God wouldn't hold on to something He didn't view beautiful

A rabbi would only pick a disciple who he thought could actually do what he was doing. Notice how many places in the accounts of Jesus' life he gets frustrated with his disciples. Because they are incapable? No, because of how capable they are. He sees what they could be and could do, and when they fall short, it provokes him to no end. It isn't their failure that's the problem; it's their greatness. They don't realize what they are capable of.

God has an incredibly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things.

I have been told that I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that Jesus believes in me.

I have been told that I need to have faith in God. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that God has faith in me.

-Rob Bell, in Velvet Elvis

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It goes back to one of the Scriptures that says "Be holy, for I am holy." God tells us to be holy, because He is holy. now He knows that we can't be Him - we can't be God - because we are just men and women, and we are the created, not the creators. but maybe what He's getting at is that just because we're not perfect, it doesn't mean that we can't be like Him. just because we struggle with sin and the things of the world doesn't mean we can't be lifted above it. God really thinks we can be like Him. in fact, the whole concept of being a Christian is being Christ like. the first people to be called Christians were done so because they were actually mistaken for Christ. they were like Christ.

the implications of this is that they must have been doing the things of God, they were doing the things that Jesus did. being humble, not caring about credibility. facing the Pharisees, being threatened and hated, but also freeing people. healing weaknesses and diseases and casting out demons and baptizing people and having a relationship with the Father and not bringing glory to themselves but to the Father. and doing miracles and praying. they were holy because He was and is holy.

the intro excerpt is from the book Velvet Elvis and it talks about how Jesus, a rabbi, called out some of his disciples, and the role of the rabbi was to have disciples who they believed could carry on doing what the rabbi was currently doing. the way Rob Bell made it sound was that the disciples usually went to the rabbi looking for something like an apprenticeship or internship, but here, Jesus goes to the people He had chosen, and asks them to follow Him. He has specific people in mind and He calls them out because not only does He want them, but He thinks that they are capable of carrying on what He is doing. to do His work, His will.

it says somewhere in the New Testament that good works isn't a reason to get proud about yourself because all of your good works were planned by God for you. this means that God planned out works for you to do...good works, even. works to be proud of. and if He planned them just for you, not only does that mean He must really know you and care about you, but He is giving you something that He believes you can handle. He has planned something for you that you should be able to do. i mean, we are sinners. but if we're children of the light, sons and daughters of God, then we're gonna do the work of God.

sometimes things get screwed up. lust or pride or thinking really malicious, stupid thoughts. and it's a stumbling block. a huge stumbling block, and it's easy to want to give up, thinking God wouldn't want me. i would just be a blemish on His perfect track record. i don't want to weigh Him down, i don't want Him to have to deal with me because i'm just going to keep falling to this sin. and the thing is... God wants you not because He is trying to be nice. He doesn't want you because He feels like He's doing charity or something. He wants you because He really sees something beautiful in you.

it's like you have this great God, this really beautiful, amazing, infinitely and eternally large God who is true and just and right and loving all at the same time. someone who loves and lets Himself be vulnerable while simultaneously not letting Himself be taken advantage of and not letting people get away with the things that they try to get away with. and i think of this perfect God and wonder why He might die for me. it's because He thinks that we're beautiful. someone so beautiful wouldn't hold on to something that He didn't think was beautiful. God wouldn't hold on to and die for something of no value. He really wants us. He really loves us.

He has a high view of us. He wants us to be like Him; He believes that we can be like Him. He believed this so much that He let Himself die just so that we could have a chance to prove Him right.