Skip to main content

The Gospel is for Everyone.

Like me, we sometimes wonder where in this world God is. Our churches are full almost every weekend, but we desire more of God during the regular week.  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV) What does it mean to become the righteousness of God? It means that through our faith God has called us just, or righteous. There is a common misconception that because we are in right standing with God that we have to somehow be perfect. The word "perfect" in the bible is not referring to sinless perfection but maturity. But even a baby Christian need not perfect themselves, Christ is the stronghold in our lives if we are following him. He takes our faith, no matter how weak it is and He perfects it. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ( Hebrews 12:2 KJV.)

We look to Jesus, in the same way we look to our parents when we were children, with faith. We sometimes feel that we have to strive to get God's attention, but our perseverance is not ours alone to carry. It is God's perseverance of us that really matters, and if we have sinned greatly, we need not somehow try to make it up to him with things like perfect obedience, or self mortification. God is pleased with us, if we are prideful we need to repent, but if our hearts are right before the Lord we need not fear His judgement. God looks on us as we are his children. He knows we struggle, that's why he died for us. His heart is actually closer to the ones who know they need Him the most, because if all our needs are getting met, we will feel smug and satisfied and feel that we don't need God.

God is also close to the sinner, not just the saint. His love encompasses even those who are living in rebellion to him. We must come to God knowing that we need Him, for that is the only way to come. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ( Romans 5:6-8) Our righteousness is given to us by the Lord Himself, when we look upon the cross on which Jesus died, we are set free from the penalty of sin.

If we are finding ourselves in a rut, where we feel that God is not listening, we can be sure He is because of His omniscience. God knows our hearts, he know how hard we can be on ourselves at times, and I am sure that the suffering in the present world grieves the Lord, but there is great joy that awaits anyone who has faith and is going through the mill. The problem comes when we give up. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ( Hebrews 12:15 NIV) We can't do this on our own, and I believe that even as I write this God is lifting some readers up from the trap that Satan has cast you in. There is no need to fear God. This is Mike.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Age of Brokenness.

  We are living in an age of brokenness, no matter what age you are, you probably have been touched with relationships falling apart, which causes more and more people to live in isolation. In this generation there is less of an incentive to heal and reconcile relationships, but that doesn’t excuse the amount of people who are broken. Why people don’t seem to be motivated to heal relationships is because our beliefs about faith and God have changed, really giving us less of an incentive to do what our religion says. If I act from my personal beliefs, but the person that I am responding to has abandoned religious beliefs, than the response to my wanting things to be better can be misinterpreted and rejected then by someone else. Generally when a society has expectations about broken relationships, loneliness and isolation, and the beliefs are generally accepted, society becomes a more compassionate society, because all value the same things. When religious values are undermined and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

 Matthew 25:1-13 I have discovered a remarkable interpretation of this parable that I would like to share with you. The story in the Bible goes like this:    “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.   2  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.   3  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.   4  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.   5  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6  “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7  “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.   8  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9  “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy som...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Existence of God

  Since the beginning of time, man has learned about the existence of God. It began in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve walked and talked with God, however when they sinned, they died spiritually and their closeness with God was severed. In Genesis 4:26 it reads “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.” Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, so it’s fair to say that not too long after mankind fell, we also called upon the Lord.   From that time until now, mankind was closer to God then, but it’s a modern shift that the world is in the state it is in now, mainly unbelief, because even 30 years ago from now, mankind was closer to God. It is also true that in ancient Israel’s history, there have been generations that fell away and forgot God, but in the time of the prophets Israel was never left without a word from the Lord. Many generations have come and gone, but there have been remarkable generations all thr...
1 comment
Read more