Somewhere from my deep dark past I recall lyrics to a song entitled “Getting to Know You.”  I researched the tune and found it was from the musical “The King and I” starring Yul Brynner, which began its Broadway run in 1951.  Part of the song has the following lyrics:  “Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me.”  You see that’s the problem for many people.  They don’t know others very well.  When it comes to God, this can be a real problem too [especially for Christians].  We don’t know Him very well at all.

In our effort to know God, Matt Chandler has said we need to understand His “Transcendent Creativity*.”  Chandler also says we need to understand God’s “Sovereign Knowing**.”  Let’s go further.  Chandler also writes it is very important to know that God does not need us; we need Him.  Well, that’s a bit crude.  Chandler puts it in these words: “God owes no man anything.  Our very existence has been gifted to us by His grace.”  God is perfectly self-sufficient.

Why is it necessary to say things like this to today’s Christian?  Here is the reason.  Today’s Christians are not taught that we are dependent on God.  Too many believers have adopted the idea that we are “self-sufficient.”  Chandler says this is the result of too many pastors who preach the “prosperity Gospel.”  You know that prosperity gospel that teaches that faith, positive confession, and generous giving guarantee material wealth, physical health, and personal success. It emphasizes a direct link between belief and earthly prosperity, often presenting financial blessing as evidence of God’s favor. 

The problem with this theology is that it promotes materialism and does not explain why everyone who believes in God is not prosperous.  Poverty therefore must be a sign that a person lacks faith and wealth, God is showering His blessings only on the “true believer.”  I would go further by stating that it gives a prosperous Christian a false sense of entitlement regarding God.  Chandler says “most evangelicals believe Christians are in a bargaining position [with God].  We carry an insidious prosperity gospel around in our dark, little, entitled hearts.  We come to the throne and say, ‘I’ll do this, and You’ll do that.  And if I do this for You, then You’ll do that for me.’” [31].  Let’s reiterate: God does not need us; we need Him.

We misunderstand our relationship with God as a 50/50 exchange.  We think we have to do our part and then He does his. We cannot treat God like He is a cosmic vending machine.  We put in our coins [prayers, Bible study, Christian service, worship etc.] and what we want pops out.  There are many pastors who preach this in churches, online and on television but where they get these ideas, I do not know.  Does this have an impact?  It does!  People get their emotions stirred up by this message, thinking that they can achieve what they want through some worldly commitment on their part.  I know a man who worked hard in my church and I was flabbergasted when he came to Wednesday night service, bragging that God had blessed his good “works” with a Mercedes.  Whatever we do in the name of God, I am sure He appreciates it, but He is not bound to reciprocate with a Mercedes.  What was this man’s God?  I daresay it was not God in heaven above; it was a Mercedes.

Chandler thinks this attitude is totally absurd.  “If everything is God’s, you have nothing to give Him that He doesn’t already own.”  There is no bargaining position with God.  The root cause of all this need for self-sufficiency is pride.  Some Christians think they are special and they forget the need to be humble in God’s presence.  Proverbs 11:2 says “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”  Proverbs 16: 5 says “Every one that is proud is heard is an abomination to the Lord.”  James 4: 6 says “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  Many people do not understand this Scripture as they love to express their knowledge, power and professional skills.  Bravado is the common currency today while humility takes a back seat. 

There have been times in my life when I have cried out to God for help, times when I was so confused and lost that I did not know what to do next [definitely not times of bravado].  In those times, pride went out the window as I was desperate for answers.  Yes in those times, God did not need me; I needed Him, but what happened was that He helped me in those desperate times nevertheless.  He did not need me; He wanted me. You see God wants to have a relationship with all of us.  That is His gift.  He is in the business of restoring sinners like me.  He does not have to do that; He wants to do that.  Usually when I plod along thinking I am in charge, I really am not.  That is pride.  I kid myself that I am not broken when I really am.  You see, all of us humans are broken images of God and He wants to fix us all, to make us new.  When God’s son hung on the cross and took on all of our sins, He offered something we did not deserve.  He offered us the gift of grace.  He offered us the gift of forgiveness.  He offered us the gift of eternal life.

So we need to reorient our thinking to gratitude, gratitude to a God who only asks that we follow Him.  We need to say to God, I need to “get to know you.”  We need to rid ourselves of pride in our worldly possessions.  We need to rid ourselves of the attitude that we can take our works and exchange them for the admiration of our Lord.  God is gloriously self-sufficient, perfectly self-sufficient. 

Be thankful that He wants us and know that His love is unconditional.  Nothing we have or can do can merit His love. 

What does that do?

It makes our love unconditional also…

*”Transcendent Creativity Hurts My Brain”  November 21, 2025

**”Most Christians Salute the Sovereignty of God but Believe the Sovereignty of Man”  November 30, 2025