God screws himself over in every deal he makes.

He knows that mankind will abuse free will, but he has to give it to us because robots are incapable of love. So even though he has infinite power, he cannot use it to its extent without destroying us.

God gives the Israelites freedom, free food from out of nowhere, free water out of nowhere, and leads them to a lush and beautiful land. His thanks? They grumble the whole way about how God doesn’t care about them. (Book of Exodus/Numbers/Deuteronomy)

God establishes himself as the perfect King who protects and tends to the Israelites in miraculous ways. But noooooo, they want a human king. So he must once again step aside from his rightful place. (1 Samuel)

Jesus came and lived a sinless life, the only one who did not deserve death. But he decided to take on the sins of the world and die anyway so that those who actually deserved death didn’t receive it. That’s the shortest of short sticks. (Gospels)

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you…for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). Translation: here, you take this box of pillows while I carry the refrigerator.

Time and time again, I should have honored God and I did not. I owe a debt to God so that he can finally get what is due him. But he scratches his pen across the ledger and says, “Forget about it.” Every day he does this, all across the globe. Every day, he cheats himself out of what is rightfully his.

For us.

This is why I follow my God, my Jesus. He is everything and deserves everything. But every day, he chooses to be nothing and receive nothing. He lays down his rights as King and allows himself to be used and abused over and over and over.

And he never gets tired of it. Because once he finally has us, once he finally finds that 1 sheep out of 100…he feels like he has everything (Luke 15:7).