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God Is Beyond That Which We Can Imagine

God is beyond that which we can imagine The mind cannot conceive the magnitude, All our man-made images, idols fall short We have no language for the pulchritude Of a Being in Divine Creative Majesty, Our feeble conceptions do not satisfy, We use linguistic anthropomorphisms, Much too humanlike, they do not gratify. Best we acknowledge the Creative Being As one who created everything with love. But thinking of life as a grand puppet show With lives being manipulated from above Deprives all human beings of their free will And makes of us this exquisite video game, The magnificence of God becomes a sham With every generation more of the same. If that’s the case the Controller is responsible For the deeds we humans blithely engage, But I do not believe this to be the case; In fact, the very idea causes me much rage. This God, which we cannot define or know, Has set the cosmos and humanity in motion, The Divine Creator oversees the natural laws Living rightly and justly, we show devotion. We cannot know God, only honor the being Of the Creator through respectful attitude We can love, as we believe our Creator loved, Though not even remotely in the magnitude. We best worship Creator God in stewardship By following, what is called, the Golden Rule, And by not thinking of ourselves more highly Than we ought, thus becoming a simple fool. Written March 16, 2022

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Caren Krutsinger

Date: 3/17/2022 1:52:00 AM

This is the most important thing I have read today "Best we acknowledge the Creative Being As one who created everything with love." - LOVE is the KEY!

L Milton Hankins
Date: 3/17/2022 8:37:00 AM

I couldn't have said it better, Caren. And, I must remember to write a poem "Love is the key!" Thanks for your insightful comment and your getting at the heart of what I was trying to relate.

Jeff Kyser

Date: 3/16/2022 9:05:00 PM

These are the important thoughts… what comes into our minds when we try to contemplate the infinite. I believe time is a construct God created, that he stands outside of. Coming of course from the idea he has no beginning or end. I can’t see how, with him being outside of time, he sees anything but all I have and will ever do. And that has implications, but they are big and hard to think about. Stuff that provide keys these thoughts is good stuff

L Milton Hankins
Date: 3/19/2022 1:52:00 PM

Actually, I did call myself a Deist from early on in my ministry. My ministry was primarily focused on the teachings of Jesus, and I am still a very strong lover of, and follower of, Jesus. I do not see the two ideas (Deism and Christianity) being mutually exclusive. I would need pages to discuss this in further detail, but, if you are interested, ask me for a Soup Mail. I once wrote a manuscript, "One Hundred Reasons Why I Love Jesus" and it had little to do with Jesus's purportedly being part of a trinity, per se. Incidentally, the earliest Christians were NOT trinitarian!

Jeff Kyser
Date: 3/17/2022 10:42:00 AM

Actually, I'm quite interested/intrigued; would you have called yourself a Deist at the beginning of your ministry, and did you have a slow movement in that direction, or was there a particular life event that moved you there abruptly? I'm sure as much as I'd like to think I've read and studied, my believes are in no small part shaped by my own personal experiences. Our faith journeys are to be cherished and shared, and they tell a lot about us. I don't we change each others' minds, but we can learn, appreciate, and I think we're all going to be a bit more than surprised here one day!

L Milton Hankins
Date: 3/16/2022 10:20:00 PM

Jeff, I'm reasonably sure no one actually cares what I believe; however, I do believe it is important that we be able to articulate what we believe for the benefit of those who have interest, and may not be able, or equipped, to articulate clearly what they believe themselves. I'm essentially a Deist; that is, I believe God made it all, but I do not see God manipulating all the individual beings here on earth. I believe God keeps all the natural laws functioning we humans try to circumvent and/or destroy. It is heavy stuff!

Gershon Wolf

Date: 3/16/2022 7:48:00 PM

-- and we surely can't see the Master Plan either. Best just to do His Will, live our fill. :) gw

L Milton Hankins
Date: 3/16/2022 10:26:00 PM

I'm not sure there is a "Master Plan," g.w., for believing that would mean that everything that happens fits into that master plan. I can't go that far when I see babies born and then dying in places like Ukraine, Ethiopia, etc., and other places where the "master plan" seems to be off track. Are we humans allowed to foul up the Master Plan??? In some regards, I suppose so. From the Christian point of view, I would think that's why God sent Jesus into the world, etc., etc., etc. I have brain freeze!!!

Tom Cunningham

Date: 3/16/2022 2:46:00 PM

Quite a thought provoking verse Milton, all we've got is the stories that have been passed down through the generations, I suppose we all have our own thoughts on who God really is. I believe he came among us to show us the way but in reality he's something a lot more than we can ever imagine. Tom

L Milton Hankins
Date: 3/16/2022 2:49:00 PM

Thank you so much, Tom, for your insightful thoughts on my poem. I think we all have different concepts and different perceptions because we all have unique minds ...and hearts, too. I'm looking forward to how my readers either think I've made a good point or think I'm nuts! I'm sure of both will come through. Have a great week, Tom.