What Does God Need With a Star Ship?

In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the star ship Enterprise traveled to a place that was supposedly Heaven. There, they met a being who claimed to be God. This “God” demanded that the landing party give him the star ship Enterprise so that he could leave that place. (The being didn't explain why he would want to leave Heaven, but oh well.) Kirk politely challenged “God” by asking, “What does God need with a star ship?” Well, for that, he earned himself a jolt of lightning to the chest which he, of course, survived. Spock seconded the question and was also zapped with lightning from “God.”

The scene was intended to out this entity as being something other than God. After all, God wouldn't need a spaceship to escape from Heaven. But, it does bring up some interesting questions and ideas when it comes to rendering unto God.

If we can ask, “What does God need with a star ship?” couldn't we also ask, “What does God need with cash?” (Can we ask that without fearing a jolt of lightning?) We often include, “…as we give back to God a portion of what He has given to us,” in our offering prayers. So, clearly, our intended recipient of these funds…is God. As such, we might ask during the collection of the offering what God needs with money, and the obvious answer is that he does not need our money.

The Old Testament folks may have asked, “What does God need with an ox?” “What does God need with a burning goat?” “What does God need with a sheaf of wheat?” “What does God need with Abraham’s son Isaac killed on an altar?”

A broader perspective is required, I think. We can’t just “follow the money” in this case. Instead, we must follow the heart. Though the church receives our cash, God receives his portion, too. He receives our obedience; our faith and trust; and, our love for the church and for others.

Cain learned that an improper offering garnered no respect or favor from God. So, if God has no use for burned-up goats and wheat and oxen, if he has no need for cash or star ships, but doesn't respect us if we don’t offer up these things, then the conclusion must be that God simply wants us to give an offering that He (not we) finds acceptable. The thing we offer to God is useless to God per se, and yet it is very significant.

So, what does God want from us? What do you get for the the guy who has everything?

What God wants from us is our obedience, our faith and our love, and the offering of our possessions demonstrates that obedience, faith and love for God and for his church. We can't demonstrate those attributes of our faith with paltry offerings, or with offerings of our "budget leftovers."

So, maybe God does need a star ship. He doesn't need it for transportation purposes, but for demonstration purposes. He needs it as a demonstration of our obedience, faith and love. (If God were born on Earth, he would have been born in Missouri...the "Show-me" state, where Willard Vandiver declared, "...frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.") And, to come full-circle, the catchy phrase, "...as we give back to God a portion of what he has given us," is also probably very apropos. God has demonstrated his faithfulness and love for us immeasurably. When we give back to Him in obedience, faith and love, it is truly a portion of what he has given us.