Love. Laughter. Friends. Watching a sunset with people you love. Summertime bike rides. Waterfalls. Trees blowing in the wind. Beauty. Joy.
There is great beauty in the world we live in. This world is amazing! Yet, this world would not have the beauty it does without other people. There is a pretty big difference between laughing in a room by yourself, and sharing laughter with a friend. Personal relationships don't really have survival value in themselves; they are the kinds of things which give value to survival. And in the beginning of all things, we find that the origin of all beauty, all love, all worth, and all joy is personal.
God is the Creator of all that is. He is the source of all joy, all beauty, all love—every good thing we see in the world. He is a God filled with compassion, care for the oppressed. He is completely good, and He loves this world like crazy! He hates injustice and evil, and is set on destroying it. He is perfectly just, and as perfectly just He is completely opposed to evil.
God is also a majestic King. When people see Him, they can’t help but fall down and praise Him. Imagine hearing a symphony, or seeing your significant other beautifully dressed, or reading an amazing story of self-sacrifice. Don’t you just want to tell someone about it? Aren’t you just bursting to share something of the awe you’ve just seen? The majesty of a rainbow or the companionship of a lover or the thrill of reading a great book are just tastes of the majesty of God. When you see Him, you can’t help but burst into praise; He is that beautiful!
God can do anything, for nothing limits His power. He is also everywhere at once. He is present with the poor, the suffering, the oppressed—present in the midst of every act of wrong, present in every beat of our hearts and every breath we take. God knows everything; everything that will happen, every thought in our minds, and every bit of pain and pleasure we experience.
God controls everything; there is nothing that happens outside of God’s plan. Everything around us is part of God’s wise governance of the world. God never does evil; yet is a reason for everything, and nothing can thwart His wise purposes. God also sustains everything. He keeps the universe running; He is behind the sun’s rising and the sun’s setting. He sustains the breeze of the wind, or the beating of our hearts. He governs life and death.
God is also self-sufficient. That means He doesn’t need anything; He’s completely happy! Before anything was created, God alone existed. And yet, He was still satisfied in Himself. Somehow, God Himself was the very thing that makes life worth living: a community of loving relationship.