Admiral Motti must not have known about Darth Vader’s temperament or thought Vader was under Tarkin’s control.
The Admiral tries to dress down Vader by stating, “Don’t try to frighten us with your sorcerer’s ways, Lord Vader. Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Rebel’s hidden fort…”
A Force choke cuts off the Admiral while Vader cooly states, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
It is unwise for anyone in the Star Wars universe to talk to Vader in that tone. He is one to deal swiftly and violently.
Unfortunately, many people, believers included, see God like this. They see God as someone that only deals out punishment, and that punishment is swift and cruel.
They fail to realize that God is love, according to 1 John 4:8.
We need to know that, according to 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
While we can say and do things that are, from our perspective, hurtful to God, if we are in Christ Jesus, He will not hold our sins against us.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, we are comforted by Paul, who tells believers, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he [or she] is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses [or sins, per the NIV ] against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
Say what you want about God, but He is loving and wants people to be redeemed through His Son.
