Donald McCullough has a book called “The Trivialization of God.”* You should never judge a book by its cover, of course, but the cover is particularly good. It shows a yellow pin-on button that says “God.”

It’s the kind of button you might get at a political rally, or perhaps with the name or logo of your favourite social issue.

Although there’s nothing wrong with wearing a button that says “God,” the point of the book cover is clear: It is tempting to trivialize God—to turn him into a poster boy for your favourite cause, or to trim his sovereignty in order to make him conform to the limited ideas you already have.

Today’s devotional is simply a gut check. Have you trivialized God? Or do you seek to know and honour him in all his majesty, mercy, perfection and power?

I once heard it put like this. It’s as if we sometimes treat God like a vending machine. If we put certain things into the relationship (like prayer, acts of service, or even money), we expect to get certain things in return—like a vending machine. But if we don’t get exactly what we want then we get upset and perhaps even stop trusting him.

But doesn’t that trivialize who God is and what he is capable of? 

In Romans 11:33 Paul encourages us to think bigger: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”

-When was the last time you consulted God before making a big decision?
-When was the last time you changed your mind about a major issue because of the teachings of Scripture?
-When was the last time you lived in sacrificial love because of Jesus’ example?

I invite you to ponder this critical question: Do you want to have a relationship with God on your terms for your own purposes, or do you want to have a relationship with God on his terms and for his purposes?

God is wise. His judgments are unsearchable. His plans are always better than our plans. Not only is a vending machine notion of God too small, but it’s an insult to the almighty and providential Maker of heaven and earth.

Do you want to have a relationship with God on your terms for your own purposes, or do you want to have a relationship with God on his terms and for his purposes?

It’s a work in progress for all of us, myself included. But it’s also a matter of growth and trust. 

Let’s guard against the dangerous illusion of a manageable deity, and remain open to the wisdom and work of Lord God the Almighty.

---

Notes:

-This devotional is celebrating 10 years! Click here to listen to an interview by Todd Gale of Life 100.3FM about how it began and how it’s going.

-*Donald W. McCullough, The Trivialization of God: The Dangerous Illusion of a Manageable Deity (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1995).

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.