What is God to You?

“What is God to you?” You say, “Scott, I’m not sure you have the question stated correctly. God is a Person and therefore the question should be, ‘Who is God to you?’”

I get the point but my question is also raising a point.

Often we don’t relate to God as Person (who) but rather as a commodity (what).

Skye Jethani has recently written “The Divine Commodity”. When interviewed about his message Jethani commented about the commodification of God as follows:

“A commodity is something that is not valued for what it is, but for what it may be exchanged for. A subsistence farmer values rice because of its inherent rice-ness; because his family eats it to survive. But once he grows more than enough rice for survival, it becomes a commodity. He doesn't value the surplus rice because it's rice, but because it may be exchanged for something else--tools, clothing, etc.

So it is with God. Those holding a consumer world view see everything as a commodity--assigning value based not on a thing or person's inherent identity, but their usefulness to the consumer. In Consumer Christianity God has not inherent value apart from what he can do for me. As one sociologist studying American faith has put it, our God isn't the one revealed in Scripture--almighty and holy--but a consumer deity part divine butler and part cosmic therapist.”

So, I raise the question again, “What is God to you?”