God: Waiter or Trainer

So last night's class was about how to bring God to work. Some scary statistics were mentioned such as that only 12% of professing Christians act any different ethically in the workplace than their unbelieving co-workers. We were also reminded that if we are Christians, then we are called to be so wherever God has placed us. We are all to be missionaries in our workplaces. We are all to be "salt and light" to those around us. We were encouraged that the only way to do so was to live a spiritually credible life. One of the guys in my class referred to it as the "sermon that you act, rather than the sermon that you speak." It is important to make sure that the words you speak match up with what people see you living out. In this way you will have standing to be able to present the Gospel. Not that you need to be perfect, for we never will be this side of glory, but that you are actually striving for Christ. Lord keep me moving/ to higher ground/ when I am tempted/ to settle down. Your whisper sweeter/ than honeycomb/ gently reminds me/ I'm almost home.

Anyway, on to the title. It was only mentioned in passing but had been reinforced through several other mediums to me. Such as this or this Adam Ford comic. Often we want God to be like a waiter. There when we need Him for something. Comes around to ask how things are occasionally. Cleans up the messes when we're done. But otherwise we're content that He stays out of our lives and out of our way. The scene from Aladdin comes to mind: "Life is your restaurant/ and I'm your maître d'!"

Think about this. We want to confine God, the Creator of every thing we can see down to those we can't, to a corner of our lives.

The other comparison that was made: God as our personal trainers. I don't go to the gym, so I can only talk about how personal trainers work from how I've heard others describe them. They're there in your face, pushing you to be better. You invite them in and expect them to encourage you to higher heights than you could reach by yourself. Now all analogies fall apart, but I think this should be closer to how we view God. Not only can He lift us up, and Ephesians tells us He has seated us with Christ in the heavenly places, but He deserves worship and honor and glory and praise.