Is God your 'Genie'?

 It never fails to amaze me how so many people approach God as if He were a “genie in a bottle”. They feel that if they do all of the “right stuff” then God will, naturally of course, “bless” them with health, wealth and all’s right with their world! I mean, come on!! Their entire attitude to God is one of “He owes them!”  I suspect that one of the reasons that this approach has crept into the minds of so many ‘Christians’ is because of the ‘Name it and Claim it’ preaching that gets done nowadays in order to help fill the empty seats in church buildings!

The fact that so many people have this approach to God, is, unfortunately, a by-product of our society. We are all encouraged to be strong and independent, to be a ‘self-made’ man or woman and that all the good things in life are ours to claim simply because ‘we are worth it’!  Just spend an evening watching the advertisements on television and you will see what I mean.  We are bombarded by messages that tell us that we can have silky smooth skin with blah soap, because we deserve it; insurance / investment companies taking care of our needs because we are worth it; vehicles that offer us luxury, affordability, and every little knick-knack that makes them special because we are.  So it goes on, a constant barrage of information that tells us constantly how much we deserve and how much the strong, independent, go-getter is admired for their success.

So when it comes to God, so many people find the Bible’s instructions very difficult to swallow. Obedience; submission; faithfulness; trust in an ‘unseen’ Saviour; and all the other requirements for a life fully immersed in doing the will of God. Therefore, large chunks of Jesus’ teachings are ignored and only the ‘good stuff’ is taught.  ‘Believe and you will receive.’  ‘Whatever you ask for in my name will be added to you.’  These are verses that people hang on to as they pray for a new vehicle, washing machine, a bigger house, and whatever else their hearts’ desire.  These people forget verses like ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…’

Yes, our God is a generous and loving God! He loves to provide for His children and to give them good gifts. God has on many an occasion provided a car, or other item that was beyond the means of the recipient, and He does this for His glory. But God wants our hearts. He wants our love and our trust. Yes, He does want us to give Him our troubles and trust Him to get us through them or miraculously solve them for us, but He wants us to love Him whether we live in a mansion or a shack. He wants us to trust Him when loved ones die, or when the doctor tells us we have cancer.  He wants us to be willing to walk with Him through every facet of our lives and not to just call on Him with our ‘prayer shopping list’ whenever we feel like it, and to then declare that we no longer believe just because He hasn’t provided us with the comfortable lifestyle we feel we deserve!!

So today, when you go to Him in prayer, firstly thank Him for what He did for you - the cross was not a walk in the park! Then praise Him for who He is because He deserves it! Finally, throw out your shopping list; lift up those you know of who are going through difficult times and then, thank Him for all that He has provided you with! Remember, that as He is the Creator, everything in this world belongs to Him – all you have is only on loan.