Emotions are getting a bad wrap these days. There are many times in our lives in this present age, where tears would be the appropriate response to all the tragedy we are seeing in our world right now. We must remember that through all we listen to, watch, or read on social media that we live in a relatively calm world. It is us humans that run this world, even if you believe that there is a God and he is somehow using us as His puppets, you would have a distorted view of the God you believe in. Christ said, "The Kingdom of God is within you" contrary of social distortion, he stresses to the religious leaders of his day that His Kingdom was not of this world. In a word, God's Kingdom is the kingdom of Love. Yes, I believe in the bible and I believe what it says about having faith, and this is how we enter God's Kingdom, but in my understanding of the truth, no one is excluded from God's Kingdom and those who through their rejection of the greatest commandment, which is to love God and love your neighbour (as yourself) are actually fighting the work of God by committing a sin against Love.
We do not place ourselves into God's Kingdom, we do in a sense, but it is the Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus, who forgives us our sins and places us in the family of God. The bible teaches that anyone who does not love doesn't know God (1 John 4:8). The reason why love is so important in God's Kingdom is because love has the power to create life, it is hate that destroys people and life. Not just any kind of hate, but hate against God, and against God's people, Israel and the poor in spirit. God promises that he will work through us humans, to advance His Kingdom in this word. We do this through actively loving one another, not necessarily by taking advantage of each other, but freely loving in the way that God has taught us to love each other. Nothing that God has created is evil, all things are good and are used properly for God's Glory and our happiness.
I personally believe that God takes pleasure when we are happy. I also believe He sends adversity not to punish us, but to perfect our faith. The concept of faith can and is abused in most churches. The real kind of faith, leads us to greater and greater pleasure in life and in the Lord. The Lord is holy, and He desires that we meet His expectations in our lives, and He knows that if we become more loving and forgiving He can use us. There is a great contradiction in the Kingdom of God, and that is God prefers to use nobodies. I believe that He does this because the bible teaches this; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 NASB "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
Why God has chosen to do this this way is a mystery. And it is a wonderful one at that. Our Saviour was put to death by religious leaders, because his love threatened them. They were in bondage to their own hurt, and their sinful hearts. But they were too proud to allow Jesus the Saviour to heal and forgive them. I know that God suffers with us because he suffered for us on the cross. As we enter a new year, and celebrate the Holidays, don't feel ashamed because of all the suffering that is happening in the world, enter as best as you can into the mystery of the suffering Saviour and Lord.
We do not place ourselves into God's Kingdom, we do in a sense, but it is the Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus, who forgives us our sins and places us in the family of God. The bible teaches that anyone who does not love doesn't know God (1 John 4:8). The reason why love is so important in God's Kingdom is because love has the power to create life, it is hate that destroys people and life. Not just any kind of hate, but hate against God, and against God's people, Israel and the poor in spirit. God promises that he will work through us humans, to advance His Kingdom in this word. We do this through actively loving one another, not necessarily by taking advantage of each other, but freely loving in the way that God has taught us to love each other. Nothing that God has created is evil, all things are good and are used properly for God's Glory and our happiness.
I personally believe that God takes pleasure when we are happy. I also believe He sends adversity not to punish us, but to perfect our faith. The concept of faith can and is abused in most churches. The real kind of faith, leads us to greater and greater pleasure in life and in the Lord. The Lord is holy, and He desires that we meet His expectations in our lives, and He knows that if we become more loving and forgiving He can use us. There is a great contradiction in the Kingdom of God, and that is God prefers to use nobodies. I believe that He does this because the bible teaches this; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 NASB "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
Why God has chosen to do this this way is a mystery. And it is a wonderful one at that. Our Saviour was put to death by religious leaders, because his love threatened them. They were in bondage to their own hurt, and their sinful hearts. But they were too proud to allow Jesus the Saviour to heal and forgive them. I know that God suffers with us because he suffered for us on the cross. As we enter a new year, and celebrate the Holidays, don't feel ashamed because of all the suffering that is happening in the world, enter as best as you can into the mystery of the suffering Saviour and Lord.
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