If you were a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan in the '70s, '80s, or '90s, you know what it was like to watch a team that seemed almost unstoppable. Nebraska wasn't just great, they were the standard. Beating the Huskers meant the field was stormed and the goal-posts were coming down. The program was the standard for other programs, a program people respected and feared. Today, that same program is, at best, the punchline of college football jokes.
The history hasn't changed, but the way people see the team has. And that got me thinking: what we believe about something or someone shapes how we respond to them. The same is true in our relationship with God. What we believe He has done for us, how we understand His character, and whether we remember His faithfulness all influence how we respond to Him.
Have you ever wondered why two people can hear the same message about God and walk away with completely different responses? One feels grateful, motivated and wants to draw closer to Him. The other is unaffected, even distant.
What makes the difference?
The answer may be found in what each person believes God has done for them. Our understanding of God's goodness, grace, and faithfulness shapes how we see Him. And how we see Him influences how we respond to Him.
This isn't just about knowing Bible verses or regular church attendance. It's about recognizing who God is and what He's done for us.
Our View of God Shapes Our Response to Him
The way we respond to someone is often connected to what we believe about them. If we believe someone genuinely loves us, we tend to trust them. If we believe they've let us down, we may keep our distance. It’s transactional.
We can have the same relationship with God. When things don’t go as planned, has God let us down?
Our feelings don't always tell us the truth about God. Hard seasons can make His goodness difficult to see, and unanswered prayers can leave us with honest questions. But our understanding of who God is gives us a foundation to return to when our feelings change.
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy." Psalm 103:2–4
Notice the invitation so you do not forget. The psalmist knows that remembering God's goodness matters. When we forget what He's done, it's easier to lose sight of why He's worthy of our trust and worship.
What Has God Really Done for Us?
Before we can respond to God wholeheartedly, we need to consider what He's done. Christianity isn't built on the idea that we must earn God's attention or prove ourselves worthy of His love.
The Dayenu, a traditional Jewish Passover song, recounts the many things God did for the Israelites in delivering them from slavery in Egypt. It begins with:
“If He had taken us out of Egypt and not made judgements on them; it would have been enough for us.”
For Christians our Dayenu, is simple:
“When He provided the ultimate, one and for all sacrifice, it is enough for us!”
What He did was provided a way back to Him. Back to his original intent, the garden of Eden. Is that enough?
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” Ephesians 2:4–5
We were dead, but God made us alive!
That changes the conversation.
We can live with ultimate gratitude for what Jesus accomplished. Instead of allowing our failures to define us, we can acknowledge our sin, receive God's forgiveness, and keep growing.
It means our obedience grows out of a relationship with God rather than an attempt to purchase one.
God's Goodness Is Bigger Than Our Circumstances
God's goodness doesn't mean we'll always get the answer we want. It doesn't mean faithful Christians won't experience grief, disappointment, sickness, or loss. Scripture gives us plenty of examples of faithful people who endured deep suffering.
And the eternal truth in Romans 8, that nothing can separate us from God’s love,
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38–39
Sometimes, recognizing what God has done means celebrating a blessing. Other times, it means holding on to His promises when we can't yet understand what He's doing.
The statement “If He only died on the cross, to reconcile me to Him, it was enough!” has to ring true in my life regardless of the circumstances!
And our response to God should become deeper when we learn to trust His character.
What Happens When We Think Little Of What God Has Done?
Simply put, if we think little of what God has done, we will likely think little of the promises of God. We can become so caught up in our responsibilities, frustrations, and expectations that we stop paying attention to eternity.
Being in I/T for several years, I am accustomed to the phrase “ideal state.” The ideal state is where we want to be. For example, the ideal state may be a complete cloud-based infrastructure, but the current state is a self-managed set of servers residing in a costly self-owned data center.
Man’s ideal state is in perfect union with God in the garden. That is how he created us to be. However, due to the fall, man’s current state is rebellion; and that leads to permanent, eternal separation from God.
I guess the question becomes, “do we think little of eternity?” Have we become so accustomed to self-managing, self-identifying and self-sufficient that we don’t hold the “ideal state” with most high with great regard? When we think so little of eternity, we really think little of what God did for us.
Thinking Much Of What God Has Done For Us?
James sums it up nicely,
“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14
I love the phrasing “a little time and then vanishes.” And it’s all in the hands of the Sustainer, Creator of the everything, God. Brothers and sisters, our next breath is not guaranteed. It’s worth remembering Paul’s words to the church in Philippi:
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” Philippians 3:20
We need to fix our eyes on the eternal not the temporal and our ideal state, not our current state.
But as God grants us additional breaths, we need to allow His past faithfulness to strength our trust in Him today.
Let’s think much of what He has done for us. How? Start by asking yourself a few honest questions. What do I believe God has done for me? Where have I seen His grace? Have I allowed disappointment to shape my view of Him more than His Word does? What might change if I lived with a greater awareness of His faithfulness?
Then put that reflection into practice. Spend time remembering. Read a passage such as Psalm 103 and consider what it reveals about God's character. Don't rush through it. Give yourself time to reflect on what it means for your life.
Practice gratitude. Each day, identify something you can thank God for. It doesn't have to be extraordinary. The point is to become more aware of His goodness in everyday life.
Look for a practical way to respond to God's grace. Encourage someone, serve a neighbor, offer forgiveness, or make a choice that reflects your faith.
Keep bringing your honest questions to God. Faith doesn't require you to pretend you understand everything. You can trust God's character while still asking hard questions and working through disappointment.
And remember that spiritual growth takes time. There will be days when gratitude comes easily and days when it feels like work. The goal isn't to manufacture an emotional response. It's to keep turning toward God and allowing His truth to shape your heart.
Most importantly, let your life reflect that you think much about what God did for you!
Closing Prayer
Father, Help us to think much what you have done for us. You have created a path to get us to an ideal state. Help us to long for that ideal state and not sell out for the current state. And father help us as we desire to live in reverence and awe of you, the mighty sustainer and creator of all things. In Jesus name, Amen!
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God Bless you!