6. God’s Perspective: First, a Problem
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord… (Isaiah 1:18)
God has a problem that He wants to talk to us about. WE are the problem. Here’s why:
The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good. No, not one. (Psalm 14:2, 3)
At first glance, this seems outrageous! You know lots of good people don’t you? But think—do you know anyone who is always like this:
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave itself rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
This is the “good” that God is looking for in us and not finding. It’s a completely selfless love. It’s beautiful, but surely it’s unreasonable to expect that anyone could always be like that, isn’t it?
Listen to God again:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8, 9)
God is not boasting; He’s just stating fact! So we’ll need to put our first reactions aside as we try to understand God’s perspective. Obviously it’s going to be very different from what we expect.