"What you got in that box?"

One Sunday morning I was listening to a friend of mine preach from God’s word. He began to describe how we often try to put God in a box. Many times we try to make God into what we think He should be. We try to imagine what God would do in a certain situation, or even put words into His mouth saying “God would never do _____.” The Pastor went on to say that every time we try to fit God into the box, imagine God walking up behind us, looking over our shoulder and saying “What you got in that box?” In other words, God is God and we are not!


Paul said the very same thing to the people of Athens in Acts Chapter 17. In verses 29-31 he is explaining to Greek people that the living God they call “The Unknown God” cannot be contained by temples made by human hands. He cannot be served by humans because everything we have comes from Him in the first place. He made the first man, and ever since then He has even appointed the time each man lives and where he inhabits the earth. He sums it up by saying “In Him we live and move and have our being. Even your own poets have said that we are His offspring.” In other words, we can’t put God in a box.


How many times do we do this in our own lives? How many times do we do this in our churches? How often does our lack of faith limit us to see just how awesome God really is? We'll try to make God into what we think He should be to fit our own agendas, but it doesn’t work that way. We belong to Him, not Him belonging to us.


God is a gracious, forgiving and faithful God, but don’t mistake that for someone who can be manipulated. The Westminster Catechism says it in a great way: “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness & truth.” In other words, God is God and He is going to have His will completed for His own glory, not our own.


God has unlimited resources and power, and can do anything He wants at any time. He conquered death and sin through His son Jesus so that we might have eternal life. He created the entire universe with words from His lips. He is alive and cannot be contained.


What box are you trying to put God into today? Chances are, He’s not going to fit.