percentage of those who call themselves Christians actually worship and serve their Creator. 

And the LORD said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men. Isa 29:13

If we don’t worship or serve Him, who or what do we worship and serve?

Nature, power, sex, celebrities, political parties, woke-ism, social justice, good works, ministry, climate control, saints, religion, family – the list could go on forever.

But I think many people spend their lives serving the god of self. Life is all about what they want, what they think, what they prefer. They may clothe it with the worship of something else, but deep down, they are the ones sitting on the throne in their hearts.

Bottom line – God doesn’t have to make Himself worthy of our worship. He doesn’t have to conform to our thinking. He is God because He made all things.  Let’s not pretend He doesn’t exist because we don’t like who we think He is or we prefer a different god. Let’s not recreate God in our image. Instead, let’s bow before Him and acknowledge Him for who He is as He is. Sooner or later everyone will.

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11